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
3 Reasons Neil Gorsuch Is an Ideal Successor to Scalia
Justice Antonin Scalia’s Supreme Court seat. “Millions of voters said this was the single most important issue to them when they voted for me for president,” President Donald Trump said last Tuesday night. And Trump then went on to make one of the best choices of his young administration. Judge Neil Gorsuch of the United… -
news
Conservatives Pressure 12 Democrats on Supreme Court Pick
Two conservative advocacy organizations hope to stop Senate Democrats from blocking President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee. “The focus is to put pressure on Democratic senators to decide between following the will of American people and the voters in their state or to follow Sen. Chuck Schumer and the radical left down a path of… -
opinion
One Way Neil Gorsuch Will Carry Scalia’s Legacy on the Supreme Court
President Donald Trump’s pick for the Supreme Court—Neil M. Gorsuch—is a terrific choice to succeed the late Justice Antonin Scalia. Heritage Foundation legal scholars and others have noted a number of similarities between the two great judges, and one of them is their sensitivity to issues of overcriminalization. If confirmed to the bench, Gorsuch would carry… -
opinion
Don’t Let the Democrats Fool You About a 60-Vote Threshold for Neil Gorsuch
This week, I had the pleasure of being at the White House when President Donald Trump introduced his nominee to be associate justice of the Supreme Court, Judge Neil Gorsuch of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. It shouldn't surprise anybody that the president delivered on a promise made during the campaign when he… -
news
Democrats Send Mixed Signals on Senate Vote for Neil Gorsuch
Several Democrat senators are sending mixed signals as to whether they will support an up-or-down vote on President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court. The uncertainty could complicate or delay the confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch. With liberal activists calling on Democrats to block Gorsuch’s confirmation, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is demanding… -
news
Neil Gorsuch Could Rule on These 3 Big Cases If He Joins Supreme Court Soon
President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court could have a say in rulings on religious freedom, transgender bathrooms in schools, and private property rights, if he is confirmed before April 16. “If you can, Mitch, go nuclear,” @POTUS says. Judge Neil Gorsuch of the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals met with Senate Majority… -
opinion
History Is Being Distorted to Insinuate Trump Will ‘Defy’ Courts Like Andrew Jackson
Sometimes, an old media fabrication is used to justify a new one. Such is the case with the response to President Donald Trump’s executive order on refugees that created a firestorm on Saturday. Several courts ordered a halt to provisions of Trump’s order, prompting members of the media to speculate that this could create a… -
opinion
A Closer Look at Neil Gorsuch, an Excellent Choice for the Supreme Court
Tuesday night, President Donald Trump announced his nomination for the Supreme Court vacancy left by the unexpected death of Justice Antonin Scalia last February. Trump nominated Judge Neil M. Gorsuch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit. With this nomination, Trump held to the promise he made on the campaign trail to select a… -
news
Trump Nominates Neil Gorsuch to Supreme Court
President Donald Trump on Tuesday night nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court, using the first prime-time address of his presidency to fulfill a campaign pledge to name a conservative to the high court. “I have selected an individual whose qualities define, closely defined, what we’re looking for,” Trump said in introducing Gorsuch to… -
news
Democrats Change Tune After Demanding Up-or-Down Vote on Supreme Court Nominee in 2016
Senate Democrats who last year called for an up-or-down vote on Supreme Court nominees changed their tune as President Donald Trump prepared to announce his choice for the high court Tuesday night. “This is a stolen seat,” Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said Monday of the vacancy Trump was about to fill. “This is the first… -
opinion
The People Have Spoken. Trump’s Supreme Court Nominee Deserves a Vote.
Justice Antonin Scalia was a towering figure on the Supreme Court. His unfortunate passing last year was not only a great loss to our country, but it came, as we all know, as our country was already in the midst of a contentious presidential election process. In keeping with the Biden Rule, which states that… -
news
Here’s the Potential Short List for Trump’s Supreme Court Pick
President-elect Donald Trump has narrowed his potential Supreme Court picks to only the federal appeals court judges on his broad list of potential nominees, according to CNN. CNN reported that Vice President-elect Mike Pence said the team is “winnowing” the list that “is made up of mostly federal appellate court judges.” That doesn’t automatically mean… -
opinion
Sessions Is a Highly Qualified Pick for Attorney General
Thomas Jefferson, in his first inaugural address as president in 1801, deemed “equal and exact justice to all men, of whatever state or persuasion, religious or political” one of the essential principles of our government. President-elect Donald Trump has demonstrated his intent to uphold this principle by nominating Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., to serve as… -
news
Majority Supports Swift Confirmation of Originalist Supreme Court Judge
A new poll finds a significant majority of Americans support the rapid confirmation of a Supreme Court justice who will interpret the Constitution according to its original meaning. Eighty percent of participants in a new Marist poll said filling the vacancy on the Supreme Court should be an “immediate” or “important” priority for the new administration…. -
opinion
California’s Embarrassing Hire of a Failed Attorney General to Take on Trump
The California Legislature is hiring former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to represent the state in expected fights with the new Trump administration over environmental, immigration, and criminal justice issues. But based on Holder’s track record, don’t expect to see California racking up legal victories. Although nobody is questioning the skills of the attorneys at… -
news
Trump’s ‘Historic’ Opportunity to Reshape the Federal Courts
After an election in which the Supreme Court proved to be a deciding factor in how people voted, President-elect Donald Trump has a significant opportunity to reshape the federal judiciary from top to bottom. In addition to the vacant Supreme Court seat, Trump will inherit at least 103 openings in the lower courts—that is, district… -
news
So Much for the GOP Blockade: Obama Tops Bush on Judicial Confirmations
Recent stories in Politico and The Washington Post paint a picture of unprecedented obstruction by Senate Republicans of President Barack Obama’s judicial nominees. “Trump set to reshape judiciary after GOP blockade,” blared Politico’s Burgess Everett on Dec. 16. Nine days later, it was The Post’s turn. “Trump to inherit more than 100 court vacancies, plans… -
news
Trump’s Pick for Attorney General Prosecuted These Civil Rights Cases
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., spent a considerable amount of his time as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Alabama pressing civil rights lawsuits. He also assisted local prosecutors in a case that helped wipe out the Ku Klux Klan in the state. “All I’ve seen from Jeff Sessions is that he has followed law,”… -
opinion
Clarence Thomas Should Be Included in the African-American History Museum
On Sept. 24, after years of effort, the National Museum of African American History and Culture was finally opened to the public. The Smithsonian’s new museum has been rightly praised for its detailed, complex, and powerful portrayal of the African-American experience in the United States. As The Wall Street Journal and New York Times have… -
news
Leading Critic of Trump’s Attorney General Pick Withdrew Accusation in 1986
A vocal opponent of confirming Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., as U.S. attorney general recanted part of his critical testimony 30 years ago against Sessions being confirmed as a federal judge. “My recollection on this matter has now been refreshed,” @GerryHebert says. J. Gerald Hebert, a former Justice Department lawyer, made racially charged allegations against Sessions…