The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday referred a judicial misconduct investigation of a federal judge in Alaska to its internal watchdog. This investigation concerns conflicts prosecutors who appeared before the judge may have faced. The department revealed the referral after Alaska’s top federal public defender, Jamie McGrady, requested that the Justice Department’s inspector general…
The federal judiciary should award monetary damages to employees who suffer workplace misconduct at the hands of judges and increase transparency regarding how courts handle worker complaints internally, according to a congressionally directed study released Wednesday. The study’s 34 recommendations appeared in a 200-page report by the judiciary’s research arm and a congressionally chartered academic…
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s appointment to the Supreme Court represents a historic milestone in American legal history, marking the first time a Black woman has ascended to the nation’s highest court. This article chronicles Judge Jackson’s remarkable path, highlighting her significant achievements and the profound impact of her appointment. Early Life and Education: Foundations of…
The federal judiciary is considering whether it needs new ethical guidance on hiring law clerks following controversy involving two judges who hired a clerk accused of racist conduct while at a conservative advocacy group. The clerk later secured a prestigious clerkship with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The U.S. Judicial Conference, the judiciary’s policymaking…
Representative Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) marked Father’s Day with a call for the Supreme Court to intervene in former President Donald Trump’s recent guilty verdict related to hush money payments. Appearing virtually on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Donalds criticized what he termed the “weaponization of the justice system” and advocated for an expedited appeal process for…
A government watchdog group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), on Wednesday urged the judiciary to rein in the recurring practice of conservative judges boycotting the hiring of law clerks from specific schools over protests and disruptions on their campuses. CREW, in a letter, urged the U.S. Judicial Conference to address the matter…
A U.S. appeals court refused to automatically approve a $667 million fee award for attorneys behind a $2.7 billion antitrust class action settlement with Blue Cross Blue Shield. On Wednesday, class lawyers urged the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a challenge to the legal fees and the broader merits of the 2020 settlement. Last year,…
President Joe Biden announced four new judicial nominees on Thursday. One nominee, Julia Lipez, currently a Maine state court judge, is the daughter of Senior U.S. Circuit Judge Kermit Lipez. She has been nominated to the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where her father serves. Kermit Lipez plans to retire if the Senate…
In a speech to the Midland County Bar Association, conservative federal appeals court judge James Ho criticized the U.S. Judicial Conference’s new judicial assignment policy. He argued it succumbed to political pressure and undermined judicial independence. Ho emphasized that judges should adhere to the law without bending rules to avoid criticism. He condemned the idea…
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