Senate Judiciary Committee

On May 14, the judiciary committee voted to advance the nominations of Justin Smith for the Eighth Circuit (opposed by Courts Matter Illinois) and nominees to the District Court for the District of Kansas Tony Mattivi (opposed) Jeffrey Kuhlman; and Anthony Powell (opposed). All were approved on a party-line vote. 

On May 20, a hearing is scheduled for: Benjamin Flowers, former Solicitor General of Ohio, to the Sixth Circuit Court and Matthew Schwartz, Trump’s personal lawyer in the Stormy Daniels case, to the Second Circuit Court. 

We oppose both nominees. Take Action! 

Supreme Court Hearings Conclude for 2025-26 Term; Stay Tuned for Decision Updates Here 

Weekly Wrap Up: As of May 15

Over the past two weeks we have seen that courts can matter almost instantaneously! Almost before the ink was dry on the devastating opinion in Louisiana v. Callais, state legislatures in the South began meeting in special session to ‘disappear’ the rare Black electoral districts on their maps. Emergency docket cases have immediate implications too. 

On May 14, in an unsigned ‘shadow docket’ ruling, a majority of the justices continued a block on Louisiana’s ban on mailing mifepristone, a medication commonly and safely used in abortions and miscarriages. After the Fifth Circuit upheld the state’s ban, it was put on hold by Justice Samuel Alito who reviews emergency orders in that circuit. His ban expired at 5 pm Thursday, May 14, a few minutes later, the full Supreme Court (with the exception of Justices Alito and Clarence Thomas) extended that pause while the issue was litigated in the courts — a move that continues access to this critical medication. The Court has finished hearing arguments for this term and will be announcing decisions in the 33 cases left to be decided between now and early summer. 

Over on Capitol Hill, the Senate returned and cloture was filed on the nominations of Sheria Clark to the District Court for the District of South Carolina and Evan Rikhye to the District Court for the District for the Virgin Islands (a judgeship that has a term of 10 years). 

Meanwhile, six new nominations were announced by the president, including two new circuit court nominees: Judge Daniel Domenico to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals; Judge Daniel Traynor to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals; Kasdin Mitchell to the District Court for the Northern District of Texas; Angela Colmenero to the District Court for the Southern District of Texas; Antonio Pozos to the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; and Michael Martin to the District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. 

Headlines

(Yahoo) Holding DOJ to account has been extremely frustrating for judges.

(Politico) 10,000 rulings: the courts’ overwhelming rebuke of Trump’s ICE policies

(Scotusblog) 11 things about the second-longest-serving justice of all time

(Brennan Center) Supreme Court reform report

(Guardian) Watchdog group urges Senate to investigate Samuel Alito over oil stock conflicts

(Politico) Justice Brown Jackson asks public to back judicial independence

We Stand with Justice Kagan in Louisiana v. Callais Decision

Wednesday, April 29, 2026, was a sad day for court watchers who care about upholding the tenents of our democracy. It was a day of great disappointment, but not of surprise. It was the day the Supreme Court of the United States handed down its decision in the case of Louisiana v. Callais and struck down the last vestiges of the Voting Rights Act – without actually declaring the Act unconstitutional. It opened the doors for discrimination against people of color – Black, Hispanic, Asian – and other marginalized groups, and now allows states to gerrymander their way to racial and socio-economical inequality in elections in this nation.

Read our full statement here.

Separation of Church and State at Risk in the Courts