Benjamin S. Weiss
Covering Congress for Courthouse News Service in Washington, D.C. | “Mustache” - Sen. Chuck Schumer | Fmr nukes journo & unofficial Cap Hill motorsport correspondent 🏎️
bweiss@courthousenews.com
@benjaminsweiss on the other sites
- Reposted by Benjamin S. Weiss[Not loaded yet]
- House appropriators traded blows Wed over a recent push by some Republicans to impeach federal judges, while top judiciary officials implored them to increase funding for measures to protect jurists & courthouses from rising threats. @courthousenews.bsky.social www.courthousenews.com/house-lawmak...
- Good morning from the House Appropriations Committee, where top judiciary officials from the Administrative Office and US Judicial Conference will testify about the courts’ funding needs.
- Senate Republicans said Tuesday that they’re satisfied with Jeanine Pirro as interim U.S. attorney for D.C. — signaling a positive climate if she eventually gets the nod from Trump for the full-time gig. @courthousenews.bsky.social www.courthousenews.com/senate-signa...
- During a news conference earlier, outgoing US attorney for DC Ed Martin says he's "loved" his time as the district's lead prosecutor but is looking forward to Jeanine Pirro's "passion and intelligence and her real world experience" as new interim US atty.
- New: Senate Republicans expressed their displeasure Tuesday with Dems' move to block DOJ nominees in response to the controversy surrounding the Trump admin & Qatar jet gift. Sen. Thom Tillis called it "predictable political antics." @courthousenews.bsky.social www.courthousenews.com/gop-fumes-as...
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- New: In written testimony ahead of Wed House Approps hearing on judiciary budget, US courts admin office director Robert Conrad slams efforts by some lawmakers to impeach federal judges, saying threats of “reprisals and retribution will only serve to erode the rule of law.”
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- Updated: Caught up with several senators after Trump announced that Ed Martin will no longer be his nom for D.C. U.S. attorney. "Good riddance," said @whitehouse.senate.gov. "I defer to the president," said Sen. Josh Hawley. www.courthousenews.com/trump-drops-...
- Sen. Whitehouse on Ed Martin: “Good riddance.”
- Tillis on Ed Martin going down, says he’s looking forward to Trump putting up another candidate, reiterates his concerns about Martin’s stance on J6. Says “prosecutorial experience” is a quality he’s looking for in a replacement candidate.
- Article III Project lead Mike Davis slams "weak Senate Republican sisters" who are "offended" by Ed Martin's work as acting D.C. U.S. atty for the failure of his nomination. "Trump will have Ed go break more china elsewhere," he adds.
- "What was Ed Martin's first public acknowledgement of Trump pulling his nomination?" I hear you ask. Ed Martin:
- NEW: Ed Martin is out as President Trump's pick for D.C. U.S. attorney. www.courthousenews.com/trump-drops-...
- NEW: Ed Martin is OUT as Trump's pick for D.C. U.S. attorney. More to come.
- Grassley’s formally cancelled this week’s Senate Judiciary vote on SDFL US atty nominee, which I was told earlier this week was coming. Interesting that the committee makes a point of noting that holdovers are common practice (they are).
- Reposted by Benjamin S. WeissSCOTUS called for his return, WH says it isn't happening: "President Bukele’s government has affirmed that evidence and does not intend to return Abrego Garcia to the United States because he is, in fact, an MS-13 gang member." @courthousenews.bsky.social www.courthousenews.com/illegal-depo...
- A key Republican senator who on Tuesday came out against Ed Martin, President Donald Trump’s pick for D.C.’s top federal prosecutor, may find himself squaring off with the White House, which is so far refusing to back away from its controversial nominee. www.courthousenews.com/showdown-bre...
- Reposted by Benjamin S. WeissDC Circuit case assigning evenhanded, despite GOP outcry @benjaminweiss.bsky.social www.courthousenews.com/dc-circuit-c...
- New: House Rs demanded that the DC Dist. Court explain how it assigns cases, suggesting that Chief Judge Boasberg is overseeing a suspicious amount of Trump litigation. But a review of 100 cases indicates the distribution is pretty even across 24 judges. www.courthousenews.com/dc-circuit-c...
- Hawley making it clear that Martin is “the president’s choice” for DC US attorney, setting Trump up against Tillis’ opposition. Says he hasn’t spoken to Tillis but that he doesn’t know “how firm” his opposition is.
- Sen. Josh Hawley, who’s firmly in Ed Martin’s corner, putting a finer point on the stalling of his nomination: “Well, that’s a problem.”
- Per a source close to the Ed Martin nominations process: there are currently not enough votes to clear the nominee on Senate Judiciary (Tillis said he won't support). Cmte rules dictate earliest vote is May 22, meaning Martin won't be confirmed before his interim status lapses.
- Speaker Johnson again pouring cold water on judicial impeachments — telling us they’re not off the table but that it’s a “very high burden.” “It’s got to be a pretty brazen offense, a real open crime that everybody could agree to,” he said.
- Asked Speaker Johnson about this just now — says it’s the first he’s heard about it but that he didn’t “have any evidence” to suggest that DC fed is doing anything other than randomly assigning cases. But he adds that Rs have “real concern” about Boasberg & his rulings.
- Senate Judiciary Rs noticed Thurs biz meeting late last night — no vote on Ed Martin this week. We’re closing on 120-day deadline for Martin’s term as acting DC US attorney. After that, DC District court can appoint their own interim by statute, which would surely frustrate Rs.
- New: In yet another supplemental letter to Senate Judiciary, DC US attorney nominee Ed Martin disclosed roughly 60 more appearances on Russian state media he had omitted previously — as well as a podcast he recorded with defunct right-wing site VDARE in 2021.
- House Rs are demanding that the DC Dist. Court show them behind the curtain on case assignments, suggesting that CJ Boasberg is getting a disproportionate number of Trump cases. But I reviewed about 100 of those cases — of the ones I looked thru, Boasberg’s been assigned just 4, close to the avg.
- Current state of promoted tweets
- A nonpartisan group of former D.C. US attorneys is out with a statement amid reports that Ed Martin misrepresented his relationship with a Nazi sympathizer — they call on Republican senators to reject his nomination.
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- Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights calls Hermandorfer nomination “appalling” & say they have reason to fear she will not meet “basic standard” of federal judges to uphold rule of law and civil rights.
- President Trump has named his first judicial appointment of his second term: attorney Whitney Hermandorfer, who has argued on behalf of the Tennessee AG in cases challenging federal gender discrimination law & abortion rulemaking www.courthousenews.com/trump-taps-t...
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- Today: The Senate Judiciary Committee is slow-walking Ed Martin's nomination for U.S. attorney for D.C., as Dems seek a hearing and questions swirl about Republican support. www.courthousenews.com/committee-co...
- Asked Sen. Blumenthal for his take on the state of the Ed Martin nomination — he suggested that Rs are in a holding pattern because a growing number have “expressed the same reservation” about him. “If you’re confused, I think it’s because Republicans are confused,” he said.
- Alright, here's some more clarity on the Ed Martin situation, per source: Durbin agreed this AM to hold off on a vote for a hearing on Martin's nom bc Republicans are still reviewing his record. But the suggestion at the moment is that Rs *do not* have the votes to advance him.
- Spox for Grassley’s office says Durbin “mischaracterized” this — Judiciary is not going to move forward with a *roll call vote* on whether to hold a hearing on the Martin nomination. Major difference.
- 🚨Sen. Dick Durbin just said in this AM's Senate Judiciary meeting that it was his "understanding" that the committee will NOT be moving forward with Ed Martin's nomination for U.S. attorney for D.C. Working to confirm that.
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- House Republicans are set to broaden their backlash to the federal judiciary, with top lawmakers on Wednesday teasing a new bill aimed at restricting judges’ authority to rule on the expenditure of foreign aid. www.courthousenews.com/house-republ...
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- Congress is back this week & the Senate is eyeing a bill that would shrink the scope of national injunctions issued by federal judges. But Republicans will need Dem votes to pass the bill, and so far there's little indication any Dems plan to break ranks. www.courthousenews.com/bipartisansh...
