#federal-judges

#federal-judges

The New York Times is out with a long, interesting, piece on SDFL Judge Aileen M. Cannon by Schmidt and Savage.I won't call it a hit piece, but it is extremely negatively framed, and in some regards disingenuously so.For a news article, there is no way not to view it as a position piece."Aileen M. Cannon, the Federal District Court judge assigned to preside over former President Donald J. Trump's classified documents case, has scant experience running criminal trials, calling into question her readiness to handle what is likely to be an extraordinarily complex and high-profile courtroom clash.

"[T]he Board pointed to language in cases cited by Centripetal indicating that recusal is only required when the financial interest is 'substantial...' [B]ecause APJ McNamara's financial interests met the de minimis exception, they were 'remote' and 'inconsequential' and therefore could not have been 'substantial.'"

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld part of a California animal-welfare law, ruling that the state's restrictions on pork sales do not violate the Constitution's interstate commerce protections.Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, writing for the court, said the Constitution leaves it to states and their voters to decided on the products that will be sold there.

SPRINGFIELD - A federal appeals court in Chicago on Thursday put a hold on a ruling by a lower-court judge that blocked the enforcement of the state's ban on many higher-powered firearms and large-capacity ammunition magazines.The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals' decision stops last week's ruling by U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn from being in effect until further notice.

A federal appeals court on Tuesday dismissed a case brought by two Democratic states that sought to have the US archivist publish and certify the Equal Rights Amendment as part of the Constitution.The decision deals another blow to advocates' legal efforts to get the amendment, which they say would ban discrimination on the basis of sex, recognized as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution.

At the end of President Donald J. Trump's term in January 2021, a trove of documents many which were said to be in the White House residence were packed in boxes along with clothes, gifts, photos and other material, and shipped by the General Services Administration to Mar-a-Lago, his home and resort in Florida.

"The information the Committee has detailed in its order of May 16 raises, at a minimum, a reasonable concern that Judge Newman may suffer from a disability that renders her incapable of carrying out the duties of her office and thus incapable of issuing her opinions more promptly."- Judicial Council Order
The Judicial Council of the Federal Circuit has denied Judge Pauline Newman's request to be restored to the rotation of new case assignments pending a Special Committee's investigation into her fitness to serve on the court.

Mifepristone was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2000 to induce first-trimester abortions in combination with a second drug, misoprostol.Charlie Neibergall/AP A coalition of state attorneys general is suing the Food and Drug Administration, accusing the agency of excessively regulating the abortion pill mifepristone.

WASHINGTON As calls for the Supreme Court to adopt an ethics code mount, the justices continue to wrestle with whether to adopt a policy similar to one that applies to all other federal judges.The possibility of a code of judicial conduct for Supreme Court justices remains a subject of study and consideration at the court, a person familiar with the matter said.

Around 23,000 student loan borrowers are slated to receive a check in the mail soon.No, not a loan forgiveness check - unfortunately - but a payout from a lawsuit that you may qualify to benefit from.Here's what you need to know.The lawsuit was brought by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and charged five debt relief companies - Docu Prep Center, Certified Doc Prep Services, Assure Direct Services, Direct Document Solutions, and Secure Preparation Services - with charging consumers with "unlawful advance fees."

A simple but alarming question hung over Brazil's election: Would President Jair Bolsonaro accept the results?For months, Mr. Bolsonaro attacked Brazil's electronic voting machines as rife with fraud  despite no credible evidence.He suggested that he would dispute any loss that showed signs of cheating.