Tag Archives: federal judiciary

The New York Times reports: President Trump announced Wednesday that he would nominate Emil Bove III, the polarizing and widely feared top Justice Department official responsible for strong-arm tactics in enacting Mr. Trump’s immigration agenda, to be a federal appeals judge. Mr. Bove, 44, is a former criminal defense lawyer for Mr. Trump. He would fill a vacancy on the …

NBC News reports: A judicial organization that sets national policy for federal courts has rejected a request from two Democratic lawmakers to refer Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to the Justice Department over free travel and gifts from wealthy benefactors that were largely omitted from his financial disclosure forms. The group, the Judicial Conference, sent identical letters Thursday to Sen. …

NBC News reports: Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday blasted what he called “illegitimate activity” aimed at undermining the independence of the judiciary. While facing criticism of contentious court rulings is part of the job for judges, some recent actions have crossed the line, Roberts said in his annual end-of-year report. He outlined four areas of concern: violence, intimidation, disinformation …

Politico reports: “I don’t know exactly what [Trump will] do. But I can tell you this: The judiciary will be one of our strongest — if not our strongest — barrier against what he does,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told Playbook in an exclusive interview this week. Four years ago, Schumer launched a plan (along with President Joe Biden) …

Reuters reports: Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden secured his 235th appointment to the federal judiciary on Friday, narrowly surpassing President-elect Donald Trump’s first-term tally by one with a record number of women and people of color named to the bench. The Democratic-led U.S. Senate voted to confirm two of Biden’s nominees to serve as life-tenured federal trial court judges in …

Law & Crime reports: A federal judge in North Carolina appointed by former president Barack Obama has rescinded his plans to take “senior status,” making him the third Democratic appointee — and second Obama pick — to unretire on President-elect Donald Trump before he can take office and choose their replacements. Fourth Circuit Judge James Wynn Jr. announced his decision …

Reuters reports: Serious threats to U.S. federal judges have more than doubled over the past three years, part of a growing wave of politically driven violence, according to U.S. Marshals Service data reviewed by Reuters. The agency, responsible for the protection of 2,700 federal judges and more than 30,000 federal prosecutors and other court personnel, has seen a sharp rise …

The Lever reports: In 2021 and 2022, two conservative, billionaire-funded legal interests sent more than 100 federal judges on 251 trips to conferences and seminars in cushy locations around the country and overseas, according to a Lever review of hundreds of federal financial disclosure forms. In all, George Mason University (GMU) and The Federalist Society, a conservative lawyers network, funded …

ProPublica reports: During his three decades on the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas has enjoyed steady access to a lifestyle most Americans can only imagine. A cadre of industry titans and ultrawealthy executives have treated him to far-flung vacations aboard their yachts, ushered him into the premium suites at sporting events and sent their private jets to fetch him — including, …

The Associated Press reports: So far, 97 lifetime federal judges have been confirmed under Biden, a figure that outpaces both Trump (85) and Barack Obama (62) at this point in their presidencies, according to data from the White House and the office of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The 97 from the Biden presidency includes Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown …

NBC News reports: Tiffani Gish was arrested last week in the Houston area after she admitted to federal marshals that she had left three threatening voicemails for federal judge Aileen Cannon, telling her she was “marked for assassination” and that she planned to shoot her in front of her family, a federal criminal complaint says. Gish also made a number …

CNN reports: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was discharged from a Washington, DC, hospital Friday morning a week after he was admitted for what a court spokesperson described as an infection. Thomas, 73, entered Sibley Memorial Hospital last Friday after experiencing flu-like symptoms. The court’s public information officer did not say anything about Thomas’ condition when he was released and …

CNBC reports: The Supreme Court has remained silent on the condition of 73-year-old Justice Clarence Thomas since it announced his hospitalization earlier this week and said he was on the mend. Thomas was admitted to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. Friday night, where he was being treated for an infection, the court said in a statement released Sunday. The …

The New York Times reports: President Biden will formally announce the retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer on Thursday, White House officials said, a step that will kick off a weekslong political clash on Capitol Hill as Mr. Biden seeks to put his imprint on the Supreme Court. Officials said the president would deliver his remarks at 12:30 p.m., flanked by …

NBC News reports: Justice Stephen Breyer will step down from the Supreme Court at the end of the current term, according to people familiar with his thinking. Breyer is one of the three remaining liberal justices, and his decision to retire after more than 27 years on the court allows President Joe Biden to appoint a successor who could serve …

Mother Jones reports: Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has been on something of a media blitz this past week, giving a series of well-publicized interviews about his new book, The Authority of the Court and the Peril of Politics. Today, he appeared on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, where he once again disappointed Democrats by refusing to say when …

The New York Times reports: Justice Stephen G. Breyer says he is struggling to decide when to retire from the Supreme Court and is taking account of a host of factors, including who will name his successor. “There are many things that go into a retirement decision,” he said. He recalled approvingly something Justice Antonin Scalia had told him. “He …

CNN reports: Justice Stephen Breyer has not decided when he will retire and is especially gratified with his new role as the senior liberal on the bench, he told CNN in an exclusive interview — his first public comments amid the incessant speculation of a Supreme Court vacancy. Far from Washington and the pressures of the recently completed session and …

Axios reports: The Senate voted 66-33 on Tuesday to confirm Julien Xavier Neals to be U.S. District Judge for the District of New Jersey. Neals is President Biden’s first judicial nominee to be confirmed, as Democrats begin a push to “restore the balance” of the courts after the GOP-led Senate confirmed a record number of conservative judges under former President …

Newsweek reports: A federal judge has vacated a nationwide eviction moratorium put in place by the CDC to aid millions of renters who are struggling financially amid the coronavirus pandemic. U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, ruled Wednesday that the CDC overstepped its authority by extending the moratorium. The temporary hold on evictions …