Free Republic

As an old congressional investigator, some things really bother me. Dishonesty at the Justice Department is one. Attorney General Merrick Garland is a disgrace – and danger. He opposes textual interpretations of the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments. He resents individual rights, and how they limit government power to suppress rights – which is why they were framed. Now, he disavows another core principle, called “separation of powers.” To be clear, separating powers among those who make our laws, administer them, and interpret them is ancient. It is not a MAGA idea. It goes back to the French...

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said there are plans to roll out major overhauls to the Supreme Court if Democrats win control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. Calls for implementing stricter rules for the Supreme Court from the Left have escalated in recent years, as complaints about alleged corruption and ethical lapses have plagued Republican-appointed justices. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have been targeted by campaigns calling into question their relationships with GOP megadonors and their wives’ political involvement.“The Supreme Court has become a morass, both ethically and substantively,” Schumer told NBC News. “We’re...

President Joe Biden is reportedly planning to unveil a dramatic Supreme Court reform next week in an attempt to overhaul the high court. Two people familiar with the matter told Politico that the president is likely to endorse establishing term limits for justices, and bring in a code of ethics. The 81-year-old is expected to push for an amendment that would limit immunity for presidents and other officeholders. His amendment would come directly after the court ruled that presidents are shielded from prosecution for officials acts, in a case brought by Donald Trump. It is said that Biden will call...

(The Epoch Times)—President Joe Biden said in a July 24 speech from the Oval Office that he plans to call for Supreme Court reform in his final stretch as America’s commander-in-chief. President Biden made the remarks after explaining his decision not to seek reelection and laying out his plans for his final six months in office. “Over the next six months, I’ll be focused on doing my job as president,” he said, highlighting key goals such as boosting economic growth, lowering inflation, tightening gun control, and safeguarding the planet from what he described as a “climate crisis.” “And I’m going...

President Biden is finalizing plans to endorse major changes to the Supreme Court in the coming weeks, including proposals for legislation to establish term limits for the justices and an enforceable ethics code, according to two people briefed on the plans. He is also weighing whether to call for a constitutional amendment to eliminate broad immunity for presidents and other constitutional officeholders, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.

A pair of Senate Democrats has asked the Justice Department to criminally investigate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas over travel given as gifts and a loan for a luxury car from wealthy donor friends. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., who chairs the Judiciary subcommittee on federal courts, and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden of Oregon sent a letter last week asking Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint a special counsel to examine whether Thomas violated federal ethics and tax laws when he didn't disclose as income more than $267,000 of a loan that was allegedly forgiven in 2008.

Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on Tuesday said they will be introducing legislation in response to the increased ethics concerns related to the Supreme Court. Ocasio-Cortez and Raskin, who serve as the ranking and vice-ranking members, respectively, on the House Oversight Committee, were part of a committee roundtable Tuesday regarding these concerns. They explored various “avenues” for holding Supreme Court justices accountable, they told MSNBC anchor Chris Hayes. “And so, it is not a question…of if Congress has jurisdiction and power over the Supreme Court. It is, what power are we going to exercise in order to...

A group of House Democrats are pushing to create an investigative office within the Supreme Court to probe the justices and any purported conflicts of interest. A group of House Democrats are pushing to create an investigative office within the Supreme Court to probe the justices and any purported conflicts of interest. The legislation, titled the Supreme Court Ethics and Investigations Act, also offers ethics training for the justices and their spouses. “We know the issue of court reform is fundamental to saving our democracy,” Rep. Hank Johnson, Georgia Democrat, said of the bill he co-sponsored and introduced Tuesday. He...

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts rejected Democrats’ request on Thursday to have a meeting about flags raised at the properties of Justice Samuel Alito, pointing to “separation of powers concerns.” Unable to expand the court with more liberal justices, Democrats have been casting doubt on Justice Alito’s ability to remain impartial after the New York Times published two stories showing an upside-down American flag and an Appeal to Heaven flag displayed in Alito’s front yard. The Times linked the flags to Trump supporters, “Stop the Steal,” and January 6 protesters who have more recently adopted those historic symbols. Following...

Top Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin argued in the New York Times this week that Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito could, in theory, be forced to step down from cases related to the January 6 Capitol riots. In a guest essay for the New York Times on Wednesday, Raskin detailed ways Thomas and Alito could be forced to recuse themselves from the upcoming Trump v. United States and Fischer v. United States, both involving former President Trump's role during the Capitol protests. "Of course, Justices Alito and Thomas could choose to recuse themselves — wouldn’t that be nice? But begging...

A whistleblower organization has initiated a court action to force the Department of Justice to disclose why it spied on congressional staff, setting up a landmark legal battle on an issue that has rankled both Republicans and Democrats.Last fall, several current and former congressional oversight staff were belatedly informed that the Justice Department seized phone and email records in 2017 in an internal investigation, raising concerns about separation of powers between two branches of government.Jason Foster, who is now the founder and chair of Empower Oversight, the group which sued in court this week to unseal the court documents in...

Justice Samuel Alito said Congress has “no authority” to regulate the Supreme Court in an interview with the Wall Street Journal’s opinion section published Friday, pushing back against Democrats’ attempt to mandate stronger ethics rules. Alito, one of the high court’s leading conservatives, is just one of multiple justices who have come under recent scrutiny for ethics controversies that have fueled the renewed push. “I know this is a controversial view, but I’m willing to say it,” Alito told the Journal. “No provision in the Constitution gives them the authority to regulate the Supreme Court — period.” Although the Constitution...

Top Senate Democrats announced Monday that a key committee will vote on legislation to set up a code of conduct for the Supreme Court, tighten financial disclosure rules and beef up recusal requirements for justices. The Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act, led by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., will get a vote in the committee on July 20, they announced in a joint statement. “Whether you agree or disagree with the most recent historic decisions by the Supreme Court, we hope we can all agree on one thing — these nine...

‘Life, Liberty & Levin’ host Mark Levin says nondisclosure agreements are not ‘hush money,’ and says Democrats are setting a ‘dangerous precedent.’

Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas crossed a line when he dissented on the Supreme Court rejection of former President Donald Trump’s attempt to block the release of records to the House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol.Schiff was responding to a question about the committee potentially subpoenaing Ginni Thomas over text messages she sent to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.Partial transcript as follows:MARGARET BRENNAN: Your colleague Liz Cheney was on two other networks this morning, and she said that you all...

A Trump-appointed federal judge threw out a lawsuit from the 45th president late Tuesday that sought to prevent House lawmakers from obtaining his tax returns. US District Judge Trevor McFadden ruled that the House Ways and Means Committee has broad authority to obtain and potentially publish the former president’s tax returns — and described Trump’s claims as “wrong on the law.” “A long line of Supreme Court cases requires great deference to facially valid congressional inquires,” McFadden wrote in his ruling, according to the Associated Press. “Even the special solicitude accorded former presidents does not alter the outcome.” McFadden stayed...

A federal judge on Tuesday threw out a lawsuit filed by former President Donald Trump, who was trying to block the release of his taxes to Congress. In his ruling, Judge Trevor McFadden deferred to the need for Congress to carry out "facially valid inquiries." "A long line of Supreme Court cases requires great deference to facially valid congressional inquiries," wrote McFadden. "Even the special solicitude accorded former Presidents does not alter the outcome. The Court will therefore dismiss this case." The lawsuit brought by the former president stems from a 2019 request issued by the House Ways and Means...

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) went viral during the Trump administration, and bolstered his conservative cred, with a fiery defense of then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. But now, he is quietly emerging as one of the GOP's most frequent supporters of President Biden's judicial nominees. The evolution is the latest turn for the South Carolina Republican and former Judiciary Committee chair — regarded by his critics as a political chameleon but one known for his relationships with Democrats and willingness to shift within his own party.

A federal judge ruled that a provision in President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief law limiting states from cutting taxes is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Douglas Cole issued the permanent injunction requested by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican who argued the administration was trying to impose a “tax mandate” on states. “The Biden administration reached too far, seized too much and got its hand slapped,” Mr. Yost said. “This is a monumental win for the preservation of the U.S. Constitution — the separation of powers is real, and it exists for a reason.” Mr. Yost had filed a...

Source: Official White House Photo by Shealah CraigheadIt's too late now, but vindication came to one of the Trump campaign election violation claims lobbed after Election Day. The Michigan courts ruled that Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson overstepped her authority when she issued unilateral changes for absentee ballots in the state. It all centered on voter signature verification. If she wanted to do that, she was going to have to get the state legislature’s approval. There was a reason why she didn’t pursue this route: Michigan’s state legislature is majority Republican. So, she took this for a spin, and it...