Legal News
Reports on lawmaking, constitutional issues, and court cases. The Daily Signal combines news reporting with conservative commentary and legal analysis.
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opinion
What to Watch for During Amy Coney Barrett’s Senate Confirmation Hearings
The second day of Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearings begin Tuesday morning. GianCarlo Canaparo, a Heritage Foundation legal fellow and co-host of the “SCOTUS 101” podcast, joins our show to discuss what to watch for and what questions he hopes Senate Judiciary Committee members will ask Barrett. Canaparo also previews how he and Heritage… -
news
4 Women Who Clerked or Studied Under Her Share How They View Amy Coney Barrett
Amanda Rauh-Bieri, just out of law school, knew exactly who she wanted to clerk for. It wasn’t a lawyer or judge she had been following for years, or even months. Instead, it was Amy Coney Barrett, who was about to be seated as a new judge on the Chicago-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the… -
opinion
Problematic Women: Will Amy Coney Barrett Face an Unconstitutional Religious Test?
As Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett prepares for Senate hearings next week, many are wondering whether she’ll again face harsh questions about her Catholic faith. Mary Vought, executive director of the Senate Conservatives Fund and wife of Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, joins us to explain why this line… -
opinion
How Judge Amy Coney Barrett Has Protected Americans’ Civil Rights
This op-ed is part of a series that explores the writings and jurisprudence of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, the president’s nominee for the United States Supreme Court. In her rulings on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, Judge Amy Coney Barrett has made it clear that she will protect Americans by enforcing the extensive guarantees… -
news
Support Grows for Confirming Barrett for Supreme Court, Poll Finds
A plurality of Americans support Senate confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court, with a boost of 9 percentage points since President Donald Trump announced her nomination, according to a Morning Consult poll. Barrett’s support is increasing among Republicans, Democrats, and independents, the poll found. Almost half, or 46%, in a poll… -
news
‘Kavanaugh Sleaze Machine Is Back’: Washington Post Article Belittles Barrett as ‘Handmaid’
Conservatives are condemning a Washington Post article Tuesday suggesting that Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett should be questioned during her confirmation hearings next week on her connections with a religious group. “The Brett Kavanaugh sleaze machine is back,” said Judicial Crisis Network’s Carrie Severino in a morning tweet today, adding that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is… -
opinion
Amy Coney Barrett on the First Amendment
This op-ed is part of a series exploring the writings and jurisprudence of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, the president’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. Now that President Donald Trump has nominated 7th Circuit Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, the Senate must assess her qualifications, including her legal experience and judicial philosophy…. -
opinion
Calls to Postpone Amy Coney Barrett’s Hearing Are Disingenuous Stall Tactics
Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats are trying anything they can think of to delay or block the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett. These disingenuous tactics will fail. For example, they wrote the committee’s chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Oct. 3 to say that holding the hearing, scheduled to begin on Oct. 12,… -
opinion
Sen. Marsha Blackburn Previews Barrett’s Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joins the “Daily Signal News” podcast to talk about the committee’s confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, set to begin next week. Senate Democrats, who generally have supported virtual hearings during the pandemic, now demand in-person hearings to consider Barrett. How… -
opinion
Charting the Left’s Religious Bigotry Toward Amy Coney Barrett
When President Donald Trump announced that Judge Amy Coney Barrett was his nominee to fill the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy left by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the religious bigotry of the far left exposed its ugly face. Left-wing pundits, politicians, and activists immediately questioned her ability to be an impartial justice because of her faith. Of course, we’ve heard… -
news
Barrett’s Former Colleagues: ‘No One … Better Suited to Be on the Supreme Court’
Alexa Baltes has a unique perspective on Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett, as both a former student of hers at Notre Dame Law School and as a law clerk for her on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. “I mentioned her enthusiasm for principles over preference as a law professor. I got… -
opinion
Releasing a List of Supreme Court Nominees Brings Transparency to the Process
By now, we’re all familiar with President Donald Trump’s 2016 pledge to nominate someone from his list of potential Supreme Court nominees. In fact, the president updated his list last month, not long before the unexpected death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. True to his pledge, his nominee to ultimately fill the vacant seat, Amy Coney Barrett, was on this list. As with the president’s previous two nominations, many individuals—voters and senators alike—were already… -
opinion
Rulings Show Barrett Takes Limits on Federal Courts’ Jurisdiction Seriously
This op-ed is part of a series that explores the writings and jurisprudence of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, the president’s nominee for the United States Supreme Court. To many Americans, the word “jurisdiction” conjures up memories of old G-men movies, in which local police and dark-suited FBI agents argue about who gets to call the… -
opinion
These 4 Immigration Opinions Demonstrate Amy Coney Barrett’s Faithful Adherence to the Law
This op-ed is part of a series that explores the writings and jurisprudence of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, the president’s nominee for the United States Supreme Court. Like all federal circuit courts, the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit handles a fair number of immigration cases. In her three years on the… -
opinion
Who Is Amy Coney Barrett? A Closer Look at Trump’s Supreme Court Nominee
Today’s “Daily Signal News” podcast features a panel discussion on Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett sponsored by The Heritage Foundation. (To tune into more Heritage Foundation events, subscribe to the “Heritage Events” podcast wherever you get your podcasts.) We also cover these stories: President Donald Trump returns to the White House on Wednesday evening… -
opinion
Amy Coney Barrett Was My Mentor
You might not think that Amy Coney Barrett, who grew up in Louisiana and spent much of her adult life in Indiana, would have much in common with me, a Montana native and combat veteran. But Judge Barrett has never let differences in background and experiences stop her from caring, listening, and helping those she encounters,… -
opinion
Should a College Be Held Accountable for Violating a Student’s Freedom of Speech? This Supreme Court Case Will Decide
Do students suffer meaningful harm when a college prohibits them from speaking about their faith on campus? Should courts protect students’ constitutional rights even where it is impossible to monetarily quantify any harm they suffered? And should colleges avoid responsibility for constitutional violations because students graduate after a relatively short period of time? The Supreme… -
news
Here’s a List of Democrats Who Have Attacked Amy Coney Barrett for Her Faith
A number of Democratic lawmakers and liberal media figures have attacked Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett for her Catholic beliefs. The Catholic mother of seven first came under fire for her Catholic faith at her 2017 confirmation hearings, when Democratic senators suggested that her beliefs might make her unfit to serve as a federal… -
opinion
How the Administration Is Taking Back the Courts
This article is an excerpt from the “2020 Mandate for Leadership: A Clear Vision for the Next Administration.” It looks back at policy decisions made by the Trump administration over the past four years. You can purchase your copy of “Mandate 2020” here. Our system of government and the liberty it provides are compromised when judges… -
opinion
Supreme Court and Rules of the Game
The United States Constitution’s Article 2, Sec. 2, cl. 2, provides that the president of the United States “shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the Supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States.” President Donald Trump…