The Hot Goss On Gorsuch Nomination | Peterson Steps Down After Embarrassing Video | Discussion Over Sexual Misconduct In Judiciary Ain’t Over
December 19, 2017
THE HOT GOSSIP ON GORSUCH
|If you don’t know by now, JUSTICE NEIL GORSUCH getting onto the Supreme Court is often touted as PRESIDENT TRUMP’S greatest accomplishment of his presidency thus far. For nearly eight months, Trump has boasted about his conservative champion, but it seems there was once trouble in paradise between the president and nominee. Earlier this year, Trump threatened to rescind Gorsuch’s nomination after the Colorado judge was critical of the president’s attacks on the federal judiciary. Ashley Parker, Josh Dawsey and Robert Barnes with The Washington Post have the story.
FAKE NEWS, AS ALWAYS
|In a statement released on Twitter this morning, DONALD TRUMP denied that he ever considered withdrawing Gorsuch’s nomination calling the accusation in The Washington Post “FAKE NEWS” because “he never even wavered.”
HIT THE ROAD JACK
|After one very embarrassing video circulated of DONALD TRUMP’S judicial nominee, MATTHEW PETERSON, struggling to answer some very basic legal questions, Peterson says he’s out. Yesterday the nominee withdrew his nomination to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In his letter to the president, Peterson noted, “I had hoped that my nearly two decades of public service would carry more weight than my worst two minutes on television.” Welcome to politics, bub. This comes as the third nomination from Trump to fall apart in recent days.
WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM DUDE
|James Hohmann with The Washington Post did a little digging to figure out why the Louisiana Republican, SENATOR KENNEDY, keeps taking down Trump’s judicial nominees and three theories emerged: 1. Kennedy is exacting revenge against White House counsel DON MCGAHN, 2. Kennedy, a former Democrat, has a lot of trial lawyer friends who don’t like Trump’s judicial picks, OR 3. Kennedy wants to run for governor in 2019 and he thinks this will help him rope in a win.
ED BOARD OVERTURE
|The Editorial Board of the Los Angeles Times notes, “JUDGE ALEX KOZINSKI was stating the obvious Monday when he said that he couldn’t contest more than a dozen allegations of sexual misconduct and ‘be an effective judge.’” Responding to the judge’s decision to retire from the bench after a long, distinguished career, the Ed Board asserts just because the judge has stepped down amidst allegations of “gross” sexual misconduct doesn’t mean the discussion about sexual harassment in the judiciary is over. “Yet even if there is no further investigation of the claims about Kozinski, the federal judiciary should rededicate itself to ensuring that the cloisters of judges’ chambers aren’t sanctuaries for sexual harassment or other forms of abuse and exploitation.”
TODAY IN HISTORY
|On this day in 1975, JOHN PAUL STEVENS was sworn in as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
OTHER NEWS
For The Third Time, Justices Take On Union-Fee Issue: In Plain English
SCOTUSblog“Janus’ argument in the Supreme Court for overturning Abood rests on the idea that, because issues like salaries, pensions and benefits for government employees are inherently political, agency fees – even if characterized as the costs of contract negotiations – actually finance speech that is intended to influence the government’s personnel policies. Therefore, he contends, requiring him to pay an agency fee is no different from requiring him to subsidize a group that lobbies the government.”
A Supreme Court Cookbook Spotlights The Family Recipes And Food History Behind the Bench
Food & Wine“Both a history and a cookbook, Table for 9: Supreme Court Food Traditions & Recipes is not the first collection of court-inspired recipes, but it is the first to feature 43 associated with various justices and their families. A peek into the culinary lives of some of the government’s most powerful decision makers, home cooks, and chefs can now dine like a justice while learning more about the court’s longstanding food traditions.”
Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court To Block Abortion For Immigrant Teen
POLITICO“The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to block an abortion for a teenage girl in immigration custody, even as federal officials gave up their fight to prevent another undocumented immigrant teen from terminating her pregnancy. The moves came just hours after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to permit abortions as soon as Tuesday evening for both pregnant 17-year-old girls being held in federally funded shelters in different states.”