Free Republic

We have often discussed how cities and universities will use the threat of protests to block or shutdown free speech, particularly of conservative speakers or groups. We now have a major decision out of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that could prove an important precedent in resisting the growing anti-free speech movement in the United States. In Meinecke v. City of Seattle, the court ruled against Seattle in a case involving the arrest of a pro-life protester. Matthew Meinecke was harassed by Antifa and other counterprotesters, but police arrested Meineche when he refused to yield...

President Donald Trump is on track to get another appointment to the largest federal appeals court. Judge Jay Bybee of the San Francisco-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit plans to take senior status at the end of the year, the court confirmed on Monday. Senior status is a type of semi-retirement which allows judges to keep working but relinquish their active seats. Trump has appointed six judges to the appeals court and is looking to fill other openings. Kirkland & Ellis partner Daniel Bress is awaiting consideration by the full Senate. Trump also will nominate a replacement...

WASHINGTON – Kristine Lucius, executive vice president for policy and government affairs at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote to advance the nomination of Daniel Bress (U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit). “Bress, a young conservative ideologue, is the third nominee to the Ninth Circuit to advance over the objection of both Ranking Member Feinstein and Senator Harris this year alone. This unravelling of a long-established process is part of Trump’s efforts to reshape the courts and, in particular, to remake the Ninth Circuit, which has...