“In Chief Justice’s Annual Report, a History Lesson and Embrace of Independence; Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. did not directly address the tensions between the Trump administration and federal judges who have blocked the president’s agenda”: Ann E. Marimow of The New York Times has this report.
Justin Jouvenal of The Washington Post reports that “Chief justice says rule of law is strong at time of rising concerns; The chief justice quoted President Calvin Coolidge, saying that the Constitution and Declaration of Independence ‘remain firm and unshaken’ in his annual report on the judiciary.”
James Romoser of The Wall Street Journal reports that “Under Fire for Trump Rulings, Chief Justice Says Courts Still Check Political Power; In year-end report, John Roberts expounds on judicial independence as the court faces criticism for being deferential to Trump.”
You can access Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.’s 2025 Year End Report on the Federal Judiciary at this link.
“Appeals Court Orders End to Trump’s Command of California National Guard; The ruling is a win for Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has vigorously opposed President Trump’s moves to control California’s National Guard since the summer”: Laurel Rosenhall of The New York Times has this report.
“Trump Abandons Efforts to Deploy National Guard to 3 Major Cities; The troops had an almost nonexistent presence in two of the cities, Portland and Chicago, because of court fights to their deployment”: Tyler Pager of The New York Times has this report.
“Finding Trump v. Illinois on the SCOTUS Webpage: What is the Status of a Major (But Hidden) Ruling?” Richard M Re has this post at the “Divided Argument” Substack site.
“In praise of puzzle-solving: Trump v. Illinois as a victory for textualism.” Adam Unikowsky has this post at his “Adam’s Legal Newsletter” Substack site.
“Donald Trump’s Golden Age of Awful; A damage assessment of the President’s first year back in the White House”: Susan B. Glasser has this essay online at The New Yorker.
“DC Circuit Rejects Newman’s En Banc Petition in Suspension Case”: James Arkin of Bloomberg Law has this report (subscription required for full access).
“Federal appeals court judge is accused of bullying her clerks”: Carrie Johnson of NPR has this report.
Today, the Legal Accountability Project issued a news release titled “The Legal Accountability Project Files Judicial Misconduct Complaint Against Second Circuit Judge Sarah Merriam.”
Update: In other coverage, Nate Raymond of Reuters reports that “Advocacy group accuses US appeals court judge of mistreating law clerks.”
“Personal, Political Tensions Among US Judges Go Public in 2025”: Jacqueline Thomsen of Bloomberg Law has this report.
“AI-Faked Cases Become Core Issue Irritating Overworked Judges”: Evan Ochsner of Bloomberg Law has this report.
“Trans Students’ Rights Suits Will Test Split Circuits in 2026”: Mallory Culhane of Bloomberg Law has this report.
“Federal Judges Scold DOJ Lawyers Over Courtroom Conduct in 2025”: Suzanne Monyak of Bloomberg Law has this report.
“Florida Justice Hunt Weighs ‘Bloodthirsty’ Originalist Options”: Alex Ebert and Alex Clearfield of Bloomberg Law have this report.
“California has sued Trump 52 times this year. Here’s what those suits have accomplished.” Bob Egelko of The San Francisco Chronicle has this report.
“Samuel Alito keeps getting his way. So why does he seem so unhappy?” Joan Biskupic of CNN has this news analysis.
“Revealing Other Justices’ Votes in Trump v. Illinois: When and How Should We Know Each Justice’s Vote?” Richard M Re has this post at the “Divided Argument” Substack site.
“The Surprising Trend That Hampered Trump’s Ability To Confirm Judges In 2025; The president got a decent number of his nominees confirmed to lifetime federal judgeships; But some sitting judges seem reluctant to let Trump replace them”: Jennifer Bendery of HuffPost has this report.
“199. Four Takeaways From the National Guard Ruling: A deep dive into last Tuesday’s ruling in which a 6-3 majority of the Court stopped the Trump administration from deploying federalized National Guard troops into and around Chicago.” Steve Vladeck has this post at his “One First” Substack site.
“What We Got Wrong About SCOTUS in 2025: Hopes of moderation evaporated as the Supreme Court’s MAGA majority laser-focused on one thing in 2025; It’s only going to become more obsessed in 2026.” You can access the new episode of Slate’s “Amicus” podcast via this link.
“The Supreme Court’s Temporary Rulings Are Having Long-Term Effects; Emergency appeals were a big boost for Trump and defined the court’s work in 2025”: James Romoser of The Wall Street Journal has this report.
“He Was a Supreme Court Lawyer. Then His Double Life Caught Up With Him. Thomas Goldstein was a superstar in the legal world. He was also a secret high-stakes gambler, whose wild 10-year run may now land him in prison.” Jeffrey Toobin has this article online at The New York Times Magazine.
“Bishop Barron Presents | Justice Amy Coney Barrett — Serving on the Supreme Court”: Bishop Robert Barron has posted this video on YouTube.
“Trump suffers several defeats in effort to punish opposing lawyers; The president’s latest loss came this week, when a federal judge in Washington temporarily blocked Trump’s efforts to strip a security clearance from a lawyer involved in his first impeachment”: Julian Mark of The Washington Post has this report.
“Race, the Fourth Amendment, and Immigration in Trump v. Illinois: What to make of Justice Kavanaugh’s seemingly inconsistent statements in separate concurrences.” Dan Epps has this post at the “Divided Argument” Substack site.
“The Inexorable Command of Party Presentation? Exploring the Threshold Question in Trump v. Illinois.” Samuel Bray has this post at the “Divided Argument” Substack site.
“How a Scholar Nudged the Supreme Court Toward Its Troop Deployment Ruling; Accepting an argument from a law professor that no party to the case had made, the Supreme Court handed the Trump administration a stinging loss that could lead to more aggressive tactics”: Adam Liptak of The New York Times has this report.
“Emergency Docket Tops Year’s Highlights at Supreme Court”: Justin Wise and Jordan Fischer of Bloomberg Law have this report.
“How Birthright Citizenship Sort of Saved Christmas”: Justin Fox has this essay online at Bloomberg Opinion.
“Judges who ruled against Trump say harassment and threats have changed their lives; More than 100 pizzas were delivered to the homes of judges and their families this year, some with signs of foreign involvement; Judges say the message is clear: We know where you live.” Lawrence Hurley of NBC News has this report.
“Thoughts on the Interim Order in Trump v. Illinois; The administration loses but still has options for domestic military deployment”: Jack Goldsmith has this post at the “Executive Functions” Substack site.
“Supreme Court Rejects Trump Bid to Use National Guard in Chicago”: Greg Stohr of Bloomberg News has this report.
You can access today’s order of the U.S. Supreme Court at this link.
Update: In other news coverage, Ann E. Marimow of The New York Times reports that “Supreme Court Refuses to Allow Trump to Deploy National Guard in Chicago; President Trump ordered state-based troops to Portland, Ore.; Los Angeles; Washington; and Chicago over the objections of state and local officials.”
Mark Berman of The Washington Post reports that “Supreme Court hands Trump a major defeat on National Guard deployment; Court says Trump cannot proceed with using the Guard in the Chicago area; Three conservative justices dissent.”
David G. Savage of The Los Angeles Times reports that “Supreme Court rules against Trump, bars National Guard deployment in Chicago.”
James Romoser of The Wall Street Journal reports that “Supreme Court Blocks National Guard Deployment to Chicago Area; Order deals a blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to send troops to Democratic-run cities.”
Maureen Groppe of USA Today reports that “Supreme Court won’t let Trump deploy National Guard in Chicago; The decision was the first time the Supreme Court has weighed in on Trump’s efforts to use the military to enforce immigration laws in Democratic-led cities.”
Stephen Dinan of The Washington Times reports that “Supreme Court rules against Trump on deploying troops to Chicago.”
Mark Sherman of The Associated Press reports that “Supreme Court keeps Trump’s National Guard deployment blocked in the Chicago area, for now.”
Andrew Chung of Reuters reports that “US Supreme Court rejects Trump’s military deployment in Chicago area, for now.”
John Fritze of CNN reports that “Supreme Court blocks Trump from deploying the National Guard to Chicago.”
And Josh Gerstein of Politico reports that “Supreme Court blocks Trump effort to deploy National Guard troops to Illinois; The 6-3 ruling comes more than two months after the Trump admin asked the justices to weigh in on the move.”
“A Conspicuous Gap May Undermine Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Plan; A historical review shows lawmakers without certain familial records went unchallenged as citizens when the 14th Amendment was adopted; The finding appeared to undercut the president’s claims on birthright citizenship”: Adam Liptak has this new installment of his “Sidebar” column online at The New York Times.
“Judicial Notice (12.21.25): Taking The Heat; Yale Law’s new dean, a judge’s felony conviction, the biggest Biglaw merger, and Sidley’s latest exciting hire.” David Lat has this post at his “Original Jurisdiction” Substack site.
“How Charlie Javice’s Legal Fees Hit $74 Million: Gummy Bears and Star Lawyers; A list of legal expenses from her lawyers included $530 in gummy bears, a seafood tower and thousands of dollars on hotel upgrades, new court documents reveal.” Alexander Saeedy of The Wall Street Journal has this report.
“Judge orders Trump admin to offer relief to men deported under Alien Enemies Act; But the judge, James Boasberg, stopped short of ordering the Trump administration to facilitate the immediate return of the men to the U.S.” Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein of Politico have this report.
And David Voreacos of Bloomberg News reports that “US Must Arrange Return of Deported Venezuelans, Judge Rules.”
You can access today’s decision of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia at this link.
