Trump-appointed judge quits judicial group over warning about threats
U.S. Circuit Judge James Ho, who was appointed by Republican President Donald Trump and is seen as a potential U.S. Supreme Court nominee, at a Saturday night event hosted by the conservative Federalist Society took issue with a rare public statement, opens new tab issued by the Federal Judges Association.
In a statement on Wednesday, the 1,100-member group said recent events had provided "a clear and urgent reminder that federal judges play a crucial role in upholding our democracy as guardians of the rule of law."
The group did not cite any specific cases, individuals or threats as it warned about "irresponsible rhetoric shrouded in disinformation," security concerns and the risk of "erosion in the independence of the judiciary."
But the group issued the statement as billionaire Elon Musk and other Trump administration allies have publicly ramped up efforts to discredit judges who stand in the way of White House efforts to slash federal jobs and programs, including by calling for the impeachment of some.
U.S. Circuit Judge Michelle Childs, the FJA's president and an appointee of Democratic President Joe Biden, in a message to her group's members sent a day before Wednesday's public statement went further, saying the "judiciary faces growing threats, including violence, intimidation, disinformation, and unprecedented impeachments that challenge its independence."
Ho, a member of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, described the statement as out-of-character for the FJA and said it reflected a "selective" concern for judicial independence that could come off as "sanctimonious."
"I was very surprised by that statement, and the next morning I sent an e-mail to the organization saying that I wanted to resign," Ho told an audience at the Federalist Society's National Student Symposium at the University of Michigan Law School.
He said the group never issued a similar statement following "attacks" on conservative members of the U.S. Supreme Court like Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who prosecutors say was the subject of an assassination attempt in 2022 following the leak of a draft of the eventual ruling ending the nationwide right to abortion.
"You can't say that you're in favor of judicial independence only when it comes to decisions that you like," Ho said. "That's not protecting the judiciary, that's politicizing the judiciary."
The FJA did not respond to a request for comment.
US judges group warns of threats to judiciary's independence
Judges face rise in threats as Musk blasts them over rulings
ABA ramps up defense of judges as White House dismisses 'snooty' lawyers
Republican lawmaker seeks US judge's impeachment over foreign aid ruling
Trump, allies ramp up attacks on judges as Musk calls for impeachments
here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
3 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Morning Joe says Trump 'holds the cards' over Putin
A former Florida Republican who today is one of the left-leaning networks' leading voices, the host went on to outline why he believes Trump has little to worry about. 'He can just say, "Lindsey [Graham], go ahead - let's pass the sanctions bill and let's grind him down,' he explained, referring to the GOP senator from South Carolina. 'And the second thing is, well, you know, there was talk about a possible $90million military aide bill to Ukraine,' he went on. 'There's two things that would change the dynamics very quickly.' The comments continued Scarborough's surprise support for the president in recent weeks, and Geist, in turn, observed how Putin has continued to attack Ukraine despite the recent peace talks. Scarborough dismissed such talk as mere posturing. 'Vladimir Putin can huff and puff and say he's going to blow the house down all he wants,' he said. 'He's not the one holding the cards. Donald Trump's holding the cards right now. 'It will be very interesting to see if he'll play them over the next 10 days.' Just last week, he criticized Democrats for publicly complaining about Trump 's takeover of Washington, DC - where Morning Joe is based - while secretly pining for a crackdown behind closed doors. Without naming names, the host detailed how he'd received calls from his friends who quietly expressed support for the deployment of federal agents to DC. Their political allegiance? 'All democrats,' Scarborough said on-air August 12. A few days before, he said he agreed with Trump in his assessment that DC is now a dangerous city. 'Certainly don't need the National Guard in there, or certainly not Marines,' he said with wife Mika Brzezinski by his side. 'But you look at Washington, DC, and it's been dangerous for years. 'There have been, you know, a year, a couple of years here, a couple of years there, where it's been a bit better - but certainly over the past five years it has just been an absolute mess. 'Its quality of life has been terrible.' Earlier this week, Scarborough - who faced criticism for meeting with Trump in Mar-a-Lago after the election - revealed MSNBC would be changing its name to 'MS NOW'. The change, CEO Mark Lazarus said in a memo viewed by Daily Mail, represents the new company's focus on 'building our individual identity and vision for the future while laying a foundation for the continued growth and success of our businesses.' MSNBC will also lose the peacock logo long associated with NBCUniversal when the name change goes into effect later this year. MS NOW is an acronym for My Source News Opinion World, execs said - after previously promising the network would keep the 'NBC' in its its name as it prepares to spearhead a spinoff company that's been dubbed Versant. The firm, also based in 30 Rock, is comprised of Comcast channels like MSNBC that had been causing declines in the parent company's share price. The stars of Morning Joe, Brzezinski and Scarborough, are said to be in the midst of exploiting their power to 'leverage their stature within the network,' according to Mediaite's Colby Hall.
Daily Mail
3 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Judge denies DOJ's request to release Epstein grand jury docs
Donald Trump was handed another blow on Wednesday when a federal judge denied his administration's attempts to release grand jury testimony from the Jeffrey Epstein case. U.S. District Judge Richard Berman deemed Trump's Justice Department did not provide adequate reasoning to unseal the highly-protected materials. He also said that the grand jury motion was likely a 'diversion' coming from the Trump administration. '[T]he court denies the government's motion to unseal the Epstein grand jury transcripts and exhibits,' the Clinton-appointed judge wrote in his Wednesday decision. It comes after Attorney General Pam Bondi moved at the direct of the president this summer to request the documents be unsealed in attempts to satisfy Americans who were enraged over the lackluster review of the Epstein files. The request came only after weeks of bemoaning from the MAGA base claiming there was a 'cover-up' and that Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel were not being as 'transparent' as Trump promised they would be. 'Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social account last month amid the backlash. On July 18, Bondi filed motions in the Southern Districts of New York and Florida to have judges grant release of grand jury testimony from the [sexual] trafficker's cases in the respective states. Florida swiftly denied the request, while SDNY requested the government send their reasoning for requesting the years-old documents be drudged up. Trump's government argued in its reasoning that 'the passage of time has not dulled the public's interest in these cases.' It also revealed that there were only two witnesses in the case – an FBI agent and New York Police Department officer, both of whom are still alive. But Judge Berman claimed that the reasoning was not sufficient for him to grant the request to unseal the grand jury testimony. 'The Government is a logical party to make comprehensive disclosure to the public of the Epstein files,' Berman wrote in the Wednesday decision. 'By comparison, the instant grand jury motion appears to be a 'diversion' from the breath and scope of the Epstein files in the Government's possession.' He also said that Trump's administration did not exhibit there were any 'special circumstances' that would justify unsealing the documents. Berman has come under fire from Trump and his supporters in the past for being a partisan judge. Bill Clinton appointed Berman to the bench in the Southern District of New York in 1998, where he has worked ever since as a judge and then a senior judge starting in September 2011. It's widely known that Clinton and Epstein had personal, professional and philanthropic connections. Epstein donated $1,000 to Clinton's presidential campaign in 1991 and two years later contributed $10,000 to the White House Historical Association for a redecoration project. This got him and longtime girlfriend and accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell a ticket to a White House donors' reception hosted by Bill and Hillary Clinton. Maxwell is still serving out a 20-year sentence in relation to the child [sexual] trafficking crimes. She even spoke for nine hours over the course of two days with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in Florida last month to answer questions about Epstein's crimes. She was transferred to a prison in Texas days after the interviews and appears to be angling for pardon from Trump. Flight logs for Epstein's private plane the Lolita Express show that Clinton took at least 17 flights between 2002 and 2003, often with staff, Secret Service agents and Clinton Foundation supporters. Trump also has links to the disgraced financier and appears on his flight logs. Epstein attended Trump's wedding to his second wife Marla Maples in 1993. The deep connections to those most influential in political and business circles is what Americans think is stopping the release of files related to his crimes and his sketchy death. Conspiracies still float online claiming that Epstein was killed in prison in August 2019 and that it was made to look like he took his own life – even though Trump's DOJ concluded that Epstein did [kill himself].
The Independent
5 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump purge of Smithsonian exhibits got underway in April and included removal of Harriet Tubman's hymn book: report
The Trump administration announced this week that it would begin reviewing current and former exhibitions at Smithsonian museums to ensure they align with president's agenda and perspective of history – a task which had already been underway and will likely expand purges of historical artifacts. For months, the museum has been reviewing, and at times quietly removing, certain artifacts on display to comply with Trump's March executive order, aiming to 'restore truth and sanity to American history' by getting rid of 'divisive narratives that distort our shared history.' The president has indicated some of those 'divisive narratives' include acknowledgment of transgender athletes and in-depth analysis of slavery. On Tuesday, Trump wrote on Truth Social: 'The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future. We are not going to allow this to happen.' Having anticipated the administration would begin reviewing its museums, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is a Smithsonian Institution, appeared to begin changing its displays. In April, the National Museum of African American History and Culture sparked controversy after it announced it would return several artifacts to their donors, including a Bible carried during a civil rights protest and Harriet Tubman's book of hymns, NBC News reported. But the museum defended its decision-making, saying it was made independent of the White House, officials told news outlets. A spokesperson for the museum said at the time that they routinely return artifacts based on loan agreements or to rotate displays. The Independent has asked the National Museum of African American History and Culture for comment. However, Trump has publicly pulled federal funding from institutions that do not align with his policies and indicated he's not afraid to continue doing so to incentivize people to follow his orders. Prominent universities such as Harvard and Johns Hopkins have seen millions of dollars in funding revoked for not aligning with the president's agenda. In his Tuesday Truth Social post, Trump said he has instructed his attorneys to adopt a similar 'process that has been done with Colleges and Universities where tremendous progress has been made.' 'This Country cannot be WOKE, because WOKE IS BROKE,' he added. Much of his ire toward institutions stems from his disdain for diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, which he has prohibited across the federal government. As part of the administration's efforts to comply with the president's agenda, federal references to historically prominent Black Americans have been minimized, and references to white Americans, regardless of controversy, have been restored. Trump has sought to restore Confederate names and monuments after many were taken down or destroyed during or in response to racial justice protests in 2020. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a series of military bases would be renamed after controversial Confederate soldiers or generals during the Civil War. Even on government websites, inclusive language or references to certain American heroes have been scrubbed. Earlier this year, the National Park Service faced pushback for removing mentions of Tubman and the Underground Railroad on its website. Park Service leaders said the changes were unauthorized and subsequently restored mentions to Tubman. While the administration said this week it would review eight Smithsonian museums, all eyes are on the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is dedicated to highlighting and educating the public about African-American history and culture, and likely to be targeted.
