federal judges

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3 Democrat-Appointed Judges Make Rare Move Over Trump

They rescind retirement plans, sparking a warning from Mitch McConnell

(Newser) - One area of feverish activity in the transition from President Biden to President-elect Trump is federal judgeships, and the Washington Post reports on a new wrinkle. Three judges appointed by Democratic presidents have made the unusual decision to reverse their decisions to retire in the wake of Trump's election...

Trump Fumes Over GOP's Absent Senators

As a result, Democrats push through 5 of Biden's judicial nominees in 3 days

(Newser) - President Biden is closing in on President-elect Trump's record of appointing 234 federal judges during a single term and Trump isn't having it. "Republican Senators need to Show Up and Hold the Line," he said Wednesday as Democrats confirmed two more judges in 50-48 and 50-49...

Next President to Inherit Fewer Judicial Openings

There are only 43 openings now on federal bench

(Newser) - For presidents who want to shape the federal judiciary, it's been good times for years. The Senate has confirmed President Biden's 213th nominee, and Donald Trump appointed 234 federal judges during his term. But it looks like the next president will be greeted on Inauguration Day by the...

Judge Balks at Black Teen's Ask in Fight Over Dreadlocks

Darryl George wanted restraining order to stop Texas school from punishing him if he returns

(Newser) - A federal judge on Friday denied a request by a Black high school student in Texas for a court order that the student's lawyers say would have allowed him to return to his high school without fear of having his previous punishment over his hairstyle resume. Darryl George had...

Judges in 2 States Halt Chunk of Biden Loan Forgiveness Plan

Kansas, Missouri earn temporary victory that puts the kibosh on key parts of student loan program

(Newser) - Federal judges in Kansas and Missouri on Monday together blocked much of a Biden administration student loan repayment plan that provides a faster path to cancellation and lower monthly payments for millions of borrowers. The judges' rulings prevent the US Department of Education from helping many of the intended borrowers...

Threats to Federal Judges, Prosecutors by the Numbers

Data from US Marshals Service shows threats more than doubled from 2021 to 2023

(Newser) - Serious threats to US federal judges and prosecutors have more than doubled in recent years, due to what officials say is a growing wave of violence tied to political polarization. Data from the US Marshals Service, responsible for protecting court personnel, shows serious threats against federal judges climbed to 457...

Stefanik Files Complaint on Jan. 6 Judge: 'Highly Inappropriate'

GOP congresswoman slams Beryl Howell, who has ruled on Capitol riot, Trump cases

(Newser) - Elise Stefanik filed a complaint Friday against a federal judge who's ruled on cases involving the Jan. 6 riot and former President Donald Trump, alleging the judge engaged in "judicial misconduct," reports the Hill . The GOP congresswoman is now calling for an ethics probe into US District...

America's Oldest Federal Judge Suspended for a Year

Colleagues accuse 96-year-old Pauline Newman of being unfit to serve

(Newser) - The oldest active federal judge in American history has been suspended amid a clash with colleagues on the court she helped create. The United States Court of Appeal for the Federal Circuit, a relatively obscure court with jurisdiction over areas including patent law and government contract, has barred 96-year-old Judge...

Liberals, Your 'Hero Worship' of Judges, Others May Backfire

At Politico, Michael Schaffer argues progressives are hurting their own cause in regard to Trump

(Newser) - Welcome to the state of politics in 2023: You can now buy T-shirts and coffee mugs celebrating the judge in Donald Trump's federal election-interference case. And as Michael Schaffer points out in an opinion piece at Politico Magazine , Judge Tanya Chutkan is far from the only Trump-related public figure...

Trump Pushes to Have Judge Recuse Herself

Former president says he can't get a fair trial with Tanya Chutkan

(Newser) - It's not clear whether his legal team will follow up, but Donald Trump himself is pushing for the judge in his election interference case to recuse herself. In a series of posts on Truth Social over the weekend and into Monday, the former president maintained that US District Court...

Federal Judge Blocks New Florida Election Rules

Obama appointee calls restrictions unconstitutional

(Newser) - A federal judge on Monday blocked Florida from enforcing part of a new elections law that bans noncitizens from handling or collecting voter registration forms, saying the state can't restrict individual rights and gave no proof it was necessary to do so. The ruling also blocks a ban on...

Abortion Pill's Fate Uncertain as Judges Face Off

Texas' Kacsmaryk orders hold on mifepristone access, Washington's Rice orders the opposite

(Newser) - Access to the most commonly used method of abortion in the US plunged into uncertainty Friday following conflicting court rulings over the legality of the abortion medication mifepristone that has been widely available for more than 20 years. For now, the drug that the Food and Drug Administration approved in...

Judge Warns Trump About 'Frivolous' Lawsuit
Trump Changes
Mind on Complaint
Against NY AG
UPDATED
Jan 20, 2023 1:07 PM CST

Trump Changes Mind on Complaint Against NY AG

$900K sanction from judge on 'frivolous' lawsuits the day before may have spurred the move

(Newser) - A complaint filed by Donald Trump against New York Attorney General Letitia James deemed "vexatious" late last year by a federal judge has been withdrawn by the former president's legal team. The Hill reports that the lawsuit was pulled back Friday after Trump and his attorneys were hit...

Kentucky Abortion Law Blocked
Judge Holds Up Abortion Law
Apr 21, 2022 6:00 PM CDT

Judge Holds Up Abortion Law

Kentucky's clinics say they aren't ready to comply with new statute

(Newser) - A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a state law that effectively eliminated abortions in Kentucky after the state's two remaining clinics said they couldn't meet its requirements. The decision by US District Judge Rebecca Grady Jennings was a victory for abortion rights advocates and a setback for...

Judges Reveal Reasons for Djokovic's Deportation

They backed idea that 'he might foster anti-vaccination sentiment'

(Newser) - Amid uproar in Serbia , the three Australian judges who allowed Novak Djokovic to be deported from the country on the eve of the Australian Open are now sharing their reasoning: Essentially, they backed the idea that the presence of the top-ranked men's tennis player, unvaccinated against COVID-19, would set...

Roberts: Courts Don't Need Ethics Help From Congress

Chief justice says judiciary needs to solve its problems on its own to stay independent

(Newser) - There have been ethical lapses by federal judges, Chief Justice John Roberts has conceded. And as a workplace, the court system has not been free of discrimination and harassment, the Washington Post reports. But he cited the principle of judicial independence in arguing that courts should be left alone to...

At Rioter's Sentencing, Judge Puts More Blame on Trump

Mob was lied to about election by 'people who should know better,' Amit Mehta says

(Newser) - Former President Donald Trump wasn't in a Washington, DC, courtroom when a Capitol rioter was sentenced Friday, but a federal judge brought him into the discussion. "You were a pawn in a game directed and played by people who should know better," Judge Amit Mehta told John...

Issue of a Supreme Court Vacancy Heats Up on 2 Fronts
Issue of a Supreme Court
Vacancy Heats Up on 2 Fronts
the rundown
Jun 15, 2021 7:53 AM CDT

Issue of a Supreme Court Vacancy Heats Up on 2 Fronts

McConnell's stance on a Biden pick and confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson

(Newser) - In the last 24 hours, the question of whether President Biden will be able to put a judge on the Supreme Court intensified on two fronts. The first came when Mitch McConnell made clear that if Republicans regain control of the Senate next year, he would almost certainly block a...

New Federal Judge Is a First for US
New Federal
Judge Is
a First
for US
Jun 10, 2021 4:10 PM CDT

New Federal Judge Is a First for US

Senate confirms Zahid Quraishi, the first Muslim American in the post

(Newser) - The Senate's confirmation of one of President Biden's court nominations made some history on Thursday. By a vote of 81-16, senators made Zahid Quaraishi the first Muslim to hold a US federal judgeship, reports CNN . "This is an extraordinary moment, and I'm glad this is a...

How Biden's First Judicial Nominees Differ From Trump's

There aren't so many white guys, for starters

(Newser) - President Biden on Tuesday announced his intent to nominate a "trailblazing slate" of judicial nominees, a field that includes Black, Muslim American, and Asian American Pacific Islander candidates for federal courts and for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, per the AP . The White House said the...

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