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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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
opinion
4 Key Issues in Neomi Rao’s Judicial Confirmation Hearing
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday held its first judicial confirmation hearing of the year for Neomi Rao, who is President Donald Trump’s nominee for the vacancy left by new Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Rao fielded questions from senators about her college writings, whether… -
news
Democrat Senator Asks Judicial Nominee to Answer Whether Gay Marriage Is ‘Sinful’
Sen. Cory Booker asked judicial nominee Neomi Rao during a hearing Tuesday if she believed same-sex relationships were “immoral.” “Are gay relationships, in your opinion, immoral?” Booker, D-N.J., asked Rao, who is nominated to be on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. If confirmed, Rao would replace Brett Kavanaugh,… -
news
Trump Targets 9th Circuit, Kavanaugh’s Former Seat Among 51 Judicial Renominations
President Donald Trump renominated 51 federal judges on Wednesday, including the replacement for now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and two nominees for the liberal 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The nominations are going back to the Senate after having been left over from the… -
news
Senate Adopts Resolution Saying Judicial Nominees Can Be in Knights of Columbus
GOP Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska introduced a Senate resolution Wednesday providing that it is unconstitutional to disqualify a nominee from public office based on their membership in the Knights of Columbus. The resolution, which The Daily Caller News Foundation obtained in advance of its introduction, comes after Democratic Sens. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and… -
opinion
Thanks to Senate Democrats, Our Judicial Vacancy Crisis Is More Out of Order Than Ever Before
Some people in government don’t even need a shutdown to avoid work. Consider how Senate Democrats are handling President Trump’s judicial nominees. Or, to be more precise, not handling them. Just before the Christmas break, The Hill reported, Democrats vowed to “reject any end-of-the-year deal on judicial nominations, signaling they’ll toe a tougher line on court appointments amid… -
news
Democrats Question Judicial Nominee About Membership in Catholic Association
Two Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are pressing a nominee for the Nebraska federal trial court about his membership in the Knights of Columbus, a fraternal service organization of the Catholic Church. Democratic Sens. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Kamala Harris of California submitted written questions in December to Brian Buescher, an Omaha lawyer nominated to the U.S. District Court for… -
opinion
By Democrats’ Own Standard, We Have a Judicial Vacancy Crisis
Words like “crisis” are in the eye of the political beholder. But it’s hard to pick a better one to describe the current state of vacancies in the federal courts. Today, 126 positions on the U.S. District Court and U.S. Court of Appeals are vacant. In fact, we’re in the longest period of triple-digit vacancies…
