The science manual for federal judges that Trump fumed about last night has been an ongoing controversy for months now. Here's what happened:

A federal judge, appointed by Trump in his first term, called out the administration yesterday for its apparent use of AI to cite "nonexistent case law" in a habeas matter

Survivor Lara Blume McGee issued the following statement after the meeting with Blanche:

NEW: DOJ statement on Blanche's meeting with Epstein survivors today

Just asked TILLIS how he thought the hearing went and if he would support Blanche. Thinks Blanche did well "but my issues are still the same,” referring to the weaponization fund. He said he was "encouraged" that Blanche said he would work with him on bill lang to end the fund

CORNYN tells reporters he is UNDECIDED on Blanche

CORNYN, who could be a swing vote, says to Blanche “there's a lot to admire” about his record Asks if weaponization fund is moot, Blanche says yes But Cornyn notes there is no written statement on this

Blanche tells Durbin he can't meet with the Epstein survivors if they have lawyers. Can someone with knowledge on this weigh in?

Tillis and Cornyn, both judiciary committee members who could make or break Blanche’s confirmation, sent Blanche this letter ahead of his hearing urging DOJ to stop the “abortion industry’s unlawful and unsafe mail-order abortion drug practice.”

Tillis and Cornyn, both judiciary committee members who could make or break Blanche’s confirmation, sent Blanche this letter ahead of his hearing urging DOJ to stop the “abortion industry’s unlawful and unsafe mail-order abortion drug practice.” www.cornyn.senate.gov/wp-content/u...

Good morning from the Senate Judiciary Committee. Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing is about to begin

Trump attorney Matthew Schwartz was just confirmed to the 2nd Circuit. The vote was along party lines

Good morning from the House Appropriations Committee hearing room. Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett are about to testify. The last time SCOTUS justices testified before the House was 2019 They will go before the Senate later today

Senate Judiciary Chair Grassley says the confirmation hearing for Todd Blanche on Wed will proceed as scheduled following committee member Graham's death When asked if his death will impact votes on Blanche, Grassley said, "Well, you can't tell anything until the hearing's over" 1/?

New: I obtained a letter from the National Press Photographers Association pushing back on the federal judiciary’s claims that allowing cameras in federal courts is a bad idea Story below 👇

DeLauro’s statement on the SCOTUS hearing next week

UPDATE: They will also appear before the Senate Appropriations Committee later on the 14th

NEW: Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan will testify before the House Appropriations Committee on July 14 on the Supreme Court's budget request

A pair of Republican House members have introduced a bill that would codify the new National Fraud Enforcement Division ⤵️

Former AG Bill Barr published a piece in WSJ urging the Senate to confirm Blanche "Trump could appoint any number of officials to carry out the attorney general’s duties on an acting basis, without confirmation. Mr. Blanche would be more effective and a better steward of [DOJ]"

DOJ’s response:

Ahead of Blanche's confirmation hearing on 7/15, Dems on the Senate Judiciary Committee have asked him to respond to dozens of their outstanding oversight inquiries

Quote from Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., on Judge Anna St. John's nomination to the 5th Circuit

Last night Trump announced two judicial nominees. One is Judge Anna St. John for the 5th Circ who was *just* confirmed to the Eastern District of Louisiana in March More on her and the other nominee, Alabama Supreme Court Justice Gregory Cook for the Northern District of Alabama, below

New: Cassidy and Booker are demanding answers from Blanche on the immunity for Trump, his family and businesses in the settlement deal They gave a July 14 deadline, which is the day before Blanche's confirmation hearing

Earlier this month, judicial noms for PA, MI and Texas said Biden won the 2020 election "as a matter of law" The PA and MI nominees were the first of the 2nd Trump term to receive blue-slips from Dem senators Here's what Fetterman, Slotkin and Peters re: hearing comments🧵

Re: Jay Clayton's nomination to be dni, Thune said, "it would be nice if we could figure out how to get that teed up and ready to go"

New: The Senate Judiciary Cmt voted out two bipartisan bills today that would allow cameras in courthouses The policymaking body for the federal judiciary repeated their opposition to them, with a new concern about AI and deepfakes Story below

Got a quick “no comment” when I tried to ask Cotton about rescheduling the hearing for Clayton

Grassley just said the following about blue-slips at the start of the Senate Judiciary biz meeting

On the agenda for tomorrow's Senate Judiciary business meeting are two bills to allow cameras in the courts: S. 1133, Sunshine in the Courtroom Act S. 1146, Cameras in the Courtroom Act

On Trump going after blue-slips, Grassley said "I don't know that there's much to talk about." But "what there is to talk about is the fact that we're not getting any cooperation from the Democrats" Said the new SDNY nom, James McDonald, and Clayton are "well-qualified."

Clayton's hearing to be DNI was postponed, in part, due to the blue-slip issue. Story below on the saga that started at 3:54 am

Tillis said Clayton “was, I think, on the brink of having a very good hearing” and thinks some Dems would support him

Statement from Warner, top Dem on the Senate Intel Committee, on the Clayton/FISA situation

A Democratic-led Senate resolution that would have blocked a U.S. Department of Justice rule directing its Board of Immigration Appeals to quickly dismiss cases that don't raise "novel" issues failed to pass Tuesday. www.law360.com/artic...

Cornyn said he just met with Blanche and “he answered my questions” and it was a “positive meeting” Said Blanche will be getting him more info on the IRS audit matter Will wait until after the hearing to make a decision on how he votes

Grassley said post-meeting with Blanche he expects his confirmation hearing to be in July

Justin Smith, one of Trump‘s personal attorneys, was confirmed to the 8th Circuit tonight.  Murkowski joined the Democrats in voting no www.law360.com/articles/248...

Just now the press was let in for a photo opp with Grassley and Blanche ahead of their meeting on Blanche’s AG nomination Blanche didn’t answer q’s on Newsom allegedly being under investigation. Grassley said “this is not a news conference”

Spotted in Chinatown

Sorry, should have said withheld a blue-slip, same gist though

Reminder that Schumer put a hold on Jay Clayton's nomination to be U.S. attorney for SDNY, so he was never confirmed to the role In August 2025, SDNY judges permitted him to stay in the role after his interim tenure was about to expire www.law360.com/articles/237...

Two Georgia House Republicans have introduced articles of impeachment for Judge Eleanor Ross of the Northern District of Georgia. How do the state's Dems feel? Reaction below.

Three district court nominees on Wednesday said President Joe Biden won the 2020 election, a departure from other judicial nominees in the second Trump administration, but court watchers on the left took issue with how they couched those statements.

Courtney previously reported that two of these nominees also cleared their respective Democratic Senators' "blue-slip" approval process: www.law360.com/articles/248...

🚨 The judicial noms for Michigan, PA and Southern District of Texas just said that Biden won the 2020 election I believe these are the first judicial noms to say so

Kennedy just spoke about how much he's going to miss Cornyn next year "If I make it to heaven, I'm going to ask God why bad things happen to good people. You're a good man, we're going to miss you."

Cornyn took aim at calls for impeachment of judges while speaking at the SJC hearing "Well, there is a remedy for a judicial decision that you don't like. It's called an appeal. It's not impeachment"

At the Senate Judiciary hearing happening now Britt read Grassley's opening statement in which he defended the blue-slip practice. He commended Fetterman, Slotkin and Peters for returning blue-slips for PA and Mich judicial noms the committee is considering today