Trump-aligned group sues Chief Justice John Roberts in effort to restrict power of the courts
The lawsuit was filed by the America First Legal Foundation against Roberts in his capacity as the official head of the U.S. Judicial Conference and Robert J. Conrad, who serves as the director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
The complaint accuses both the U.S. Judicial Conference and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts of performing certain regulatory actions that go beyond the scope of resolving cases or controversies, or administratively supporting those actions, which they argue are the "core functions" of the judiciary.
It also argues that records held by the Roberts-led U.S. Judicial Conference should therefore be subject to the Freedom of Information Act requests, or FOIA requests, as a result.
Trump's Executive Order On Voting Blocked By Federal Judges Amid Flurry Of Legal Setbacks
AFL cited in its lawsuit recent actions taken by both the Judicial Conference and Administrative Office in 2023 to "accommodate" requests from Congress to investigate allegations of ethical improprieties by Justices Thomas and Alito, and subsequently to create or adopt an "ethics code" for justices on the high court.
Read On The Fox News App
"Under our constitutional tradition, accommodations with Congress are the province of the executive branch," AFL said, adding: "The Judicial Conference and the Administrative Office are therefore executive agencies," and must therefore be overseen by the president, not the courts.
Gorsuch, Roberts Side With Left-leaning Supreme Court Justices In Immigration Ruling
The U.S. Judicial Conference is the national policymaking body for the courts. It is overseen by the Supreme Court's chief justice, and tasked with making twice-yearly recommendations to Congress as needed.
The Administrative Office for the U.S. Courts, meanwhile, operates under the guidance and supervision of the Judicial Conference. Its role is to provide administrative support to the federal courts on certain administrative issues and for day-to-day logistics, including setting budgets and organizing data, among other things.
Plaintiffs for AFL, led by attorney Will Scolinos, argued in their lawsuit that the Judicial Conference's duties are "executive functions," and functions they allege must be supervised by executive officers "who are appointed and accountable to other executive officers."
Further, AFL argued, "Courts definitively do not create agencies to exercise functions beyond resolving cases or controversies or administratively supporting those functions."
In their view, this is also sufficient to put the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts — as it is overseen by the Judicial Conference — under the executive branch as well.
Scolinos argued that AFL's proposed framework "preserves the separation of powers but also keeps the courts out of politics."
U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, a Trump appointee, has been assigned to preside over the case.Original article source: Trump-aligned group sues Chief Justice John Roberts in effort to restrict power of the courts
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Canada praises US stance on Ukraine security guarantees
TORONTO (Reuters) -Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Saturday welcomed what he said was U.S. openness to providing security guarantees to Ukraine under a peace deal to end Russia's war against Kyiv. "Robust and credible security guarantees are essential to any just and lasting peace. I welcome the openness of the United States to providing security guarantees as part of Coalition of the Willing's efforts," Carney said in a statement. "The leadership of President Trump and the United States is creating the opportunity to end Russia's illegal war in Ukraine."
USA Today
15 minutes ago
- USA Today
Trump offers Putin, Zelensky contrasting approaches
President Donald Trump has offered his critics, the world and U.S. allies contrasting images on how America treats its friends and adversaries after failing to broker a ceasefire in Russia's unprovoked war to annex Ukraine. At the Alaska-based summit Russian President Vladimir Putin received a red-carpet welcome from the U.S. that included a B-2 bomber fly-by and a ride in the presidential limousine, nicknamed "The Beast" with video of him laughing with Trump. The two superpower leaders exchanged flatteries, with Putin saying the war wouldn't have started it Trump had been president in 2022. Andrei Gurulyov, a Russian parliament member and retired general, described it as a "breakthrough" moment that was played up heavily on Russian state television. Putin's foreign ministry said it marked an end to the foreign country's reported isolation. That showcase is in sharp contrast to a fiery exchange Trump and top administration officials had earlier this year with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy when the foreign ally's leader was told in the Oval Office he was being disrespectful to the U.S. and risking World War III. Zelenskyy was teased by Trump and others for his attire and eventually booted from the White House. Republican lawmakers, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., suggested Ukraine's president should either resign, change his tune or "send somebody over that we can do business with." The administration went as far to pause intelligence sharing and weapons shipments to Ukraine after the incident, and while Trump has threatened to impose sharp economic penalties on Russian if an agreement to end the war wasn't reached, he suspended those sanctions after the Alaska sit-down with Putin. Now, Trump is poised to welcome Zelenskyy back to Washington on August 18 to discuss a peace agreement. Republican praise Trump's strength, Dems fret 'it was just theater' After being hyped by the administration and its congressional allies as an opportunity to end the more than three-year conflict in region, Trump's dealmaking skills are being tested in an international negotiation that could backfire on the country and globe. "The goal is always peace," the White House said in an Aug. 15 post on X, amid the talks. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, said in an Aug. 16 post on X that Trump "stood firm in defense of U.S. interests," and that the summit marks a critical first step to a "durable and stable peace that protects Ukraine's territorial and economic sovereignty." But Democrats and other detractors warn that the summit has largely benefited Putin, who is facing war crime charges from the International Criminal Court and seeking legitimacy on the global stage after starting a war that has resulted in more than 1.4 million casualties, according to studies. "Our fear is that the Trump-Putin meeting wasn't diplomacy—it was just theater," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, said in a post on X ahead of the talks. Trump seeks reset in pursuit of peace as Europe worries Trump returned to Washington on Aug. 16 carrying plenty of compliments from Putin, who said the war wouldn't have started if Joe Biden hadn't been in charge back in 2022. But without a deal the administration appears to be skipping cease-fire discussions altogether and pivoting quickly to reset its public relationship with Zelenskyy, who will be returning to the Oval Office on Aug. 18 for a talk that remains inconclusive to most observers. Trump began to tip-toe away from Putin and toward Zelenskyy in late April after Russia bombarded Kyiv with missiles. The president, however, is also reportedly considering land swaps including Ukraine areas not currently occupied by the Russians, according to the New York Times, something U.S. allies have opposed in the past. Zelenskyy said in an Aug. 16 post on X that he spoke with Trump and European leaders, adding that the "killings must stop" but that the battling must pause first before a larger peace agreement can be made. "The positions are clear," he said. "A real peace must be achieved, one that will be lasting, not just another pause between Russian invasions." In a joint statement, European leaders echoed that sentiment and expressed support for a Putin-Zelenskyy summit. "I'm disgusted that Donald Trump met with Putin on American soil and did so with no representatives from Ukraine," Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Illinois, a retired Army helicopter pilot, said in an Aug. 16 post on X. "Trump and his inflated ego may not realize it, but it's clear that Putin is not engaging in good faith to end this war."
New York Post
15 minutes ago
- New York Post
How Trump's meeting with Putin pivoted from Ukraine cease-fire to full peace deal
WASHINGTON — President Trump made an abrupt announcement about two hours into his private, roughly three-hour meeting with Vladimir Putin Friday — declaring he wanted a full peace deal in Ukraine rather than a cease-fire, The Post has learned. Convinced there were relatively few matters left to resolve, and believing a truce would only prolong the war, Trump set aside his publicly stated goal of a temporary halt in fighting. 'Figuratively, the president sort of threw up his hands and said, 'I'm not interested in a cease-fire anymore,'' a source familiar with the discussion said. 5 President Trump said Saturday he's seeking a full peace deal rather than a truce after meeting with Vladimir Putin. GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL/POOL/EPA/Shutterstock Trump expressed concern that the 'focus of the cease-fire' would be on 'how long the cease fire will be' and 'are they going to rearm?' The pivot yielded 'no pushback from the Russians,' leading Trump to exit Anchorage without a cease-fire in hand. Instead, he dialed up Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders to see if a full peace deal was within reach. The calls yielded a positive response, the source said, and Trump announced on social media that Zelensky would be at the White House Monday for talks. Putin insisted during the summit Ukraine hand over the remainder of the coal and minerals-rich Dontesk, a historically Russian-speaking region that had a Moscow-backed rebellion beginning in 2014. Russia claimed to annex the whole region in 2022. Zelensky has vehemently objected to giving up the northern third of the Donetsk region, arguing it would obliterate more than decade-old defense lines and allow Putin to launch further incursions into Ukraine. The matter may be addressed through an international peacekeeping deployment, the possibility of which was raised during the bilateral discussion in Alaska, with Putin open to a deployment of UK and French troops along the front lines to prevent a recurrence of fighting. 5 Trump left Anchorage without a cease-fire after a three-hour talk made him believe a final settlement could be reached. Trump has in principle accepted the deployment by its NATO allies as a de facto US 'security guarantee' to Ukraine, two sources told The Post. The move comes after Trump previously suggesting a US-Ukraine minerals deal would also effectively give Kyiv a measure of protection. In Anchorage, the Russian dictator floated an 'Article 5-plus' formulation for the peace-keeping force in which China would also send troops, but appeared to back away from the idea and settle on the possibility of NATO ally Turkey — a mediator for Moscow — instead sending soldiers to supplement the more openly pro-Kyiv bloc. European leaders appeared wooed by Putin informing Trump he was 'willing to stipulate' he would not attack additional countries in eastern Europe — though 'Europeans think in centuries' rather than US presidential terms, the source cautioned. 5 Putin accepted the idea of an international peacekeeping force in Ukraine, sources told The Post. AP 5 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit the White House Monday to discuss a possible deal. 'The president got Putin to say out loud and agree to, in some way, memorialize that. … He said, 'I will not attack a European country. … I have no interest in this,' and that has always been the fear on the part of the Europeans,' the source said. 'That went a long way in the calls last night with the Europeans.' In a rare move, Trump took no questions at a planned news conference Friday and boarded Air Force One early for a return flight to Washington, during which he spoke on the phone with Zelensky and various European leaders. Trump firmed up his conviction that a full peace deal was possible during a series of Friday night and Saturday morning calls aboard Air Force One to the European leaders, before announcing Zelensky's Monday visit to Washington. 5 csuarez Zelensky has claimed he cannot cede land without a national referendum, adding complexity to the final end-game if he's amenable to handing over the remainder of Donetsk in exchange for the peacekeeping deployment. 'Every issue is an ancillary issue, except Donetsk,' a source familiar with the Trump-Putin talks said. 'That's the ball game, right there the future of Donetsk.' Russia has made recent gains in Donetsk, including capturing two villages Saturday. The Kremlin additionally took Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and partially controls three other provinces in addition to Donetsk that it purportedly annexed. The Trump-Putin summit featured dramatic symbolism from the American hosts, with the US leader escorting the 25-year strongman down a red carpet as a B-2 bomber and fighter jets flew overhead, seeming to surprise the guest. Trump then asked Putin to join him in his Beast limousine to drive a short distance to the talks venue, during which they passed another B-2 parked on the runway — serving as a reminder of Trump using the aircraft for a surprise bombing of Iran on June 13 after Tehran balked at a deal with the US. 'The last thing [Putin] saw when he went in that room was a B-2 close up and personal,' a source remarked. Trump was joined in the meeting by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a well-known Russia hawk, and Steve Witkoff, the special presidential envoy who has met previously with Putin — offering additional strategic flexibility for the talks, though they remained led by Trump and Putin. Trump has openly expressed a desire for a three-leader summit between himself, Putin and Zelensky — and the White House currently is a top candidate for the venue.
