This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A federal judge has affirmed the religious rights of a Christian photographer, ruling that the state cannot force its religious beliefs onto a business operator.
The fight over a decision by Emilee Carpenter to decline to promote same-sex ideology with her work, as the state of New York demanded, drew in a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court involving Colorado web designer Lorie Smith.
There, the justices ruled that the leftist state of Colorado was not allowed under the Constitution to force Smith to express beliefs that violated her Christian faith.
A report at Courthhousenews said the judge lobbied against the Christian photographer even while admitting that precedent required him to allow her to live by her faith.
The judge, Frank Geraci Jr., said the Supreme Court precedent required him to issue an injunction barring New York from its public accommodation laws "peculiarly to compel expressive activity."
Carpenter had challenged the state's religious agenda, which forced her to choose between a penalty of up to $100,000 or photographing same-sex duos, an activity that violated her faith.
She lost in 2022 but before the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals could decide her case, the Supreme Court released the Lori Smith decision, about her 303 Creative corporation.
In fact, it is Colorado that has been on the cutting edge of losing faith disputes in the Supreme Court. It lost the 303 Creative case and also the Jack Phillips case several years earlier, when the state tried to demand he promote alternative sexual lifestyle choices with his bakery products. Colorado, in fact, was scolded for its "hostility" to Christianity in that case. And it now is demanding to control the statements and beliefs of counselors with a similar requirement, which also is pending before the Supreme Court.
The 2nd Circuit found New York's law isn't unconstitutional, but sent the case back to the lower court in light of the 303 Creative decision.
Geraci, appointed by Barack Obama,. now has ruled in favor of Carpenter on the specific issue, and noted that she still must comply with other parts of the accommodations law.
He praised those laws that discriminate, stating, "This is, in fact, the fundamental, praiseworthy purpose of public accommodation laws like New York's. These laws ensure that 'individuals in historically disadvantaged or disfavored classes desiring to make use of public accommodations' receive 'what the old common law promised to any member of the public wanting a meal at the inn — namely, that accepting the usual terms of service, they will not be turned away merely on the proprietor's exercise of personal preference.'"
Carpenter was represented by the ADF, and spokesman Bryan Neihart said, "The U.S. Constitution protects Emilee's freedom to express her own views as she continues to serve clients of all backgrounds and beliefs. The district court rightly upheld this freedom and followed Supreme Court precedent.
"Emilee can now enjoy the freedom to create and express herself, a freedom that protects all Americans regardless of their views."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Former U.S. Rep. George Santos was only charged when he was expelled from the House.
He later was convicted, but that removal precedent stands.
And now Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, has filed a resolution to expel Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., over the federal charges she now is facing in court.
In a statement, Mace explained that the charges are for McIver's "assault on federal law enforcement officers and unlawful interference at a federal immigration detention facility in New Jersey."
McIver, "didn't just break the law, she attacked the very people who defend it," Mace explained.
"Attacking Homeland Security and ICE agents isn't just disgraceful, it's assault. If any other American did what she did, they'd be in handcuffs. McIver thinks being a member of Congress puts her above the law. It doesn't."
The DOJ has brought charges against McIver under laws that criminalize "forcibly assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers.
McIver has claimed that her confrontation with federal officers was part of her "oversight" of the federal government as a member of Congress, so she's immune to any charges.
But constitutional expert Jonathan Turley noted that argument probably won't actually make it into the courtroom, as the claim is ridiculous.
Further, he said it will be hard for McIver to avoid a conviction based on the bodycam footage of the confrontation that already is available.
"Members of Congress swear an oath to uphold the Constitution and the laws of this country – not to obstruct them," Mace said. "This isn't a matter of partisan politics. It's about whether we're going to hold Members of Congress to the same legal standards as every other American."
Mace cites the precedent the House established in 2023 when Santos was charged, but not convicted, when he was removed.
WND reported a day earlier when Turley opined that the case was just a symptom, more or less, of a bigger agenda by the Democrats.
He explained the "new defense" being used by Democrats, from city council to Congress, is that "their official duties include obstructing the official functions of the federal government."
"The latest claimant of this license is Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), who was charged with assaulting, resisting, and impeding law enforcement officers during a protest at Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. McIver is shown on video forcing her way into an ICE facility and striking and shoving agents in her path," he said.
He said officials were able to subdue the incursion quickly.
But the messaging from McIver was that she could do what for other citizens would be "trespass and assault" because of her "legislative oversight" privileges as a member of Congress.
Her comments were a reprise of what other Democrats already have demanded.
"Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) declared 'You lay a finger on someone – on Bonnie Watson Coleman or any of the representatives that were there – you lay a finger on them, we're going to have a problem,'" the report noted.
And Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., "ominously warned the federal government that Democrats would bring down the house if it tried to charge McIver."
He said, "It's a red line. They know better than to go down that road."
The ACLU insisted that politicians "have every right to exercise their legally authorized oversight responsibilities for expanded immigration detention in New Jersey."
Turley explained Worcester City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj, in a video shoving and obstructing ICE officers, also claimed to be protecting a constituent.
"Even judges are claiming the same license. In Wisconsin, Judge Hannah Dugan has been charged with obstructing a federal arrest of an illegal immigrant who appeared in her courtroom. Dugan heard about agents waiting outside in the hallway to arrest the man and went outside to confront the agents. She told them to speak to the Chief Judge and that they needed a different warrant. The agents complied and the Chief Judge confirmed that they could conduct the arrest. In the interim, however, Dugan led the man out a non-public door and facilitated his escape."
The fault in making the "oversight" claim is that the law does not allow even members of Congress to have unauthorized access to secure federal facilities. Members of Congress can subpoena the executive branch, or get a court order, but they "do not have immunity from criminal laws in unilaterally forcing their way into any federal office or agency."
He explained Jeffries cited the crossing of a "red line."
The "red line" actually crossed, however, is the one "separating political expression and criminal conduct," he said.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
It turns out Ed Martin, the Justice Department's director of the Weaponization Working Group, before he left the office of interim U.S. attorney for D.C., had begun an investigation into the last-minute "autopen" pardons of then-President Joe Biden.
And now Martin is naming names and identifying people in the former administration who were presidential "gatekeepers."
On Tuesday, Martin talked to journalist Mark Halperin on the streaming show "2WAY Tonight."
Martin said the investigation had been underway for weeks and that as part of it, he has reached out to Biden family members. He also noted that some persons of interested have already begun to "lawyer up."
"I had a whistleblower in my office 10 day ago – senior, senior Democrat – saying, 'Look, it was these three people that controlled access, and they were making money off of it,'" Martin told Halperin. "I don't know if I believe it yet, but the point is, I think, we have to get to the bottom of it for the American people and to protect the process, and that's what we're doing."
Martin indicated that the whistleblower he spoke to was involved with the 2020 Biden campaign at the highest levels.
Though refusing to name the actual alleged exploiters in the autopen scandal, Martin provided Halperin with the names of "gatekeepers" who were "dominant characters in the White House."
As reported at The Blaze, Martin identified the following three "gatekeepers": Ron Klain, Biden's White House chief of staff from 2021 to 2023 who returned to the fold last year amid Biden's debate preparation; former senior Biden adviser Anita Dunn; and Barack Obama's former personal attorney Robert Bauer.
Martin also mentioned Steve Ricchetti, former counselor to Biden who previously served as chairman of his 2020 presidential campaign, and "obviously Jill [Biden]."
As WND reported, President Donald Trump on Tuesday vowed an investigation into the Biden administration's use of the autopen, the electronic presidential signature device, as he said, "This government was illegally run for four years."
As Trump appeared at the U.S. Capitol to rally support for his "big, beautiful bill" to lower taxes, Trump discussed at length the problems created by a mentally incapacitated Biden.
"We're gonna start looking into this whole thing with who signed this legislation," Trump said.
"Who signed legislation opening our border? I don't think he knew. I said there's nobody that could want an open border. Nobody. And now I find out that it wasn't him. He autopenned it.
"Who was operating the autopen? This is a very serious thing. We had a president that didn't sign anything and he autopenned almost everything."
Martin initially was Trump's nominee as the permanent D.C. U.S. attorney, but his name was pulled after opposition by Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of Oklahoma.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A congressional delegation, Reps. Tony Wied, Derrick Van Orden, Thomas Tiffany, Bryan Steil, Glenn Grothman and Scott Fitzgerald, all of Wisconsin, is urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to end a program imposed under the Joe Biden administration that discriminates, unlawfully, against victims based on race and sex.
The case concerns Adam Faust, a dairy farmer from Chilton, Wisconsin.
"Mr. Faust has been subjected to protected class-based discrimination by USDA. Specifically, he is ineligible for certain USDA programs based on his race and sex," the members explained in a letter to Brooke Rollins, President Donald Trump's secretary of Agriculture.
The delegation points out that Trump, in fact, "has taken bold and decisive action to eliminate racially discriminatory policies within the executive branch." And the letter said USDA should comply with orders to "eliminate racially discriminatory policies … ."
The problem, the letter explains, is that, "Mr. Faust is ineligible for loan guarantees and grants on equal terms with non-white farmers. Mr. Faust is also charged a fee for the Dairy Margin Coverage Program, while non-white farmers are not. He is one of the 2 million white male American farmers—representing more than 60% of all American farmers—who are still subject to lasting discriminatory policies instituted by the Biden administration."
The letter said, "Mr. Faust's case is particularly worthy of your attention because this is not the first time he has been subjected to USDA's race-based policies. He was the first farmer in America to challenge President Biden and his administration's discriminatory and unconstitutional $4 billion farmer loan forgiveness program. Mr. Faust won a nationwide temporary restraining order (TRO)—the first in the country —halting President Biden's racially selective loan forgiveness initiative."
The delegating is seeking a review of the situation and "prompt reform" of potentially discriminatory programs.
According to the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, which has worked on the case, The Trump administration "has taken many commendable steps to root out race discrimination in many agencies; however, race-based policies and programs persist. USDA is the worst offender, running over two dozen race-based programs that unconstitutionally discriminate against farmers and ranchers every day."
Dan Lennington, deputy counsel for WILL, said, "While the Trump administration has made progress against government-sponsored discrimination, the USDA remains a glaring holdout, inflicting economic pain on millions of farmers based on their race. This isn't just bad policy, it's a blatant violation of the Constitution. We commend the Wisconsin delegation for their support of Mr. Faust and farmers across Wisconsin."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino are facing fierce criticism for asserting convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein indeed killed himself in jail, and also downplaying concerns about the assassination attempts on President Donald Trump.
As WorldNetDaily reported, Maria Bartiromo of Fox News on "Sunday Morning Futures" asked both officials why many Americans don't buy the government assertion that Epstein committed suicide in a New York City holding facility.
"They have a right to their opinion," Patel said, "but as someone who has worked as a public defender, as a prosecutor who's been in that prison system, who's been in the Metropolitan Detention Center, who's been in segregated housing, you know a suicide when you see one, and that's what that was."
Bongino said: "He killed himself. I've seen the whole file. He killed himself."
Regarding the case of notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, Bartiromo asked both officials why many Americans don't buy the government assertion that Epstein killed himself in a New York City jail.
"I call bullsh**," said Infowars host Alex Jones.
"Overall, I think Kash Patel and Dan Bongino are doing a great job, but on this claim that Epstein's death is not a cover-up I call bullsh**."
Jones posted a lengthy comment on X, indicating: "EPSTEIN confirmed a suic*de? Maria sits down with FBI's Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, who claim Epstein did, in fact, commit suic*de. Now, let's get into why people do not believe this theory."
Number one, Maurene Comey, Fmr. disgraced FBI Dir. James Comey's daughter was in charge of Epstein's alleged suic*de investigation, which isn't a good start, and Maurene allegedly lost the jailhouse CCTV tapes as a result of a technical error.
Then on top of the "lost/erased tapes," through a "technical error," both security guards "fell asleep," who were supposed to be watching Epstein's cell, who was on 24hr surveillance for suicide watch which is standard procedure in every jail and being a high-profile prisoner.
There are rumors and a video you can search which claims nitrous oxide was used to knock the guards out, which then Epstein was taken out by another individual. Others claim the guards were paid not to talk.
Either way, for the tapes to mysteriously go missing or erased and to have not one, but TWO guards both fall asleep coincidentally, the odds of both of these happenings to occur at the same time in the same place are astronomical.
We know the Comey's are corrupt. James Comey just sent out a dogwhistle to have our sitting president assassinated. Why do you think he would do that? What [do] Comey, the Clintons, and the Obamas all have to hide? Are you paying attention to Trump's recent posts? Are you starting to connect the dots? Remember, there are no coincidences.
Regarding the two attempts on Trump's life, Patel cited two reasons for the lack of specific details released.
"Two open, ongoing prosecutions," he said. 'Two of the investigations are obviously closed because the individuals are dead, but there's two live prosecutions … so we can't get ahead of the federal court case."
"We have personally invested our time in making sure that we have looked at any possible international connections to terrorism and adversaries alike."
"Kash is not kidding," said Bongino. "We've been personally briefed extensively on every single detail, nugget, tendril of this case."
He said he's aware many feel the federal government is hiding something about the assassination attempts.
"I'm not going to tell people what they want to hear. I'm going to tell you the truth, and whether you like it or not is up to you," Bongino explained.
"In some of these cases, the 'there' you're looking for is not there. And I know people, I get it, I understand. It's not there. If it was there, we would have told you."
Jim Hoft at the Gateway Pundit reported: "This is a stunning reversal from Bongino's previous whistleblowing on Secret Service failures. Just last year, he blew the lid off the culture of corruption in the Secret Service."
"Thomas Crooks was able to do the following on July 13:
The Gateway Pundit added: "Meanwhile, new court documents were released that reveal would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh was in talks to purchase a Stinger Missile to take out Trump here in the U.S.
"A Stinger missile reportedly costs from $119,000 to $120,000. A Stinger missile costs anywhere from $50,000 to $80,000 on the black market. … [C]ourt documents reveal that Routh was communicating with someone he 'believed to be a Ukrainian with access to military weapons.'"
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
PALM BEACH, Florida – President Donald Trump is threatening fresh legal action against ABC News for what he calls "misleading" and "fake" news coverage of Qatar's gift of a luxury 747 jet to America.
In a late-night post on Truth Social Saturday, Trump wondered: "Why doesn't Chairman Bob Iger do something about ABC Fake News, especially since I just won $16,000,000 based on the Fake and Defamatory reporting of Liddle' George Slopadopolus. He was given warnings, but just couldn't be restrained by 'management.'"
"Now I see they are at it again, and I again give these SleazeBags fair warning!
"The wonderful country of Qatar, after agreeing to invest more than 1.4 Trillion Dollars in the United States of America, deserves much better than Misleading (Fake!) News."
Trump stressed the gift of the plane to be used as Air Force One is not to him personally, but to the U.S. Defense Department.
"Everyone, including their lawyers, has been told that ABC must not say that Qatar is giving ME a FREE Boeing 747 Airplane, because they are not," he explained.
"Instead, and as Fake News ABC fully knows and understands, this highly respected country is donating the plane to the United States Air Force/ Defense Department, AND NOT TO ME.
"By so doing, they are saving our country, and the American Taxpayer, hundreds of millions of dollars. ABC Fake News is one of the WORST."
As WorldNetDaily reported last Monday, President Donald Trump unleashed his disdain on an ABC reporter who asked him about Qatar's $400 million aircraft gift.
"What do you say to people who view that luxury jet as a personal gift to you?" ABC News senior political correspondent Rachel Scott asked Trump during a signing ceremony for an executive order designed to slash prices for prescription drugs. "Why not leave it behind?"
Trump instantly responded with an attack on Scott and her network, saying: "You're ABC Fake News right? Because only ABC – well, a few of you would. Let me tell you. You should be embarrassed asking that question.
"They're giving us a free jet. I could say no, no, no, don't give us … I want to pay you $1 billion or $400 million or whatever it is or I could say thank you very much."
He then discussed an anecdote concerning pro golfer Sam Snead.
"He had a motto, when they give you a putt, you say, thank you very much. You pick up your ball and you walk to the next hole," Trump recounted.
"A lot of people are stupid. They say, no, no, I insist on putting it. And then they put it, they miss it, and their partner gets angry at them. You know what? Remember that Sam Snead, when they give you a putt, you pick it up and you walk to the next hole and you say, thank you very much."
Scott continued to press the matter, but was cut off by Trump as she asked: "Respectfully, sir, as a businessman, some people may look at this and say, have you ever been given a gift worth millions of dollars and then not …"
"It's not a gift to me," Trump replied. "It's a gift to the Department of Defense and you should know better because you've been embarrassed enough and so has your network. Your network is a disaster. ABC is a disaster."
Regarding the offer of the aircraft, Trump said: "I think it's a great gesture from Qatar. Appreciate it very much. I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer."
"I mean, I could be a stupid person and say, No, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane. But it was, I thought it was a great gesture."
"I think it was a gesture because of the fact that we help, have helped, and continue to, we will continue to all of those countries, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar and others," he continued.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
He's a "dirty cop," but it will be up to Attorney General Pam Bondi whether to pursue charges against ex-FBI head James Comey.
That's the verdict from President Donald Trump after Comey was found to have posted what many saw as a direct threat to the life of Trump online.
Comey's message was "86 47," where "86" is considered an order to remove someone or something, and Trump is the 47th president in his second term.
A report in the Washington Examiner noted Trump, in an interview, dismissed Comey's "apology" and claim that he didn't know what the numbers meant.
"He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant. If you're the FBI director and you don't know what that meant, that meant assassination, and it says it loud and clear," Trump said.
"Now, he wasn't very competent, but he was competent enough to know what that meant. And he did it for a reason, and he was hit so hard because people like me, they like what's happening with our country. Our country has become respected again, and all this, and he's calling for the assassination of the president."
He continued, "I don't want to take a position on it, because that's going to be up to Pam and all of the great people, but I will say this, I think it's a terrible thing. And when you add his history to that, if he had a clean history, he doesn't. He's a dirty cop. He's a dirty cop. And if he had a clean history, I could understand if there was leniency. But I'm going to let them make that decision."
Comey posted the image, then deleted it later.
An investigation into Comey already has been launched.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Ex-CIA chief John Brennan, evidence now shows, suppressed intelligence that Americans should have been given, wildly claimed there was no spying on the 2016 Donald Trump campaign, has been known to unleash untruths, and even was accused by a counter-terrorism expert of treason.
Now, he's gone ballistic over the routine housecleaning decisions being made by President Donald Trump's director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard.
It's all from his outrage that she is not keeping in place the intelligence officers who worked for Joe Biden.
Gabbard, in fact, recently announced the firings of Mike Collins, who was on the National Intelligence Council, and Maria Langan-Riekhof, his deputy.
According to reports, both have been named by whistleblowers as having political biases, acting on them, and undermining President Trump.
One Daily Fetched report identified them as "Deep State" operatives. And Fox News had reported they were "radically" in opposition to President Trump and his actions.
Brennan commented on the staff changes in an interview in which he was "visibly angry."
Gabbard's stated goals have been to prevent the politicization of intelligence, which has happened under Barack Obama and Biden.
For example, ex-CIA Director Michael Morrell was accused of helping organization a letter signed by dozens of intel operatives that claimed the scandal-proving laptop computer abandoned by Hunter Biden at a repair shop had "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation."
Actually, the laptop provided documentation of real scandals involving the Biden family.
And officials knew when they signed the letter that the evidence was factual.
Collins had been accused by whistleblowers of deliberately undermining Trump, and Langan-Riekhof was known for her advocacy for the now-discredited DEI agenda.
On MSNBC, Brennan unleashed his rage:
"This whole thing just makes me livid."
A commentary by David Harsanyi, in fact, discussed the Durham report that reviewed the FBI's political scheme to attack Trump over the "Russia" claims.
The column explained, "The just-released Durham report confirmed that the FBI not only failed to corroborate the Steele dossier, Hillary Clinton's oppo-doc against former President Donald Trump, but it regularly ignored existing, sometimes dispositive, evidence to keep the investigation alive. Some officials were credulous. Others were devious. But no one 'stole' our democracy – other than perhaps intelligence officials and the journalists who helped feed the collective hysteria over Russia.
"John Brennan, Hamas-loving authoritarian and partisan propagandist, almost surely knew it was a con from the start. Yet he spent four years on television sounding like a deranged subreddit commenter. Even after privately admitting he knew there was no collusion, Brennan kept lying and using his credentials to mislead the public."
John Durham, himself, concluded after a years-long investigation of the origins of the FBI war against Trump and the Trump campaign, "CIA Director John Brennan and Deputy Director David Cohen were interviewed by the Office and were asked about their knowledge of any actual evidence of members of the Trump campaign conspiring or colluding with Russian officials. When Brennan was provided with an overview of the origins of the Attorney General's Review after Special Counsel Mueller finding a lack of evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian authorities, Brennan offered that 'they found no conspiracy.'"
But Brennan later went on television to insist that he "suspected there was more" to collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian President Vladimir Putin than [special counsel Robert] Mueller had let on."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has fired the top officials leading the National Intelligence Council and has moved the agency to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, or ODNI.
According to a report by Fox News Digital, whistleblowers have described some members of the Council as "radically opposed" to President Trump.
Gabbard fired Mike Collins, who was serving as the acting chair of the National Intelligence Council, and his deputy, Maria Langan-Riekhof, on Tuesday, senior intelligence officials told Fox News Digital.
Collins has elicited whistleblower complaints against him for political bias and "deliberately undermining the incoming Trump administration," officials told Fox. They added that Collins was closely associated with Michael Morrell, the former deputy director of the CIA who worked to write a public letter in 2020 claiming that Hunter Biden's laptop had "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation," and to get signatures from top ex-intelligence officials.
The report notes that Langan-Reikhof has been a "key advocate" for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, which contravene Trump policies.
Gabbard is moving the National Intelligence Council from the CIA to her office to "directly hold accountable any improper action and politicization of intelligence," Fox News Digital reported.
Many intel community leakers are "career bureaucrats that are entrenched in Washington politics," officials said.
"It takes time to weed them out and fire them," one official told Fox News, adding that "plans to eliminate non-essential offices within ODNI that we know are housing deep state leakers are underway."
The moves come as Gabbard has taken steps to root out leakers and alleged "deep state holdovers" who officials say are politicizing intelligence analysis and "trying to sabotage President Trump's agenda."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Sonia Sotomayor has a well-established reputation for being a leftist on the Supreme Court, supporting all manner of Democrat causes and opposing President Donald Trump.
But her comments now have moved into new territory, territory in which she is advocating for lawyers to stand up and fight.
Carefully, she did not identify Trump by name, but during a recent address, she left no doubt in the minds of many against whom she advocates opposition.
"Right now we can't lose the battles we are facing," she told a meeting of the leftist American Bar Association.
She was talking to the ABA's Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice Section, and NBC said she considered her appearance there an "act of solidarity."
Trump, meanwhile, has opposed liberal activists in the judiciary and even has advocated that there be another endorsement organization specified so that law schools would not have to work through the ABA for their graduates' authorizations.
She said, without identifying specific "battles," said, "In all of the uncertainty that exists at this moment, this is our time to stand up and be heard."
"If you're not used to fighting losing battles, don't become a lawyer. Our job is to stand for people who can't do it themselves," she said.
The comment comes amid an extended war against Trump that is being assembled by district court judges across the nation, many of whom have issued nationwide injunctions halting the president's executive actions and imposing restrictions on his executive branch agenda.
The topics on which judges have bashed back have included deporting illegal aliens, limiting American citizenship for babies born to foreigners in the U.S. illegally, a long list of environmental rules, his plans to cut waste, fraud and corruption from the government, his plans to eliminate federal bureaucracies and jobs, and much more.
Actually, according to constitutional expert Jonathan Turley, who not only has testified before Congress as an expert on the Constitution but has represented members in court in constitutional disputes, Sotomayor previously has been scorched for "making public comments that some viewed as overly political or partisan."
That topic included her demands that law students organize to support abortion rights, a subject that has been before the court many times, and undoubtedly will appear there again.
Turley noted Sotomayor's blasts "presumably" targeted President Trump.
"Sotomayor made a number of inspiring comments to encourage lawyers to pursue justice despite the odds or challenges," Turley explained.
And they "appeared to veer into more partisan territory."
Her reference to "we" was a surprise, he said, and many viewed it as a rallying call for "the left."
He explained, "Clearly, such comments are subject to different interpretations. Newspapers like the New York Times made the obvious connection, stating that it was made 'against the backdrop of immense stress on lawyers and the legal system from the Trump administration,'"
Leftist lawyer Marc Elias, a key part of the fabricated 2016 conspiracy theory assembled by Democrats that alleged "Russia collusion" against Trump's campaign, then credited Sotomayor with "solidarity" to leftist ideals.
"She understands that while we must bring difficult cases and be willing to lose, we must always fight to win. And by lending her voice in 'solidarity,' she affirmed that it is 'our time to stand up and be heard,' he said.
Turley noted that Sotomayor previously lobbied publicly for abortion, telling students, "You know, I can't change Texas' law, but you can and everyone else who may or may not like it can go out there and be lobbying forces in changing laws that you don't like. I am pointing out to that when I shouldn't, because they tell me I shouldn't. But my point is that there are going to be a lot of things you don't like," and require public action.
Turley admits he's often been critical of members of the high court for appearing before "ideologically supportive groups."
And he calls this circumstance the "rise of the celebrity justice."
He said her calls to "fight this fight" were injudicious.
"The court is set to hear a number of key cases on the Trump policies, including a key argument next week on the rapidly expanding number of national injunctions imposed by district courts. This is not the time to be seen as speaking in 'solidarity' with one side," he said.
Brianna Lynn explained at The Federalist the dangers of Sotomayor's argument for the benefit of one side.
"The fact that you have a sitting Supreme Court justice [Sonia Sotomayor] saying we have to 'Stand up' and 'Fight this fight' … is reinforcing the criticism that judicial overreach is occurring and that the judiciary is being used as a political weapon rather than the judiciary being used as a neutral arbiter of the law."
She continued, "And the fact that [Justice Sotomayor] said that we have to fight for 'lost causes' — the role of a lawyer is to zealously advocate for a client, of course. But the role of a judge is to zealously advocate for the Constitution, and those aren't always the same thing."