“In a 5-4 ruling on a trio of cases penned by Justice Neil Gorsuch, the court’s Republican majority sided with businesses whose employment contracts include mandatory arbitration clauses that prevent class action lawsuits. Instead, workers who take to the courts against an employer must do so as individuals.” More …
Judicial Branch
ABA Deems Another Trump Judicial Nominee ‘Not Qualified’
“Leonard Steven Grasz is the second judicial nominee from Trump to get a ‘not qualified’ label from the bar association.” More …
McConnell Pulls Out the Stops to Help Trump’s Judicial Picks
“One of the big mysteries of 2017 has been whether Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley would stick to the practice (following that of his immediate Democratic predecessor, Pat Leahy) of letting the home-state senators of judicial nominees veto them, or bend to conservative pressure to let Donald Trump’s nominees go forward no matter what. ” More …
Measures for Justice: Database of Criminal Justice Activity at the County Level
“Measures for Justice was founded in 2011 to develop a data-driven set of performance measures to assess and compare the criminal justice process from arrest to post-conviction on a county-by-county basis. The data set comprises measures that address three broad categories: Fiscal Responsibility, Fair Process, and Public Safety… It is designed for any user—from criminal justice stakeholders to average citizens interested in how their county is performing—and, in this way, offers up a neutral language that reform initiatives can deploy. MFJ’s goal is to ensure the platform becomes the go-to resource for legislators and advocates–for anyone in a position to initiate and catalyze criminal justice reform.” More …
Court Listener: Free Legal Research Web Site
“CourtListener is a free legal research website containing millions of legal opinions from federal and state courts. With CourtListener, lawyers, journalists, academics, and the public can research an important case, stay up to date with new opinions as they are filed, or do deep analysis using our raw data. Search millions of opinions by case name, topic, or citation.” More …
Trump Has Moved To Dismantle Criminal Justice Reform In His First 100 Days
“This analysis looks at what the president and his team have done so far to address crime and justice, and what the country can expect in the weeks and months ahead. ” More.
Supreme Court Nominee Gorsuch’s Extra-Judicial Writings and Speeches
Supreme Court Appointment Process: President’s Selection of a Nominee, January 27, 2017
“The appointment of a Supreme Court Justice is an event of major significance in American politics. Each appointment is of consequence because of the enormous judicial power the Supreme Court exercises as the highest appellate court in the federal judiciary. Appointments are usually infrequent, as a vacancy on the nine-member Court may occur only once or twice, or never at all, during a particular President’s years in office. Under the Constitution, Justices on the Supreme Court receive what can amount to lifetime appointments which, by constitutional design, helps ensure the Court’s independence from the President and Congress.” Analysis from the Congressional Research Service.
Neil Gorsuch’s Nomination to the Supreme Court: Initial Observations, February 1, 2017
“On January 31, 2017, President Trump nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch of the federal Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (Tenth Circuit) to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016. This vacancy has significant implications for the Court.” Congress, and the nation as a whole.” From Congressional Research Service Reports and Analysis.