Judges and their families under attack

A newsletter by Reuters and Westlaw

By Karen Sloan

What's going on today?

Plus your week in review. Have a great weekend.

Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS

The families of at least 11 federal judges have faced threats of violence or harassment after they ruled against the new Trump administration, a Reuters investigation found.

The broadsides are part of an intimidation campaign directed at federal judges who have stood in the way of President Trump's moves to dramatically expand presidential authority and slash the federal bureaucracy. As Trump and his allies call for judges to be impeached or attack them as "radical left" political foes, the families of judges are being singled out for harassment. Reuters spoke with a dozen federal judges who raised concerns about the security of their own families or of the relatives of colleagues handling Trump-related cases. 

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said at a judges' conference in Puerto Rico on Thursday that attacks by Trump and his allies on judges were "not random" and seemed "designed to intimidate the judiciary." 

Trump litigation …

Trump's first 100 days in office have brought more than 200 lawsuits and many judicial setbacks … The Trump administration is challenging climate "superfund" laws in two states and preemptively suing two others to stop planned lawsuits against oil companies … Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit alleging the Trump administration had effectively dismantled AmeriCorps by abruptly canceling grants and cutting 85% of the workforce of the federal agency for national service and volunteering … Jenner & Block asked a judge to permanently bar Trump's executive order punishing the firm for its affiliation with a prosecutor who investigated ties between his 2016 campaign and Russia.

Legal industry …

Trump directed the Justice Department to mobilize law firms to defend police officers unjustly accused of misconduct free of charge …  Pass rates on the February bar exam fell in most large states … More than 1,100 law students filed a court brief supporting law firm Susman Godfrey, saying Trump's executive order against the firm amounts to "government reprisal" … Cornell Law School sent a higher percentage of its 2024 law graduates into large law firm jobs than any other law school, American Bar Association data shows.

Immigration …

A federal judge in Texas blocked the Trump administration from using an 18th-century wartime law to deport some Venezuelan migrants, in the most sweeping ruling thus far against a key part of the president's aggressive immigration crackdown … Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi was released from U.S. immigration custody after a judge ruled that he should be allowed to challenge the Trump administration's efforts to deport him over his participation in pro-Palestinian protests while free on bail …  A Wisconsin judge charged with helping a man in her court briefly evade immigration authorities has added prominent conservative lawyer Paul Clement to her defense team.

President Trump's administration proposed a $163 billion cut to federal spending next year ... U.S. job growth slowed marginally in April and employers continued to hoard workers, but the outlook for the labor market is increasingly darkening ... Trump signed an executive order that aims to cut funding to news outlets NPR and PBS ... A ship bound for Gaza carrying humanitarian aid and activists was bombed by drones its organizers said ... Tesla's sales plunged across Europe in April, including an 81% drop in Sweden ... Vatican workers installed a chimney onto the roof of the Sistine Chapel, which will be used in burning the ballots for the conclave that will elect a successor to Pope Francis ... Archaeologists digging up a former fish market in Barcelona have discovered the wreck of a ship that may have sunk about 500 years ago.

caitlin.tremblay@thomsonreuters.com

@ctrembz

The Afternoon Docket is sent 5 days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here.

Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here.

This email includes limited tracking for Reuters to understand whether you've engaged with its contents. For more information on how we process your personal information and your rights, please see our Privacy Statement.

Terms & Conditions