Data doesn’t support DOJ claims of bias in judicial ratings process, ABA President Bay says

The ABA is rebutting U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s claims of bias in its long-standing efforts to evaluate federal judicial nominees.

Jun 12, 2025 9:45 AM CDT

These 3 potential Supreme Court picks top ranks in ‘Trump Alignment Index’

Three federal appeals judges stand out as most likely to get a nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Donald Trump based on an analysis of their rulings, writing and mentors, according to a political science professor and Supreme Court scholar who created the blog Empirical SCOTUS.

Jun 10, 2025 12:51 PM CDT

DOJ restricts ABA’s access to vet and rate judicial nominees

The Department of Justice is taking significant steps to thwart the ABA’s long-standing efforts to impartially evaluate federal judicial nominees.

Jun 2, 2025 4:30 PM CDT

Trump blames the Federalist Society and Leonard Leo for tariffs ruling

President Donald Trump lashed out at the conservative legal movement and one of its prominent leaders, Leonard Leo, on Thursday night, blaming them for the federal court ruling that blocked most of his tariffs this week.

May 30, 2025 11:20 AM CDT

Trump’s first judicial pick of second term has clerked ‘for a full third’ of Supreme Court’s justices

President Donald Trump has announced his first judicial nominee of his second term.

May 5, 2025 3:34 PM CDT

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