The Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to approve President Obama’s nomination of Sri Srinivasan for the nation’s second most influential appeals court. Learn more from Gavel Grab.
"Judges must be perceived as beyond price. When litigants go to court they ... do not want the umpire calling balls and strikes before the game has begun."
Ann Walsh Bradley, Wisconsin Supreme Court justice
Ann Walsh Bradley, Wisconsin Supreme Court justice
Federal News and Releases
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor appeared on an episode of ABC’s “The View” this week to discuss her memoir, “My Beloved World.”
GOP lawmakers continue to play politics with federal judicial nominees, bringing the confirmation process to a grinding halt, reports MSNBC. On Melissa Harris-Perry Saturday, the host and her guests discussed the problems that have led to a rise in judicial vacancies across the country.
Public officials from California, New York, Alaska, Maine and other states dialed in to a conference call last month to discuss how to address the rise in undisclosed campaign funds that abounded in the 2012 election. Read details in Gavel Grab.
Justice at Stake wrote this letter to the Senate and House leadership urging them to identify a bipartisan solution to allay the damage that sequestration is beginning to cause.
Action by Congress and the president to end flight delays caused by federal budget cuts is piecemeal and fails to address delays in the delivery of justice, Justice at Stake told congressional leaders. Visit Gavel Grab for more.
The Senate confirmed Jane Kelly, an assistant public defender in Iowa, to the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday by a 96-0 vote. Gavel Grab has more.
It’s past time for Congress and the president to collaborate, compromise and fill vacancies on the federal bench, American Bar Association President Laurel Bellows writes. Find out more from Gavel Grab.
Justice at Stake is voicing opposition to new legislation that would shrink the influential federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. from 11 to eight authorized judges. Read details at Gavel Grab.
In a letter to the leadership of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Justice at Stake urges senators to not consider legislation which would eliminate three seats from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
No Republican senator signaled outright opposition, and Sri Srinivasan, a Justice Department official and high-profile judicial nominee, sailed through a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. For more, visit Gavel Grab.
Sen. Charles Grassley, at a high-profile Senate hearing on an appeals court nominee, announced legislation to reduce that influential Washington, D.C.-based court from 11 to eight judges. Gavel Grab has details.
Steve Nolder, director of the public defender’s office in southern Ohio, chose to fire himself instead of other lawyers after his office’s budget was slashed this year. See Gavel Grab for more.
The nation is facing “political paralysis” in the Senate over judicial confirmations, and it is time to consider bolder options to resolve the stalemate, a New York Times editorial declared. Read more in Gavel Grab.
The White House has launched a new offensive to win confirmation of lawyer Sri Srinivasan for the second most influential U.S. appeals court, and President Obama has become personally engaged. Learn details from Gavel Grab.
The federal Defense of Marriage Act, which denies federal benefits to same-sex couples who are married, came under skeptical questioning from a five-person majority of the Supreme Court. Gavel Grab has more.
A new chapter in America’s legal and social history opened when the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Tuesday over the constitutionality of marriage for gay men and for lesbians. See Gavel Grab for more.
Reduced hours, possible furloughs and delays for civil cases are just a few of the upcoming changes faced by federal courts as new budget cuts take effect. Read more from Gavel Grab.
For the second time in less than two years, Senate Republicans have blocked President Obama’s nomination of Caitlin Halligan to the nation’s second most influential court. Gavel Grab has more.
Leaders of the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice and DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar sent a joint statement to Congress this week warning that automatic budget cuts called “sequestration” will imperil the safety of judges and courthouse personnel. See details in Gavel Grab.
President Obama, working to bring greater diversity to the federal bench, has stepped up dramatically his pace for picking judicial nominees. Read Gavel Grab for more.
The nation's federal courts are bracing for the loss of $350 million in funding as a result of the automatic budget cuts, called "sequestration," that were triggered Friday. See details at Gavel Grab.
When partisan politics blocks the confirming of federal judges, it causes more widespread harm than merely contributing to longstanding vacancies, the president of the American Judicature Society contends in a Des Moines Register op-ed. See Gavel Grab for more.
Should Congress fail to avert across-the-board "sequestration" budget cuts set for this Friday, Americans' access to justice across the country will be threatened, two federal judges wrote. Find out more from Gavel Grab.
When partisan politics blocks the confirming of federal judges, it causes extensive harm, the president of the American Judicature Society contends. For details, turn to Gavel Grab.
