Senate Judiciary Committee Update

The judiciary committee held a hearing on September 30 on Peter Mansfield to the District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana; Robert Long to the District Court for the Middle District of Florida; and Jesus Osete to the District Court for the Western District of Missouri. Judge Lee Rudofsky, nominated to the Eighth Circuit Court, led off the hearing. (Courts Matter Illinois opposes all of these nominees.) 

Unfortunately, only a few senators attended, so questions were not as robust as they should have been. 

The next hearings are expected on November 10 and 18, after the Senate returns for a post-Election lame duck session. 

Meanwhile the White House has announced several new nominees: Todd Butler to the Fifth Circuit Court; Brian Meyers to the District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina; and Philip Aubart to the District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. 

Chicago Council of Lawyers Presents: Defending the Right to Dissent Forum on Oct. 19; CCL Offered

Join the Chicago Council of Lawyers for a timely forum and important conversations examining the growing concern that prosecutorial power may be used to punish political expression, protest, and opposition.

How can the justice system distinguish legitimate law enforcement from politically motivated prosecution? What happens to constitutional rights when speaking out carries the threat of criminal charges? This discussion will explore the consequences for civil liberties, public trust, and the rule of law, ensuring that justice remains independent of political pressure.

Click Here To Register

We’re pleased to offer this program both in person and online at no cost to attendees, with complimentary lunch provided for in-person guests.

Join Chicago Council of Lawyers and Partners in a Debate on Election Security on Oct. 29: CCL Offered

Join us for a moderated Civil Disagreements program featuring informed perspectives on election security, voting access, public trust, and the integrity of our elections!

Free and fair elections depend on both secure election systems and public confidence in their results. Yet Americans continue to disagree about the nature and extent of the threats facing our elections, the effectiveness of existing safeguards, and whether proposed reforms would strengthen election integrity or make it more difficult for eligible voters to participate.

Moderator:
Alisa Kaplan, Executive Director, Reform for Illinois
Panelists:
Noah Praetz, President, Ready for Tuesday
June Brown, Chicago Board of Elections
Anthony Vega, Lake County Clerk
Elizabeth Yang, President, WStrong LLC

Click Here To Register

Supreme Court Reviews Several Upcoming Cases

Weekly Wrap Up: October 5

Last week, a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing went from a slam dunk to the foul line, becoming a viral exhibition. 

In a four-hour hearing grilling of former Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was investigating charges that Donald Trump tried to unlawfully meddle in the 2020 Election, among other offenses, it became all about basketball. 

A “gotcha moment” (complete with a giant poster) set up by Sens. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and John Kennedy (R-LA) fell apart when it became clear that Jack Smith never traveled to Georgia to attend an Atlanta Hawks basketball game around the time the Fulton County, Georgia district attorney was prosecuting Trump for election interference. 

Instead, Smith was enjoying himself on the date in question at the University of Maryland, watching them take on the Iowa Hawkeyes. The confusion not only derailed the hearing but proved to be the butt of jokes on social media worldwide. 

It may be just as well that the Senate started their long pre-Midterm Election recess on Wednesday, scheduled to return on November 9.

While “Basketball-gate” was filling the airwaves, the US Supreme Court issued a very distressing Shadow-Docket opinion. 

The six-justice conservative majority voted to lift a lower court’s stay on deportations to third countries, a practice that has sent thousands of immigrants to countries that are not their countries of origin without much notice or the chance to argue a fear of persecution or torture in the receiving country. 

The issue has been put on the Court’s docket for full argument in December. In addition, the Supreme Court will consider the issue of mandatory detention for immigrants without the right to a bond hearing — an issue that most circuit courts have already ruled is unconstitutional. 

On September 25, in another troubling Shadow-Docket opinion, the Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to use a Department of Homeland Security database to verify voters’ citizenship despite problems and inaccuracies in the database. 

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