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
In New Supreme Court Case, Religious Liberty Is at Stake
In recent years, local and state governments have forced numerous faith-based adoption and foster care agencies out of business because of their religious beliefs about marriage. While some of those agencies closed with little protest, Catholic Social Services chose to fight back in the courts. Catholic Social Services filed a lawsuit alleging that the city… -
opinion
The Attorney General’s Just Rejection of a Severe Prison Term for Roger Stone
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is not happy—again. And neither are other elected Democrats who have mounted a full-scale attack against Attorney General William Barr for recommending a reasonable prison sentence for Roger Stone, rather than the draconian sentence Barr’s subordinates advocated in a court filing. Schumer, D-N.Y., wants the Justice Department inspector general to investigate Barr… -
news
Attorney General Vows Lawsuits, ‘Significant Escalation’ Against Sanctuary Jurisdictions
Attorney General William Barr vowed Monday to escalate the fight against sanctuary jurisdictions and announced a round of lawsuits that target states and localities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The top attorney for the Trump administration announced that the Department of Justice would be slapping several states and localities with lawsuits over… -
news
Clarence Thomas Says New Ethics Rule Will ‘Silence’ Federalist Society
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas panned a draft ethics rule that would dissuade judges from formally enrolling in ideological groups like the Federalist Society and its liberal counterpart, the American Constitution Society. Speaking [last week] at a Federalist Society conference in Florida, Thomas suggested the proposal is an attempt to silence the conservative lawyers group…. -
news
Attorney General Warns of ‘Militant Secular Effort’ to Drive Out Religion
Attorney General William Barr says that religious Americans aren't imposing their beliefs on others, but that “militant secularists” are imposing their values on people of faith. Discussing religious freedom in the U.S. during an interview Tuesday on SiriusXM’s The Catholic Channel, Barr warned that religion is being “driven out of the marketplace of ideas,” and that “there’s an organized,… -
opinion
Clarence Thomas, in His Own Words, Coming to a Theater Near You
It has been said that the very moment a man finds himself, he finds God. That captures the story of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, a man of deep faith whose youthful struggles with racism caused that faith to be shaken, but who later returned to it more deeply and more resolutely because of his… -
opinion
The Great American Story of Clarence Thomas
Justice Clarence Thomas is famously quiet on the Supreme Court. But a new movie, “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words,” is drawn from an exclusive interview with Thomas. Filmmaker Michael Pack shares what he learned about Thomas. Read a lightly edited transcript of the interview, pasted below, or listen on the podcast: We… -
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… -
news
Attorney General Reveals Stricter Procedures for Counterintelligence Investigations of Presidential Campaigns
The attorney general and FBI director will have to approve counterintelligence investigations of future presidential campaigns, Attorney General William Barr said at a press conference Monday. “The opening of a counterintelligence investigation of a presidential campaign would be something that the director of the FBI would have to sign off on and the attorney general… -
news
Clarence Thomas Skewers Joe Biden, ’91 Hearings in New Documentary
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas criticizes former Vice President Joe Biden’s stewardship of his 1991 Senate confirmation hearings in a forthcoming documentary called “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words.” At one juncture of the film, from Manifold Productions, Thomas is asked about a colloquy with Biden over natural law philosophy and the Constitution…. -
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… -
news
200 Members of Congress Urge the Supreme Court to Reconsider Roe
More than 200 members of Congress urged the Supreme Court to reconsider Roe v. Wade on Thursday, ahead of a March case concerning the constitutionality of a Louisiana regulation on abortion providers. The lawmakers, who include 39 senators and 168 members of the House of Representatives, filed a legal brief arguing abortion case law is haphazard and… -
opinion
Clarence Thomas Tells His Story in a New Documentary
Who is Clarence Thomas? Every pundit has an opinion, but few actually know him. Now, we all have an opportunity to hear his story in his own voice. In a remarkable documentary by Michael and Gina Pack, “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words,” the famously silent justice tells his life story. And… -
news
Lawmakers Call on Attorney General to Enforce Anti-Obscenity Laws, Make Good on Trump’s Campaign Pledge
Four Republicans lawmakers are calling on Attorney General William Barr to enforce federal anti-obscenity laws and to crack down on hardcore pornography. Reps. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, Brian Babin of Texas, Vicky Hartzler of Missouri, and Jim Banks of Indiana sent a letter to Barr, urging him to enforce anti-obscenity laws that they say… -
opinion
Supreme Court Gives a Win to Pro-Lifers
Gov. Matt Bevin walked out of his office for the last time Dec. 9, and it’s somewhat fitting that the U.S. Supreme Court picked that same day to uphold one of the most important laws he ever signed—the Kentucky ultrasound bill. The justices, who watched the ACLU appeal all the way to their doorstep, refused to… -
opinion
Podcast: How a Supreme Court Decision Is Hurting a Family Business
Brad and Hilary Scott run a family jewelry business. They sell jewelry across state lines—and that’s become a huge liability. A recent Supreme Court says they, and other businesses, have to pay sales taxes to other states, which could potentially ruin small businesses like theirs. Daniel Davis recently spoke to them at the annual meeting… -
opinion
4 Key Exchanges as Supreme Court Hears NYC Handgun Case
The Supreme Court heard oral argument Monday in the first major case involving gun rights in nearly a decade. A local shooting club is challenging New York City’s handgun regulations, perhaps the most restrictive and draconian in the nation. New York’s regulations banned residents from taking their lawfully owned and registered handguns anywhere outside their homes… -
opinion
The Left’s Revealing Overreaction to Attorney General Barr’s Landmark Speech
Watching the hysterical reaction of the radical left—such as Ruth Marcus of The Washington Post—to Attorney General William Barr’s thoughtful, well-reasoned, important speech at the Federalist Society convention on the constitutional doctrine of the unitary executive is like history repeating itself. Liberals had the same overreaction to then-Attorney General Edwin Meese’s 1985 speech to the… -
news
Brett Kavanaugh Lauds Friends, Fellow Justices in First Speech Since Bitter Confirmation
Justice Brett Kavanaugh received heroic accolades at a glittering Federalist Society dinner in Washington’s Union Station on Thursday, where he delivered his first public remarks since his contentious confirmation to the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh gave a punchy and light-hearted speech, punctuated in spaces with emotional recollections of his nomination to the high court. “Last year, a… -
news
4 Things to Know About Republican Daniel Cameron, Kentucky’s First Black Attorney General
When he takes office on Dec. 10, Daniel Cameron will make history as Kentucky’s first-ever African American attorney general and its first Republican to hold the office since 1948. Winning 57.8% of the vote on Nov. 5, Cameron trounced his opponent, former Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo, who was seeking a return to the office…