Judiciary

It’s Not Always Over When It’s Over: SCOTUS allows rearguments in some cases

Louisiana v. Callais and a companion case about the constitutionality of a second Black-majority congressional district in the state is scheduled for reargument on Oct. 15. In the meantime, it puts a spotlight on the court’s rare practice of seeking a form of do-over for an argued case.

Aug 20, 2025 3:01 PM CDT

Ex-judge gets law license back after suspension for taking $90K to do this

A former municipal court judge in Philadelphia has been reinstated to law practice after his suspension for accepting $90,000 from the campaign of a political opponent to drop out of a 2012 congressional campaign in the Democratic primary.

Aug 20, 2025 12:33 PM CDT

ABA project is supporting Afghan legal professionals 4 years after fall of Kabul

In the months following the fall of Kabul to the Taliban on Aug. 15, 2021, the ABA began working to help judges and lawyers from Afghanistan resettle, obtain immigration benefits and secure jobs using their legal skills.

Aug 20, 2025 11:38 AM CDT

After PACER hack, judiciary takes ‘special measures’ and ‘technical steps,’ DOJ official says

The federal judiciary is taking “special measures” in cases in which information may have been exposed in a hack of the case management system used to upload case documents, according to Acting Assistant Attorney General Matt Galeotti.

Aug 19, 2025 9:53 AM CDT

Court clerk staffers in New Orleans dig through landfill to find wrongly tossed court records

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has ordered the Louisiana State Police to investigate why criminal court records were tossed into a landfill, forcing criminal clerk of court staffers to wade through the debris last week to recover them.

Aug 14, 2025 9:26 AM CDT

Incoming ABA President Michelle Behnke to prioritize defending liberty, pursuing justice

The American Bar Association will redouble its efforts to defend liberty and pursue justice to advance the rule of law, said Wisconsin attorney Michelle Behnke, who became ABA president Tuesday at the close of association’s annual meeting in Toronto.

Aug 13, 2025 3:21 PM CDT

DC Circuit vacates judge’s order to hold US in contempt for ignoring TRO blocking immigrant removals

A federal appeals court has vacated an order by a Washington, D.C., federal judge that found probable cause to hold the federal government in criminal contempt for violating his order blocking the removal of a group of immigrants under the Alien Enemies Act.

Aug 12, 2025 9:28 AM CDT

New York judge denies release of Epstein-related grand jury transcript

A federal judge in New York denied the Justice Department’s request to release grand jury transcripts from the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein’s imprisoned associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, on Monday. The ruling cited that the circumstances of the case do not merit breaking the secrecy of grand jury proceedings.

Aug 11, 2025 10:36 AM CDT

Supreme Court approval rating reaches low point, while local courts get average grades

Neither the U.S. Supreme Court nor state and local courts are faring well in two recent polls.

Aug 8, 2025 9:51 AM CDT

Who—or what—is to blame for 2 federal judges’ error-filled withdrawn opinions?

The responsibility for substantial errors in opinions recently withdrawn by two federal judges likely lies in the first instance with artificial intelligence, but the buck doesn’t stop there, observers say.

Aug 7, 2025 9:56 AM CDT

Trump’s tactics are bending the criminal justice system to his agenda

President Donald Trump is bending the U.S. justice system to his personal purposes in a way that is unprecedented in American history, prompting significant questions about how a system built on independence will fare in the months and years to come.

Aug 6, 2025 2:17 PM CDT

Focusing on ‘people law,’ state chief justices encourage ‘innovative pathways’ to law license, new report says

Changing the requirements for a law license and supporting financial help for public-interest lawyering are among the ways that state supreme courts can help address “staggering” unmet legal needs, according to a study by a group of state chief justices and court administrators released Wednesday.

Aug 1, 2025 10:19 AM CDT

After second federal judge withdraws error-riddled ruling, litigants seek explanation

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch has asked a federal judge to explain “significant substantive errors” in a withdrawn opinion and to put the ruling back on the docket.

Jul 30, 2025 11:28 AM CDT

Senate confirms controversial Trump nominee Emil Bove as federal judge

The Senate voted Tuesday night to confirm Emil Bove as a federal appeals court judge, ending a contentious confirmation for the top Justice Department official and former attorney for Donald Trump.

Jul 30, 2025 9:50 AM CDT

5 hallucinated cases lead federal judge to kick 3 Butler Snow lawyers off case

Three Butler Snow lawyers may no longer represent a former corrections commissioner in Alabama because they filed two motions with five “completely made up” case citations produced by ChatGPT, a generative artificial intelligence application, a federal judge ruled last week.

Jul 30, 2025 9:13 AM CDT