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
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…Victor Joecks -
- 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…Jason Isaac -
- 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,…Pedro Rodriguez -
- 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…Katelynn Richardson -
- 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…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- 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,”…Jacob Adams -
- 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…Tyler O’Neil -
- 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…Tyler O’Neil -
- 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….Tyler O’Neil -
- 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…Kevin Mooney -
- 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…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- 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…Thomas Jipping -
- 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…Tyler O’Neil -
- 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…Tyler O’Neil -
- 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…Katelynn Richardson -
- 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…Zack Smith -
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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…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- 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…Zack Smith -
- Opinion
How Government Unions Won in Wisconsin by Stacking Judicial Deck
Remember when impassioned protesters stormed a Capitol building and disrupted the democratic process? No, not the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. I’m talking about the pro-union one that stormed the Wisconsin state Capitol on Feb. 21, 2011. More than a decade ago, hundreds of protesters charged into and occupied the state…David Osborne -
- News
Democrats Make Last-Minute Push to Confirm Controversial Biden Judicial Nominees During Lame Duck Session
THE DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Senate Democrats are pushing to confirm more than two dozen of President Joe Biden’s remaining judicial nominees during their final weeks in the majority, including several with controversial records. The Senate has already confirmed four judges during the lame duck session: Judge Mustafa Taher Kasubha to the District of Oregon, Judge Embry Kidd to the…Katelynn Richardson