Jimmy Carter never had a SCOTUS pick. He still transformed the judiciary

Jan 7, 2025 12:43 PM CST

Trump’s election sparks fight over judicial retirements, new judgeships

It is rare in the federal court system for judges to retract declarations of senior status, a form of semi-retirement that creates a vacancy on the court. Legal experts see the judges’ actions as part of the broader political jockeying over a federal court system whose judges have lifetime appointments and whose rulings can shape policy over multiple administrations.

Dec 24, 2024 10:30 AM CST

5th Circuit judge’s remarks spur talk of Supreme Court audition

Public remarks by a conservative federal appeals judge have “rekindled talk of a possible audition for the Supreme Court," according to a story by Bloomberg Law.

Dec 19, 2024 3:35 PM CST

How might conservative groups influence nominations for Supreme Court vacancies during Trump presidency?

After Donald Trump’s defeat this month of Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential election, members of the Federalist Society once again gathered in Washington for the group’s National Lawyers Convention. The mood at the Washington Hilton from Nov. 14-16 was decidedly upbeat.

Nov 21, 2024 8:58 AM CST

Leonard Leo, Trump aide Mike Davis spar over Supreme Court retirements

An influential conservative lawyer who advised Donald Trump during his first term forcefully pushed back Friday on talk that one or more conservative Supreme Court justices might retire after Trump again takes office in January.

Nov 12, 2024 10:55 AM CST

Who may be on Trump’s Supreme Court short list? Senate win aids judicial picks

President-elect Donald Trump could get a chance to appoint two U.S. Supreme Court justices if Justice Clarence Thomas, 76, and Justice Samuel Alito, 74, decide to retire.

Nov 6, 2024 3:12 PM CST

What we know about Trump, Harris, and judicial nominations

The numbers will fluctuate before the inauguration in January, but the next president could have the fewest openings to fill at the start of a presidential term since 1989, according to figures compiled by the Brookings Institution. Any openings on the Supreme Court would depend in part on who wins the White House.

Oct 31, 2024 1:30 PM CDT

Mike Davis trolls the left online. He could also help Trump pick MAGA judges

Mike Davis has also positioned himself to be a key adviser on legal issues and judicial selection in a potential second Trump term by combining modern-day media invective with old-school know-how.

Oct 23, 2024 9:45 AM CDT

Conservative faction pushes judge nominees who are ‘even more bold and more conservative’

Former President Donald Trump has broken with leaders of the conservative Federalist Society, who failed to voice their support when he tried to overturn the 2020 election and when prosecutors charged him with crimes.

Oct 15, 2024 10:02 AM CDT

FBI probe of Kavanaugh was constrained by Trump White House, report finds

In September 2018, as allegations of sexual misconduct against Brett M. Kavanaugh threatened his confirmation to the Supreme Court, President Donald Trump vowed that the FBI would have “free rein” to vet the claims. But the White House never authorized the agency to independently probe the sexual misconduct allegations, which Kavanaugh staunchly denied.

Oct 8, 2024 12:34 PM CDT

Trump-appointed appeals judges are ‘superstars’ based on 3 measures, study says

Are federal appeals judges appointed by former President Donald Trump disproportionately “superstars in a tournament of judges”? The answer is yes, a new study says, based on three measures used in the past by the study authors.

Sep 12, 2024 3:01 PM CDT

Justice Kagan calls for a way to enforce Supreme Court ethics code

Justice Elena Kagan said Thursday that she would support the creation of a committee of judges to examine potential violations of the Supreme Court’s new ethics code, speaking out on a contentious subject as President Biden and others are increasingly calling for reform at the high court.

Jul 26, 2024 2:10 PM CDT

Should Justice Sotomayor retire? Chemerinsky, White House haven’t joined calls for her to step down

Paul Campos, a professor at the University of Colorado Law School, is among the commentators who are calling for 69-year-old Justice Sonia Sotomayor to retire from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Apr 4, 2024 1:23 PM CDT

Conservative nonprofits funded $1.8M campaign to support Thomas on 25th SCOTUS anniversary

Leonard Leo, a former executive vice president for the conservative Federalist Society, is a “behind-the-scenes” benefactor for conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices, supporting them during confirmation battles and again after they take the bench, according to the Washington Post.

Jul 21, 2023 11:27 AM CDT

The ABA needs ideological diversity to ensure its future

A generation ago, nearly half of the lawyers in the United States were members of the American Bar Association. Today, that number is probably closer to 20%, if not lower. This decline is often attributed to an unwillingness of young attorneys to join civic organizations. Or perhaps lawyers no longer see tangible benefits from membership. Or maybe the dues are too high. All of these explanations ignore the elephant in the room—and I mean elephant in the figurative and political sense. The American Bar Association consistently skews to the political left. And this progressive mandate alienates conservative lawyers.

Apr 20, 2023 12:49 PM CDT