Tag: Judiciary

Rep. Eric Swalwell, who questioned Robert Mueller during both the Judiciary and Intelligence Committee hearings, reacts to Mueller's testimony. He tells Lawrence O'Donnell that Mueller has "laid out a road map" for Congress to hold the president accountable and that's…

An appointee from Ketchikan has withdrawn his name from a volunteer position on the Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct . Trevor Shaw had been appointed to serve on the volunteer commission by Gov. He and his wife are expecting a child within a few weeks. “I will continue to endeavor for the truth of the situation to be revealed, as opposed to the alternative facts that are being predominately portrayed in a concerted effort to deceive the public about my nomination,” he wrote in a letter to the governor. At the time, Shaw was the youngest school board president in Alaska history, and some in Ketchikan criticized his leadership during the investigative process of the teacher. In a small town, everyone knows everyone, and the teacher was a family friend who had officiated at his wedding. Shaw eventually resigned from the school board in 2018, rather than face a recall that was under way. The scandal came at the same time Shaw was trying to negotiate union contracts in public session, rather than behind closed doors. The teacher’s union and local Democrats used the scandal to gin up opposition to Shaw, who was also the district chair for the Alaska Republican Party. Dunleavy accepted Shaw’s withdrawal and appointed Fairbanks resident Hank Bartos to serve on the commission.

Rachel Maddow reports on a bipartisan background check bill passing the Democratically controlled House Judiciary Committee, the first such gun violence prevention legislation to pass the committee since the 90s. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc MSNBC delivers breaking news and…

Happening Now: The Senate Judiciary Committee holds an Executive Business Meeting to vote on nominations, including William Barr to be U.S. Attorney General. Senators will debate before voting at 12:45 p.m. ET FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing…

“No method of judicial selection is perfect,” Hecht told the joint session of the House and Senate. “Still, partisan elections is among the very worst methods.” Texas is one of a handful of states that requires judges to declare a political party in elections. Hecht said that system should be cast aside in favor of nonpartisan races in which candidates would not be required to have party affiliation. During the 2018 midterm elections, more than 400 Democratic judges unseated incumbents around the state as turnout surged and a majority of voters opted for the “straight-ticket” voting option. “When partisan politics is the driving force, and the political climate is as harsh as ours has become, judicial elections make judges more political, and judicial independence is the casualty,” Hecht said. The system of straight-ticket voting, which allows voters to quickly choose all the Republican or Democratic candidates on their ballot, is in the process of being phased out by 2020. “Qualifications did not drive their election,” Hecht said of the hundreds of new judges. “Partisan politics did.” Texas is well known for sweeps on judicial seats. It went the other way in 2008, with 22 of 26 Republican judicial incumbents losing their posts as Democrat Barack Obama won the White House. pcobler@express-news.net

Expected live at 10 a.m. ET. Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Lindsey Graham, holds a nominations hearing. Neomi Rao, to be Circuit Judge for DC Circuit, and Aditya Bamzai & Travis LeBlanc, both to be members of Privacy &…

Expected live at 10 a.m. ET. Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Lindsey Graham, holds a nominations hearing. Neomi Rao, to be Circuit Judge for DC Circuit, and Aditya Bamzai & Travis LeBlanc, both to be members of Privacy &…

After the 85-year-old Supreme Court Justice misses oral argument while recovering from cancer surgery, speculation grows that the Trump administration is preparing for a retirement and new confirmation battle. FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news service dedicated…

After Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts chided the president for injecting politics into the courts, President Trump took to Twitter to respond; Kevin Corke reports from West Palm Beach, Florida. FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news…

From the renewal of FISA warrants to his lax supervision of the Mueller investigation, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has a pattern of subverting President Trump, says Rep. Andy Biggs, Republican member of the House Judiciary Committee. FOX News Channel…