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- Opinion
Injunction Against Postal Reforms Is Biased Judicial Overreach
U.S. District Court Judge Stanley Bastian last week issued a nationwide injunction preventing the U.S. Postal Service from implementing reforms to its inefficient and wasteful procedures, which will affect postal operations across the country. The Sept. 17 ruling is the latest in a string of factually challenged attacks on Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. Bastian (who…David Ditch -
- Opinion
Judicial Council Rightly Rebukes Judge Lynn Adelman for Law Review Diatribe
Federal district court Judge Lynn Adelman had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day late last month when the Judicial Council of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided to publicly admonish him for his intemperate 35-page article, “The Roberts Court’s Assault on Democracy,” which personally attacked Chief Justice John Roberts, President Donald…Zack Smith -
- Opinion
Costa Rica Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage Via Judicial Activism
Headlines like a recent one in the New York Post said, “Costa Rica latest country to legalize same-sex marriage.” But it wasn’t really Costa Ricans who made it happen. Instead, Costa Rica became—like the United States five years ago—the victim of a multilayer attack of judicial activism. In an interview with the Family Research Council, Jose L….Peter Sprigg -
- Opinion
Liberals Try to Use COVID-19 Crisis to Halt Judicial Confirmations
The Senate got back to business Monday and, while the coronavirus is still the 800-pound gorilla, senators will also attend to other aspects of the nation’s business. That includes the federal judiciary. Vacancies on life-tenured federal courts around the country are on the rise again, reversing a yearlong downward trend. >>> When can America reopen?…Thomas Jipping -
- News
Kamala Harris, Advocacy Groups Push to Suspend Judicial Confirmations During Impeachment Trial
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and a coalition of left-wing advocacy groups are pressing Senate Republicans to suspend consideration of judicial nominations during President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial. Harris, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said it would be “wholly inappropriate” to confirm judges while the Senate considers whether Trump should be removed from office. “The president…Kevin Daley -
- News
Trump Judicial Adviser Teams Up With Conservative PR Executive in New Initiative
One of the leading voices behind President Donald Trump’s drive to appoint originalist judges to the federal courts is teaming up with an influential public relations executive in the Washington area to launch a new project. Leonard Leo is leaving his post running the Federalist Society, a network of conservatives lawyers, and is partnering with…Fred Lucas -
- News
Trump Judicial Nominee Is Moved to Tears After a Liberal Interest Group Accuses Him of Bigotry
Lawrence VanDyke, one of President Donald Trump’s nominees for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, was overcome with emotion before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday as he defended himself against charges that he would treat LGBT litigants unfairly. The American Bar Association issued a scathing review of VanDyke’s nomination on the eve of…Kevin Daley -
- Opinion
Senators Should Ignore Liberal Lawyers Group When Evaluating Judicial Nominees
The American Bar Association’s ratings used to be—as Democratic Sens. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Charles Schumer of New York have often told us—the “gold standard” for evaluating judicial nominees. Now, they’re just fool’s gold. The American Bar Association has given a “not qualified” rating to nine of President Donald Trump’s 211 judicial nominees. Trump…Thomas Jipping -
- News
Democrats Try to Tie Trump Judicial Nominee to Impeachment Inquiry
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are pressing a judicial nominee about his possible connection to President Donald Trump’s July phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the center of an impeachment inquiry. The nominee, Steven Menashi, is a White House lawyer and nominee for the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Democrats asked…Kevin Daley -
- News
Justice Elena Kagan Has a Message for Those Who Worry Supreme Court Is Becoming Too Partisan
Justice Elena Kagan said Monday night that concerns about the politicization of the Supreme Court are “overblown," pushing back against suggestions that the court’s increasingly conservative makeup will strain public confidence in the judiciary. Kagan told law students at the University of California, Berkeley, not to despair over current conditions, even as she agreed the…Kevin Daley -
- News
Judicial Confirmations Became Political Because Judges Became Political, Experts Say
The confirmation process for Supreme Court justices has deteriorated because the process has become about politics, legal experts say. “I think unfortunately we’ve reached a new low,” Carrie Severino, chief counsel and policy director for the Judicial Crisis Network, said Monday as part of a “Preserve the Constitution” panel discussion at The Heritage Foundation. Part…Rachel del Guidice -
- Opinion
The Media’s Latest Smear of a Trump Judicial Nominee
Left-wing opponents of an impartial and independent judiciary have picked another target: appeals court nominee Steven Menashi. It’s one thing to be honest about a nominee’s record, but disagree about whether he belongs on the bench. The attacks begun on Menashi, however, amount to nothing more than dishonest smears. Menashi, whose Jewish family came to…Thomas Jipping -
- Opinion
The Senate Ups Judicial Confirmations Despite Democrats’ Obstruction
The Senate adjourned for the August recess last week, but not before confirming another 13 judges to the U.S. District Court. Now is a good time to evaluate what the Senate has accomplished with respect to President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees. The Heritage Foundation’s Judicial Appointment Tracker shows some of the good news, as well…Thomas Jipping -
- News
Fact Check: Does Trump Have the Most Successful Judicial Nomination Record Since George Washington?
President Donald Trump has had what many would consider a successful record on judicial appointments—and has repeatedly cast that success in historical terms. “We have many appeals court judges—many—that we’ll have appointed. The courts are a whole different thing,” Trump told a largely teenage audience gathered Tuesday in Washington, before giving them a quiz. “I…Fred Lucas -
- News
Judicial Watchdog Submits Congressional Ethics Complaint Against Rep. Omar for Potential Perjury, Fraud
Conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch filed a complaint with the House of Representatives’ ethics office asking for an investigation into possible crimes committed by Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar. The possible crimes include “perjury, immigration fraud, marriage fraud, state and federal tax fraud, and federal student loan fraud,” according to the complaint filed Tuesday by…Luke Rosiak -
- News
There’s a New Push to Review Judicial Misconduct Complaints Against Brett Kavanaugh
A judicial ethics panel has been asked to review orders dismissing misconduct complaints against Justice Brett Kavanaugh relating to his emotionally charged testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The petition, from a New York attorney called Jeremy C. Bates, was sent to the Judicial Conference of the United States, the policymaking entity of the federal…Kevin Daley -
- Opinion
We Hear You: Jussie Smollett, Judicial Activism, and Abortion Survivors
Editor's note: We begin with some reaction from The Daily Signal's audience to Chicago's about-face in the strange case of a TV actor, then on to some responses to news not covered elsewhere. Join in by writing to [email protected].—Ken McIntyre Dear Daily Signal: I look at the photo of actor Jussie Smollett accompanying your podcast…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
Democrats Vote Against Trump’s Judicial Nominees Far More Than Republicans Did Against Obama’s
The Senate has confirmed Neomi Rao to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She’s exactly the kind of impartial judge that we need across the judiciary. That makes 91 judges overall, and 36 to the federal appeals court, since President Donald Trump took office. Whatever those numbers mean on their own, the…Thomas Jipping -
- Opinion
Senate Should Keep Pedal to the Metal on Judicial Nominees This Week
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday will hold its fourth judicial confirmation hearing of the 116th Congress, this one featuring two nominees to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. This hopefully signals that the new chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., will continue a robust pace for hearings on President Donald Trump’s judicial…Thomas Jipping -
- Opinion
The Constitution Rejects the Premise of Judicial Supremacy. So Should All Americans.
Americans today are inclined to accept, without thinking much about it, the idea of judicial supremacy. We think that the federal courts—and especially the Supreme Court—have an extensive discretion to decide for us the big questions of public policy that come before the nation. After all, the Supreme Court has taken upon itself the authority…Carson Holloway
