Judicial System News
Reporting on courts, judges, and the broader legal system. The Daily Signal offers news, analysis, and conservative commentary on judicial issues.
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opinion
Lying, Amorous Federal Judge Likely Committed a Federal Felony
News broke earlier this week that a sitting federal judge in the Southeastern United States committed a host of outrageous acts, for which the judge received the ridiculously light punishment of a private reprimand. (Bloomberg Law reports that the judge is Eleanor Ross, who sits on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of… -
opinion
How Left-Wing Climate Plaintiffs Have Hijacked the Federal Judiciary
The defining feature of the American judicial system is that every litigant walks into the courtroom with the belief that they will have a fair shot to present their case. That foundational principle is under assault. Several weeks ago, the Oversight Project published a report highlighting the threat to judicial independence posed by the left-wing… -
opinion
Judicial Tyranny Is a Threat to the Rule of Law
Just because someone is wearing a black robe doesn’t mean they’re upholding the rule of law. Consider some recent judicial rulings. Last November, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem published a notice ending Temporary Protected Status for Haitians. Leave aside the merits of that decision. The law is clear that this decision belongs to… -
opinion
The Climate Fox in the Judicial Henhouse
For decades, judicial education has served a narrow but vital purpose: helping judges understand complex technical issues without telling them how to rule. That boundary matters. Once judicial education becomes advocacy, courts stop acting as neutral arbiters and begin functioning as instruments of policy enforcement. The Federal Judicial Center crossed that line. In endorsing the… -
news
Johnson Refutes Judicial Warrant Claim for Deportation Efforts
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters on Tuesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement does not need a judicial warrant to arrest an illegal immigrant who already has an administrative warrant and decides to hide from the law in a private residence. “When ICE goes to execute a warrant, it’s an administrative warrant,… -
news
Here’s How Trump’s Judicial Nominees Are Stacking Up So Far
DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—President Donald Trump’s second-term judicial nominees share similar qualities with his first-term picks, though a limited number of vacancies mean his impact remains an open question. Trump began this term with just 40 vacancies to fill, less than half of the open seats as he inherited starting in his first term. Confirming 234 judges to the… -
news
State Department Slams Latest Instance of Leftist ‘Judicial Overreach’
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The State Department is condemning a Biden-appointed federal judge’s ruling barring the Trump administration from using the president’s latest travel ban to deny visas to foreigners from certain countries. U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, a 2024 appointee of then-President Joe Biden, ruled Thursday that the State Department cannot rely on the… -
news
‘Blue Slip’ Brouhaha: Trump, Grassley Spar Over Judicial Nominee Confirmation Procedure
President Donald Trump is seeking to end the long-standing “blue slip” tradition of giving senators veto power over some judicial nominees from their states—but he’s getting pushback from the Republican senator whose mind he needs to change. “I was offended by what the president said, and I’m disappointed that it would result in personal insults,”… -
opinion
Justice Kagan Hits the Nail on the Head in Her Complaint About How the Supreme Court Restrains the Judicial Insurrection
District court judges have usurped President Donald Trump’s control over the executive branch, too often requiring the Supreme Court to intervene to stop the judicial insurrection. Unfortunately, the court has often done so via the “shadow docket” by acting on emergency petitions the administration has appealed to the top. While the court has often made… -
opinion
Here’s Why the Supreme Court Striking Down Nationwide Injunctions Won’t End the Judicial Insurrection
The Supreme Court case Trump v. CASA cut right to the heart of the judicial insurrection, the trend of district court judges siding with leftist activists to block President Donald Trump’s policies through nationwide preliminary injunctions. The court’s decision rightly struck down the judicial insurrection’s No. 1 strategy, but that doesn’t mean rogue judges won’t… -
opinion
Judicial Insurrection Breaks New Ground as Judge Defies Supreme Court Itself
District court judges aren’t just striking down President Donald Trump’s orders, arguably taking presidential power on themselves. In at least one case, a district judge appears to have openly defied the Supreme Court itself. The Supreme Court Monday issued a stay on an April 18 injunction in the case D.V.D. v. Department of Homeland Security…. -
opinion
New Jersey GOP Gubernatorial Nominee Eyes Judicial Openings and Targets Sanctuary Laws
HOLMDEL, New Jersey—Just a few minutes after telling an enthused crowed of supporters that he is committed to the goal of a “safer, more prosperous, and affordable New Jersey,” Jack Ciattarelli told The Daily Signal that he very mindful of the openings on the state supreme court. “We have two new appointments,” the Republican gubernatorial nominee… -
news
Meet Trump’s Judicial Nominee Under Scrutiny for Christian Faith
Former colleagues of one of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees praise him as the “the most brilliant attorney” they’ve ever “had the opportunity to work with.” Trump nominated Joshua Divine to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri on May 6. Divine serves as Missouri’s solicitor general, but his resume… -
opinion
The Judicial Appointment Train Is Leaving the Station
President Donald Trump has announced his intention to nominate Whitney Hermandorfer to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. She will be Trump’s first judicial nomination of his second term and will replace Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch, appointed in September 2010 by President Barack Obama. Congress can use its legislative authority under Article… -
opinion
DERELICTION OF DUTY: Chief Justice John Roberts Admits It’s His Job to Rein in the Judicial Insurrection—and He’s Not Doing It
The deep state and its allies have launched a judicial insurrection against President Donald Trump, and Chief Justice John Roberts effectively just admitted he’s not doing his job to stop it. Roberts made a rare public statement back in March, criticizing Trump and other Republicans who have suggested impeaching judges to prevent them from taking… -
opinion
Abraham Lincoln Charted a Course for Trump on Judicial Overreach, Josh Hammer Says
President Donald Trump faces a bevy of district court judges issuing restraining orders and injunctions blocking his executive actions, and Josh Hammer suggests the president take a leaf out of Abraham Lincoln’s book on the issue. Trump has responded to the orders with calls for Congress to impeach lower court judges or restrain them in… -
news
Justice Alito Slams Majority for Failing to Rein in ‘Judicial Hubris’ Against Trump Admin
DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Justice Samuel Alito wrote Wednesday that he is “stunned” by the majority’s failure to call out a lower court’s “judicial hubris” in the case considering the Trump administration’s foreign aid spending freeze. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court declined to block U.S. District Judge Amir Ali’s order requiring the government to… -
opinion
Key Judicial Body Does Sheldon Whitehouse’s Dirty Work With Proposed Changes to Amicus Disclosure Rules
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., has declared war on the judicial branch. Among his many complaints, he has insinuated without proof that judicial opinions he disagrees with are influenced by amicus—“friend of court”—briefs entangled in webs of dark money. To combat this supposed problem, he has pushed for onerous disclosure requirements that would essentially reveal everyone… -
news
Leavitt Slams ‘Judicial Activists’ for Injunctions Against Trump
While legacy media claim there is a “constitutional crisis” in the Trump administration, the real crisis comes from federal judges blocking President Donald Trump’s executive orders, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Wednesday. “The real constitutional crisis is taking place within our judicial branch,” Leavitt said at a press briefing, “where district court judges… -
opinion
Chief Justice Identifies Threats to Judicial Independence—And Maybe Tips His Hand in TikTok Case?
In a new report, Chief Justice John Roberts details several critical concerns that he feels threaten the ability of our judicial system to carry out justice impartially and according to the rule of law. At the end of each year—only hours before a new year begins—Roberts releases his “Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary.” Think…