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Wednesday night on The O’Reilly Factor, Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, broke a series of previously unreleased US Department of Agriculture Videos featuring required “Cultural Sensitivity Training.” The program required employees to chant, “The pilgrims were illegal aliens,” never to use the word “minorities” and to replace it instead with “emerging majorities,” and other similarly leftist tripe. The sensitivity training sessions taped here were held on USDA premises, and is part of what Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack termed the department’s “new era of Civil Rights” and “broader effort towards cultural transformation at USDA.” The training sessions were created by...

When Barack Obama was elected president, critics and supporters alike thought the Democrat would move swiftly to appoint strong liberal judges to balance out Republicans' longstanding push for a conservative judiciary. At the nation's 13 powerful U.S. appeals courts, that has not happened. Obama's 30 appointees have generally been moderates who mainly served on lower courts and were often selected in consultation with Republican senators. The pattern contrasts with Obama's Republican predecessors, dating back to Ronald Reagan, who quickly put forth prominent young conservatives, many of whom came from academia and had past political experience. Notably, President Obama has not...

For Washington, this is definitely not the best of times. The town is suffering from a power outage. The evidence is hard to miss, from Washington’s weeklong struggle to cope with storm damage that knocked out electricity across the region to President Obama’s inability to awaken the economy, as reflected once again in June’s pathetic jobs report. To make matters worse, Washington is out of sync with the country, at least with the noncoastal parts. The usual response is to unleash the president so he can rally America to Washington’s purposes. But the bully pulpit hasn’t been effective since Ronald...

A lawyer soon to begin a federal trial in Tampa hoped to get a certain Friday in July off from court. His request — evoking stocky, high-spirited men in silvery beards besting each other over beers — was not likely one the judge had heard before: "Undersigned counsel, a perennial contestant in the Ernest Hemingway Look-alike Contest, is scheduled to appear … at Sloppy Joe's Bar in Key West, Florida, at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, July 20, 2012," wrote St. Petersburg lawyer Frank Louderback, who sports the necessary facial hair and has thrice competed for the title. In his response,...

JON SCOTT: Now we’re joined by Tom Fitton, the president of judicial watch, the organization that obtained these documents through the freedom of information act. Is this what you were looking for, or as Wendell suggested, were you only filing the FOIA request for the photos? TOM FITTON: Well, the FOIA request for the photos is a separate piece of litigation. So we were fighting tooth and nail for that, being told by the administration we can’t get access to it because it would violate national security to release the photos because it might offend the terrorists, but meantime they’re...

Not buying the "financial disclosure" rationale presented by the legal counsel for three state Supreme Court justices, a Republican lawmaker wants the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate whether public employees and resources were used to assist them in electioneering. Rep. Scott Plakon, R-Longwood, sent a letter to Gov. Rick Scott calling for the investigation. He cited Florida Statute 106.15 which reads “A candidate may not, in the furtherance of his or her candidacy for nomination or election to public office in any election, use the services of any state, county, municipal, or district officer or employee during working...

Candidate for Senate Dan Liljenquist (left) pledged to The New American that should he be elected to the U.S. Senate he will offer legislation explicitly repealing the indefinite detention provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In a press conference held on April 24 at 2:00 p.m. (MDT), the former Utah State Senator and current GOP challenger to six-term Senator Orrin Hatch described the indefinite detention provisions of the NDAA as “an overreach and a violation of the Bill of Rights.” He said that had he been in office when Congress voted to pass the NDAA he would have...

In a Rose Garden press conference on Monday alongside the Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, President Barack Obama reminded the Supreme Court justices that they have a responsibility to show “judicial restraint” while considering the constitutionality of the president’s signature health care reform law. RELATED: Senate Democrats Warn Overturning Health Care ‘Grave For Nation,’ Good For Democratic Electoral Hopes“I think the American people understand, and I think the justices should understand that in the absence of an individual mandate, you cannot have a mechanism to insure that people with pre-existing conditions can actually get health...

December 9, 2011Summary:  Mitt Romney’s record as Governor does not indicate a commitment to a conservative judicial philosophy. His judge appointees revealed at best “no philosophical or partisan pattern� (Boston Globe), or at worst a liberal and even radical tilt. He sought out feminists and radical homosexual groups in his judicial selection process. He was inconsistent in his pronouncements on judicial activism, allowing it to occur under his watch (with “gay marriage�) while simultaneously urging others to fight it. How then could we expect him to keep his recent promises to appoint constitutional conservatives to the bench if he is...

An extraordinary lost film of the Nuremberg war crimes trial enjoyed its UK premiere this week six decades after it was first made. The newly-restored film, Nuremberg: Its Lesson for Today, was unveiled at a screening in Parliament on Wednesday. It includes footage from the trial of 21 members of the Nazi high command and extracts from Nazi films, collected by a unit under the command of Hollywood director John Ford. Attorney General Dominic Grieve, who hosted the event, said: "The Nuremberg Trial was a defining moment in the history of international justice, establishing principles which are still in use...

When Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association (NRA), spoke at CPAC on February 10th, he predicted that if Barack Obama wins a second term it will usher in an all-out attack on the Second Amendment. In so many words, he said the same people who brought us Fast and Furious, “a criminal enterprise” for which there has yet to be prosecutions, will use four more years to gut constitutional protections on the right to keep and bear arms. And anyone who wonders what this assault on the Second Amendment might look like need look no further...

Judicial Watch filed a freedom of information request for documents pertaining to the possible leak of the information relating to the killing of Osama bin Laden to a Hollywood producer in August 2011. The administration has yet to cough up the information, so Judicial Watch is suing them. The DOD admitted receiving the FOIA request on August 22, 2011, but advised Judicial Watch that “at this time, we are unable to make a release determination on your request within twenty (20) working days” of August 9, which would have been by September 6, 2011. The CIA acknowledged receiving the FOIA...

Obama’s behavior yesterday is even more disturbing than Nixon’s. Nixon at least respected the judicial branch enough to have his attorney’s show up in court and follow procedure. Nixon’s fight in the courts followed existing law. Nixon acknowledged the authority of the judicial branch even while he fought it. Obama, on the other hand, essentially said yesterday that the judicial branch has no power over him. He ordered his attorneys to stay away from the hearing. He didn’t petition a higher court in a legitimate attempt to stay the hearing. Instead he showed complete contempt for the entire judicial branch...

Outdoors advocate & defender, Judge Bob Moon, 60 Popular Hamilton County (Chattanooga, Tenn.) General Sessions Court Judge Bob Moon, known for his outdoors advocacy and strict dealings with game law violators, died Wednesday from an apparent heart attack. He was 60. In 2008, Judge Moon made national headlines when he advised a woman who had been pulled from her car and beaten in the head to "purchase a weapon, obtain a gun permit and learn to protect yourself." He will be missed. Richard Simms at Nooga.com.

Last night on Glenn Beck's GBTV.com television show, Glenn and historian David Barton discussed Judicial Tyranny where many recent Federal judges have been legislating from the bench creating a judicial tyranny. This discussion is remarkable close to the firestorm and headlines caused by Newt Gingrich's position that federal judges that cross the line when they outlaw school prayer and the mention of God at school graduations, should be brought before Congress to EXPLAIN their tyrannical judicial decisions. Remember, the constitution gives Congress the power to set up the court system. Congress in essence oversees the federal court system. In this...

West Virginia again listed as a 'judicial hellhole'State ranked No. 3 by Cheryl Caswell - Daily Mail staff Charleston Daily Mail Thursday December 15, 2011 CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The American Tort Reform Association has again placed West Virginia at the number three spot in its annual list of "judicial hellholes." The group lists Philadelphia in the top (worst) spot, and California as number two. Other states/regions that made the list are Southern Florida, Madison and St. Clair Counties in Illinois, New York City and Albany, Clark County in Nevada and McLean County in Illinois. The list is put out by...

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s idea for checking judicial activism is a textbook case of historical revisionism that is strikingly similar to the court-packing scheme of liberal icon Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Gingrich said Congress should just pass a law eliminating specific judgeships, presumably immediately ousting the activist judges currently filling those seats. Gingrich lionizes an incident now regarded as profoundly troubling by constitutional scholars. When Thomas Jefferson replaced John Adams as president in 1801, the outgoing Congress created new federal courts and judgeships which Adams promptly filled. The new Congress repealed the law and the judges were ousted. Jefferson considered...

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D., Md.), the second-ranking Democrat in the House, reacted angrily Tuesday to the suggestion by Texas Gov. Rick Perry that Congress become a part-time institution. “Is this a serious proposal he’s making for a country that has very high unemployment, who’s budget deficit is larger than it’s ever been in history, which has two wars that we’re confronting and trying to bring to a conclusion?” Mr. Hoyer said of the Republican presidential hopeful. “If this is what he thinks is pandering to the Tea Party, it is not in my opinion speaking to the issues that the...

BETTENDORF, Iowa - An early copy of Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry's government reform speech shared with the Des Moines Register shows the Texas governor is planning to propose widespread changes for the federal government, including term limits on federal judges and Supreme Court justices, a part-time Congress, and laws criminalizing insider trading. The governor first previewed the reforms in a speech Monday evening at an event by the Scott County Republican Party, where he said, "Washington doesn't need a new coat of paint, it needs a complete overhaul." Today, he will deliver the details of his plan in a...

Minister of Science and Technology Daniel Hershkowitz (Jewish Home) used uncharacteristically blunt words to condemn Likud ministers who opposed the bill that would make Supreme Court nominees subject to parliamentary hearings before confirmation. He said they were "serving the Left" by opposing the vetting process. The bill, which was initiated by MKs Yariv Levin and Ze'ev Elkin (Likud), will be debated at the Ministerial Committee for Legislation next week. It was supposed to be debated today (Sunday) but the controversy around it caused the discussion to be postponed by one week. "It is strange that ministers from the Likud are...

“Oversight of the U.S. Department of Justice” Senate Judiciary Committee Full Committee View a webcast of this hearing DATE: November 8, 2011 TIME: 10:00 AM ROOM: Dirksen 226 OFFICIAL HEARING NOTICE / WITNESS LIST: October 31, 2011 NOTICE OF COMMITTEE HEARING The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a hearing entitled “Oversight of the U.S. Department of Justice” for Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. By order of the Chairman. Witness List Hearing before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary On Tuesday, November 8, 2011 Dirksen Senate Office Building,...

American jurisprudence: Fair, reasonable, following the rule of law and delivering the best chance for justice anywhere, right? Well, how about a Texas district court case in which there are allegations a judge threatened a participant, ordered that his assets be seized, told him he was not allowed to hire defense counsel and then pronounced he had the full power of the Navy, Army and Marines to enforce his will? Those are the allegations contained in a case pending before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that – by the description of a volunteer attorney working on arguments –...

Scandal-Ridden Activist Group Lives on in the Form of “Bullet Proof Community-Organizing Frankensteins” Created Across the Country Contact Information: Press Office 202-646-5172, ext 305 Washington, DC -- September 28, 2011 Judicial Watch, the public interest organization that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released “The Rebranding of ACORN,” a special report on the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) network, following an extensive investigation of the organization’s transformation into various “spinoffs” and affiliated organizations. The ACORN-affiliated groups existing today are ACORN in all but name. These groups tend to occupy ACORN’s former offices, are staffed in many cases...

Democrats Want Senate Vote on Pro-Abortion Judicial Pick McConnell Washington, DC -- Senate Democrats want a vote soon on a pro-abortion activist President Barack Obama selected for a federal district court position in Rhode Island, Jack McConnell. http://www.lifenews.com/2011/05/03/democrats-want-senate-vote-on-pro-abortion-judicial-pick-mcconnell/

DETROIT (WXYZ) - The jury has found that a proposed protest by Quran-burning pastor Terry Jones outside the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, the largest mosque in the United States, is likely to breach the peace and incite violence. The jury has been debating since 3:30 p.m .Thursday. The main issue of the trial was whether or not Jones' main purpose was to say or do something that would incite violence.

The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS), under enormous public pressure, proposed that Provenge, a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved treatment for prostate cancer, be covered by insurance following a controversial “review.” A final decision on the issue is expected to be published 60 days after the public comment period for the proposed decision has ended. On the same day as the CMS decision, Judicial Watch released hundreds of pages of documents from the Obama Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) detailing how and why the review was instituted. And here’s one of our major finds: While the...

On April 5 Wisconsinites will be voting for assorted alderpersons, trustees and school board candidates. The marquee event however, is the hotly contested Unions vs. Gov. Scott Walker race. Oh sure, the ballot will say something about JoAnne Kloppenburg vs. David Prosser for Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, but they're just bit players in the unions' big play to get revenge on Walker for his budget repair bill. Unions are casting Justice Prosser as a Walker clone and urging Walker haters to use the high court race to punish Prosser/Walker by voting for his opponent, whoever she is. Prosser, who has...

Pelosi Logged 43 Flights Covering 90,155 Miles from January to October 2010 Received "Chocolate-Covered Strawberries" for Birthday Surprise WASHINGTON, Jan. 26, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has obtained new documents from the United States Air Force detailing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's use of United States Air Force aircraft in 2010. According to the documents, obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), Pelosi used Air Force aircraft for 43 flights from January 1 to October 1, 2010. According to documents previously uncovered by Judicial Watch, by...

According to an official estimate by the Obama Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), at least 222 companies and unions have received waivers from Obamacare so far. Yet, as this number continues to soar, HHS refuses to explain to the American people how decisions are being made regarding which organizations receive a waiver and which do not. One certainly cannot find any explanation in the Obamacare law itself. The Obama administration did not anticipate (despite repeated warnings) how much chaos would be created by the requirements of their massive healthcare overhaul. And so they have been forced to resort...

A 30 year old Youngstown man facing 13 years in prison on a plea agreement has escaped after being allowed 3 weeks at home prior to his sentence commencing. Lexter Williams and 3 others, burst into a Livingston St home on January 22, 2009, demanding money and valuables from the occupants. While the others held the men at gunpoint, Williams, who was also armed, took a female into the basement and raped her. Williams was charged with 5 counts of Aggravated Robbery, 4 counts of Kidnapping, and 1 count each of Rape and Having Weapons While Under Disability, which could...

Organizations Hand-Picked by Justice Department Reap Large Financial Rewards from Lawsuits to which They Have No Official Connection WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Obama Department of Justice (DOJ) to obtain information about a DOJ policy that directs large sums of cash settlements from DOJ Civil Rights Division discrimination lawsuits to organizations that are not officially connected to these lawsuits (Judicial Watch v U.S. Department of Justice (No. 10-1783)). According to Judicial Watch's...

The 3 Judges That Usurped Voters and Legalized Same-Sex Marriage In Iowa-OUSTED

ALG Ad Urging Patrick Leahy to Oppose Robert Chatigny for 2nd Circuit Court

Senate to Reconsider Obama's Pro-Abortion Judicial Picks Washington, DC -- The Senate Judiciary Committee will consider sixteen of President Barack Obama's judicial nominees during a hearing Thursday, including several who have been panned for advocating abortion. Some of the more controversial nominees include Goodwin Liu, Edward Chen and Louis Butler, nominated to appeals court and district court positions. http://LifeNews.com/nat6708.html

Jeff Anderson says this isn't for the faint of heart. He's intent on continuing his own quest for whatever it is he's questing for, in his office, replete with ecclesiastical furniture, and shrines to civil rights battles of the past, and it seems to be clear that he's intent upon winning another one. The ACLU member and Democratic Party supporter is not deterred by the recent collapse of the Kentucky case. There are dark and powerful forces on his side which have collaborated with those powers within the Church, to destroy the Church.

Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling striking down California's ban on same sex marriage, is a slap in the face to states' rights in this country. Every man, woman and child living in the United States should be outraged that with a single swipe of his pen, Walker has ruled that the will of over seven million voters was deemed null and void. In his 136 page opinion, Walker wrote "because Proposition 8 disadvantages gays and lesbians without any rational justification, Proposition 8 violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Rather than being different, same-sex and opposite-sex...

John Joseph Merzbacher, a notorious Baltimore child abuser accused of molesting dozens of students at the Catholic school where he taught, could soon be released from a life sentence, under a federal court order handed down Friday

PHOENIX – A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the most controversial parts of Arizona's immigration law from taking effect, delivering a last-minute victory to opponents of the crackdown. The overall law will still take effect Thursday, but without the provisions that angered opponents — including sections that required officers to check a person's immigration status while enforcing other laws. The judge also put on hold parts of the law that required immigrants to carry their papers at all times, and made it illegal for undocumented workers to solicit employment in public places. In addition, the judge blocked officers from making...

It’s hard to imagine a greater victory for the conservative legal movement than the Supreme Court’s 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller, which overturned D.C.’s ban on handguns. Not only did the Court definitively settle the long-contested question of whether the Second Amendment secures an individual right to keep and bear arms, but it did so using the language of “originalism”—the school of thought, long championed by conservatives, that says the Constitution should be read according to its original public meaning. It was therefore surprising when a leading conservative jurist, Judge J. Harvey Wilkinson III of the U.S....

The search for the people who killed an 80-year-old woman found beaten under a church pew has gone nationwide. Cross County Sheriff J.R. Smith said possibly two "people of interest" fled the area after the church pastor discovered Lillian Wilson's lifeless body Sunday. Sheriff Smith said investigators know who they're looking for and where they are from, but would not confirm details of the ongoing investigation. The Central United Methodist Church sits along Highway 64 in the small community of Hamlin, west of Wynne, Arkansas. It's where Wilson grew up and where she held her 50th wedding anniversary. The church...

TRENTON — The month-long controversy over Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to replace Supreme Court Justice John Wallace took a new turn today. Christie, who has faced a series of rebukes from critics who say the move jeopardizes the independence of the Judiciary, lost the services of a state advisory panel today after its members resigned in protest. Previous coverage: • Justice Wallace grateful for colleague support as term ends • Ousted N.J. Supreme Court Justice John Wallace thanks colleagues for support • N.J. lawyers group honors ousted state Supreme Court Justice John Wallace Jr. • N.J. attorneys voice concern over...

Judicial Watch Statement on Sestak ScandalThu May 27, 2:40 pm ET WASHINGTON, May 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton issued the following statement today regarding the federal position allegedly offered by the Obama White House to Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA). Rep. Sestak has claimed repeatedly that the Obama White House tried to persuade him to abandon his Democratic primary challenge to Senator Arlen Specter by offering a high-level position in the Obama administration. Rep. Sestak's allegations are extremely serious and yet we've heard nothing from the Obama White House so far but vague denials of wrongdoing and outright...

Many of today’s debates between statists and libertarians are argued on the grounds of efficiency. The libertarians say that when you let the government do something, you invariably get the DMV or the post office. Statists argue that a centralized public service provides better results because it can gain efficiencies of scale and because the lack of a profit incentive eliminates greed. They cite examples like NASA and the Internet to claim that government can do things that would be impossible in the private sector. I am sympathetic to the libertarian argument on this topic, but in this essay I...

A contrite Robert Chatigny apologized dozens of times to Senate Republicans at a brutal hearing Wednesday for his conduct relating to the conviction of a notorious serial killer. But his face – lips puckered, brow furrowed – may have said more than any of his answers. The questions were so painful that Chatigny’s Republican tormentors repeatedly apologized for broaching them.

Senate Confirms David Hamilton, Obama's First Pro-Abortion Judicial Pick Washington, DC -- The Senate voted today 59-39 to confirm a pro-abortion federal judge President Barack Obama appointed to become a new appeals court justice. David Hamilton, of Indiana, is the first pro-abortion judge Obama selected, but he was held up for months because of his extreme views. Story, votes and action alert at http://www.lifenews.com/nat5689.htm

Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Court Dismisses Kerchner Complaint/Petition for Lack of Standing. The Decision Will Be Appealed. The Hon. Jerome B. Simandle of the Federal District Court in the District of New Jersey at 10:39 a.m., on October 21, 2009, filed his long-awaited opinion dismissing the Kerchner et al. v. Obama et al. complaint/petition. We allege that Obama has not conclusively proven that he was born in Hawaii. We also allege that even if he was so born, he is not an Article II “natural born Citizen” because his father was a British subject/citizen when Obama was born and Obama...

He's just getting started. And if this fellow is any indication of the kind of judges we can expect to populate our federal courts, I guarantee you we will spend the next decade or more scratching our heads at the idiotic leftist decisions that will become commonplace on the federal bench. From an editorial in the Washington Times: On Oct. 1, the president nominated Louis Butler, a former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice, to the U.S. District Court of his state's Western District. While Mr. Butler's resume is in order, his appreciation of a judge's proper role seems lacking. Mr. Butler...

In the DeLano case, 06-4780-bk, Judge Sotomayor, presiding, and her colleagues on a panel of the Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit (CA2), issued a summary order to protect, not the rule of law, but rather their appointee to a bankruptcy judgeship, Bankruptcy Judge John C. Ninfo, II, WBNY. Her conduct in that case and the order are so contemptuous of the most important Constitutional guarantee that a judge, let alone a justice of the Supreme Court, must safeguard, namely, due process of law, that Judge Sotomayor withheld the order from the Committee in her three principal and supplementary responses to...

In Tennessee, a judge is legally required to be “patient, dignified and courteous” with people in court. He is also required, not unreasonably, “to respect and comply with the law”. But not all judges do. The Supreme Court of Tennessee recently disciplined Judge Durwood Moore for unlawful judicial conduct. Presiding in court one day, the judge happened to glance at Benjamin Marchant, a friend of someone who had court business. Marchant was not a witness, just a spectator. Yet after observing him, the judge ordered court officers to seize the man, get a urine sample from him and have it...

...Obama chose the most far left judicial activist available as his Supreme Court nominee—but the Obama press will make certain that this is NOT about Sotomayor’s far left judicial activism. No, according to the leftist press, Republicans will make race an issue in Sotomayor confirmation! Hatch, Cornyn and Graham are already gun shy on the matter…