WASHINGTON, D.C.— People For the American Way’s “Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears” blog series covers troubling votes and decisions by Trump appellate judges. In November and December, a number of significant cases saw votes by Trump judges to support controversial positions taken by Trump and his administration. These include deciding votes to strike down the ACA and to dismiss a Planned Parenthood complaint against Trump limits on family planning funds, as well as dissenting votes trying to uphold Trump’s refusal to allow documents subpoenaed by Congress to be turned over and a significant anti-immigrant rule. These dissents have set up expected Supreme Court rulings on these subjects later this year, in which Trump justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh may well play a decisive role. All these cases and more underline the importance of speaking out and fighting against Trump’s judicial nominations and making this a critical issue in this year’s elections. These cases have all been entered in our Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears tool, that you can search by issue or by judge.
Below are highlighted cases for the two months:
November
- Trump Judges Reverse Prior Decision and Partially Strike Down Lobbyist Disclosure Law: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Erickson, Grasz, Kobes, Stras
- Trump Judges’ Dissents Send Case on House Subpoena of His Tax Records to Supreme Court: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Katsas, Rao
- Trump Judge Tries to Reverse Decision Halting Enforcement of State Anti-Loitering Law Aimed at Poor People: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Stras
- Trump Judge Threatens Ability to Prove Workplace Discrimination Claims: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Thapar
- Trump Judge Casts Deciding Vote to Dismiss Woman’s Claim That She Was Coerced Into Settling Lawsuit Against Day Care Center for Endangering Her Son: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Nalbandian
- Trump Judge Katsas Cuts Off Judicial Review of Controversial Family Planning Funding Decisions: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Katsas
- Trump Judges Newsom and Grant Overlook Threat of Torture in Ruling Against Asylum Seeker: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Grant, Newsom
- Trump Judge Would Allow Deportation of Immigrant Without Informing Him of His Rights: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Lee
- Trump Judge Casts the Deciding Vote Denying Class Action in a Consumer Suit Against Apple: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Miller
- Trump Judge Writes Majority Opinion Denying Cruel and Unusual Punishment Claim: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Porter
December
- Trump Judges on Eleventh Circuit Dismiss Suit to Protect Birmingham’s Minimum Wage Law: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Branch, Grant, Newsom
- Trump Judge Casts Deciding Vote in Lawless Judicial Assault on the ACA: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Engelhardt
- Trump Judge Dismisses Claim of Racial Profiling by Police Officers for “Shopping While Black”: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Larsen
- Trump Judge Casts Deciding Vote to Dismiss Wrongful Shooting Claim: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Thapar
- Trump Judge’s Deciding Vote Upholds Groundless Stop-and-Frisk: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Ho
- Trump Judge Dismisses Consumer Claims Against Company That Overcharged for Medical Records: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Nalbandian
- Trump Judge Would Have Dismissed Case Against Deputies For Asphyxiating Man: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Collins
- Trump Judge Allows Constitutional Violation as “Harmless Error”: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Carson
- Trump Judge Would Have Denied Man a Chance to Prove Prison Officials Ignored Threats to His Safety: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Park
- Trump Judges Allow Georgia Prison’s Limitation on Beards Despite the Impact on Muslim Men: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Branch, Luck
- Trump Judges Would Have Allowed Death Penalty Despite Ineffective Assistance of Counsel: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Bade, Bress, Collins, Lee, Bennett, Nelson
- Trump Judge Would Allow President to Violate Separation of Powers and Make An Unconstitutional Proclamation Limiting the Entry of Immigrants: Confirmed Judges, Confirmed Fears—Bress
About People For the American Way
People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and build a democratic society that implements the ideals of freedom, equality, opportunity and justice for all. We encourage civic participation, defend fundamental rights, and fight to dismantle systemic barriers to equitable opportunity. Learn more: https://www.pfaw.org.