In a significant ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops to the Chicago area, delivering one of its first major setbacks to Trump’s expansive claims of executive power in months. The decision was heavily influenced by an unusual source: a friend-of-the-court brief submitted by Georgetown law professor …
A federal judge in Washington has blocked the Trump administration from revoking the security clearance of Mark Zaid, a prominent attorney known for representing whistleblowers and national security officials. Judge Amir Ali ruled that the presidential memorandum targeting Zaid amounted to improper political retribution and could not be used to penalize a lawyer for representing …
A coalition of attorneys general from 21 U.S. states and the District of Columbia has filed a lawsuit to block the Trump administration’s effort to defund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The suit argues that the administration’s refusal to request funding from the Federal Reserve is unlawful and violates Congress’s constitutional authority, effectively undermining …
In a critical assessment of the U.S. Supreme Court’s role in 2025, court watchers argue that the justices — particularly Chief Justice John Roberts — have largely enabled President Donald Trump’s second-term agenda, weakening the judiciary’s role as a check on executive power. According to Courthouse News Service, the Supreme Court sided with the Trump …
In December 2025, a bipartisan group of Members of Congress sent a formal letter to Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche raising serious concerns about potential conflicts of interest and ethical lapses within the U.S. Department of Justice. The letter documents a pattern of DOJ interventions, dismissals, and discretionary decisions in …
In this New York Times opinion video, U.S. District Judge Esther Salas warns that escalating political attacks on the judiciary are directly endangering judges and undermining the rule of law. Drawing on her personal experience — including the 2020 murder of her son, Daniel Anderl, by a litigant seeking revenge — Salas describes a sharp …
On December 18, 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal breached fundamental principles of EU law and cannot be considered independent or impartial. The court cited serious irregularities in the appointment of the tribunal’s president and several judges, most of whom were installed under the former Law and …
At a major public law conference in Haifa, former Supreme Court president Esther Hayut delivered a stark warning about what she described as a growing assault on Israel’s judicial system. Hayut condemned certain elected officials for “trampling the rule of law” and for engaging in a systematic campaign to delegitimize the judiciary, including public calls …
We are excited to share that the Gargoyle, the University of Wisconsin Law School’s alumni magazine, has published a new feature highlighting the work of Lawyers and Democratic Decline (LADD) — a global research initiative examining how lawyers and judges navigate moments of democratic crisis. As democratic backsliding accelerates worldwide, understanding the role of legal …
Poland’s rule-of-law crisis escalated after a group of Supreme Court judges—appointed during the former Law and Justice (PiS) government’s controversial judicial overhaul—issued a resolution rejecting the European Union’s right to regulate Poland’s justice system. They further claimed that no public authority may disregard their rulings, even when EU law is invoked. The session was marked …