Judiciary

After defense lawyer dies during trial, judge convicted for using public funds for vacations, personal purchases

A former Alabama judge accused of using his office for personal gain and lying about it was convicted last week on 17 of 18 counts against him.

Nov 13, 2025 10:54 AM CST

Judge accused of helping immigrant avoid ICE didn’t know about plan, hearing officer concludes

A judge accused of helping a defendant avoid immigration detention at her courthouse in Newton, Massachusetts, didn’t know about the escape plan and didn’t mislead court authorities about the incident, according to a hearing officer in the ethics case against her.

Nov 12, 2025 2:23 PM CST

Citing ‘assault on the rule of law,’ federal judge appointed by Reagan resigns so he can speak out

A federal judge appointed in 1985 by then-President Ronald Reagan has resigned from the bench, citing a Trump administration “assault on the rule of law” that compels him to speak out.

Nov 10, 2025 3:12 PM CST

Judge calls portrait of ex-colleague ‘celebration of corruption,’ orders disciplinary press release displayed beneath

A new courthouse portrait of an Arkansas judge who resigned amid a disciplinary investigation won’t be hanging without a footnote of sorts, according to an order by Judge Stephen Shirron, the administrative judge of the state’s Seventh Judicial Circuit.

Nov 6, 2025 1:05 PM CST

About 40 court-appointed defense lawyers in 1 state refuse new cases; shutdown also affects local DC courts

The government shutdown affecting court-appointed lawyers in federal cases is now being felt in Washington, D.C., where money is running out for private attorneys representing indigent defendants in local courts.

Nov 6, 2025 9:39 AM CST

Charlie Kirk’s widow calls for cameras in courtrooms, renewing efforts for access to all federal courts

The widow of slain conservative political activist Charlie Kirk has called for the murder trial of his suspected killer to be on camera, prompting a top Republican U.S. senator to renew calls for legislation allowing video cameras in federal courtrooms nationwide.

Nov 5, 2025 10:33 AM CST

If the Trump administration defies the courts, what can be done about it?

What happens when one branch simply ignores the checks and balances enshrined in our Constitution and does what it wants? Specifically, if the judiciary issues a ruling and the executive branch refuses to obey it, what can be done about it?

Nov 5, 2025 8:54 AM CST

Judge praises suspended prosecutors before sentencing man for bomb hoax

A U.S. district court judge on Thursday praised two suspended federal prosecutors who had been handling the case of a man once accused of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack. The defendant, Taylor Taranto, was in court to be sentenced on an unrelated weapons charge.

Oct 31, 2025 2:10 PM CDT

Fishing gear supplier, wine importer, toy maker among businesses challenging Trump tariffs at SCOTUS

The companies challenging President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policies in a pair of consolidated cases that will go before the U.S. Supreme Court include an importer of wine, sake and spirits from six continents; another company that imports raw materials for manufacturing plumbing and drainage products; an e-commerce supplier of sport fishing gear; and a women’s cycling apparel brand. The companion case going before the justices on Nov. 5 was brought by a family-owned pair of educational toy companies that serve the consumer and school markets.

Oct 30, 2025 10:20 AM CDT

Apparent AI errors snag BigLaw firm; 1 case ‘is totally fake,’ another ‘is almost real,’ federal judge says

A federal judge in Oregon is threatening sanctions against a corporate litigant and its BigLaw attorneys for “fake citations” that appear to be the product of generative artificial intelligence.

Oct 29, 2025 3:06 PM CDT

Chicago Bar Association president leads ‘ambitious’ AI initiative for lawyers and judges

When Nichole Patton ran for chief judge of the Cook County Circuit Court, she wanted to show others in the judiciary what artificial intelligence could do.

Oct 29, 2025 2:30 PM CDT

Judge recuses himself after ‘impulsive comment from the bench’ about shooting attorneys

A judge in Wakulla County, Florida, has apologized and recused himself from an estate battle after telling attorneys in the case that he “would like to tell the deputy to pull his gun and shoot all three of you.”

Oct 27, 2025 3:49 PM CDT

Former judicial ethics chief files suit claiming Colorado justices, other officials conspired to hide misconduct

Updated: The former judicial ethics chief in Colorado has filed a lawsuit alleging that Colorado Supreme Court justices "engaged in a conspiracy intended to absolve themselves of any accountability” in a scheme to conceal information about a lucrative contract with a departing court administrative official.

Oct 27, 2025 12:38 PM CDT

2 federal judges reveal AI use by staff members led to error-riddled opinions

Two federal judges who released opinions that included fake information explained in letters released Thursday that the problems stemmed from staff members’ use of artificial intelligence.

Oct 24, 2025 9:29 AM CDT

Master’s report questions why ‘trivial dispute’ over bike rental led to ethics complaint against 2 judges

Two Michigan judges who faced ethics charges stemming from a “trivial dispute” over a $23 Mackinac Island bicycle rental did not commit misconduct, according to two reports by a retired judge appointed as a master in their cases.

Oct 23, 2025 9:38 AM CDT