Tag: judges

Wife of Federal Judge Who Threw a Wrench in Trump’s Agenda Has a Curious Connection to USAID: Report

The wife of a federal judge who blocked President Donald Trump’s decision to shutter government websites that promoted gender ideology founded an organization that received funds from the United States Agency for International Development, an agency that the administration is currently targeting.

U.S. District Judge John Bates issued a decision on Tuesday ordering federal health agencies to restore pages about transgenderism they had pulled after a Trump executive order about “gender ideology extremism.”

He reasoned that the websites were removed without any publicly provided rationale or opportunity for recourse, an apparent violation of the law, according to Politico.

“No backend remedy could ameliorate the inability to provide all required care during an appointment time to a patient who cannot return in the future,” Bates wrote.

The ruling came as left-wing organizations and elected officials challenged Trump administration efforts to address wasteful and fraudulent projects in government.

After the ruling, however, Shore News Network noted that Bates’ wife, Carol Rhees, started a nonprofit called Hope for Children in Ethiopia.

The organization has received funds from USAID, one of the agencies facing scrutiny under the government efficiency effort.

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Federal Judge Didn’t Even Read Final Complaint Before Enjoining Trump

New York federal Judge Paul Engelmayer’s temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration’s access to Treasury documents happened so fast it’s unlikely he carefully read the case filings. The filings from the 19 suing Democrat state attorneys generals were so voluminous, and Engelmayer’s order was entered so quickly, that it could not possibly have been the product of reasoned judicial analysis and reflection.  The stench is so bad, questions of possible corruption must be answered.

Engelmayer is the first judge ever to grant a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the president of the United States that also forbids a cabinet secretary from accessing his own records without giving these parties an opportunity to respond. He offered zero analysis of his constitutional authority to make such a radical ruling, the federal rule governing injunctions and temporary restraining orders, or why he is enabling fraud and grift by blocking access to records that show who got government money and for what.

The next court hearing scheduled in this case is Feb. 14. I wrote an earlier article focused on some of the procedural defects in the plaintiff states’ request for a TRO and Engelmayer’s order keeping Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, headed by Elon Musk, from investigating federal payments. New information shows the situation was much worse than suggested by my earlier observation that “Engelmayer’s Order was a very rushed, put-up job.”

As I wrote earlier, “After Engelmayer got the States’ Complaint and related filings on Friday night, he wasted no time in ruling on the application for a TRO. In a feat of seeming super-human efficiency and concentration, he must somehow have reviewed and diligently analyzed the 80+ pages of the Complaint and the Memorandum of Law, carefully read at least some of the 100+ court opinions, articles and other sources cited by the Plaintiffs, and concentrated on it all very carefully before entering his unprecedented Order granting the request for a TRO.”

The situation is actually worse than that. Here’s the timeline of the court filings. All these initial documents were filed by New York Special Trial Counsel Colleen Faherty.

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Judge Who Blocked Trump’s Spending Freeze Calls Him a ‘Tyrant,’ Decries Racism as a ‘White People Problem,’ and Advocates Packing His Court with ‘People of Color’ Because It’s ‘Too White’ in Resurfaced 2021 Footage

In a striking example of judicial activism, newly unearthed footage from 2021 exposes U.S. District Judge John McConnell for what he truly is—an Obama-appointed activist masquerading as a judge.

Judge McConnell, who recently blocked President Trump’s initiative to freeze federal spending and audaciously accused Trump of defying his court order, is exposed in a resurfaced video as he lambasts the Trump administration and pushes for identity-based sentencing and the creation of a race-obsessed committee within his court in his attempt to inject his progressive ideology into the legal system.

The interview was conducted in January 2021 and has been published on Helen Cooke’s YouTube channel.

In the footage, uncovered by Natalie Winters, co-host of Steve Bannon’s War Room, McConnell asserts that “racism is a white people problem” and advocates for special sentencing considerations based on gender identity and race.

McConnell: When you’re sentencing someone, you have to take a moment and realize that this middle-class, white, male, privileged person needs to understand the human being that comes before us. That may be a woman, may be Black, may be transgender, may be poor, may be rich, may be whatever—may have experiences that are not yours. And you have to walk in their shoes and understand that the law applies to them where they are. And then you have to apply the law accordingly.”

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Justice for Sale: How Corrupt Politicians Undermine the Legal System

Imagine a world where the scales of justice aren’t balanced by truth or fairness, but by money and power. A world where the rich and connected can buy their way out of trouble, while the rest of us are left to face the full weight of the law. This isn’t the plot of a dystopian novel—it’s the reality we’re living in. The legal system, the very foundation of a functioning society, is being eroded by judicial bribery, crony judges, and legal loopholes. And the ones responsible? Corrupt politicians who’ve turned justice into a commodity.

Let’s pull back the curtain and see how this works.

The Price of a Favor: Judicial Bribery

When you think of bribery, you might picture a shady backroom deal with cash stuffed into an envelope. But judicial bribery is often far more subtle—and far more damaging. It’s not just about buying a verdict; it’s about buying influence.

Politicians and wealthy elites have long understood that controlling the courts means controlling the outcome. They funnel money into campaigns for judges who will rule in their favor. They fund “impartial” judicial organizations that just so happen to push their agendas. And when that’s not enough, they find ways to pressure judges directly—through threats, promises of future positions, or even outright bribes.

The result? A justice system that’s no longer blind. Instead, it’s rigged to favor those with deep pockets and political connections.

Crony Judges: The Puppets of Power

Not all judges are corrupt, but it only takes a few bad apples to spoil the bunch. Enter the crony judges—handpicked not for their integrity or legal expertise, but for their loyalty to the politicians who put them in power.

These judges aren’t interested in upholding the law. They’re interested in protecting their patrons. They’ll dismiss cases against powerful figures, no matter how strong the evidence. Likewise, they’ll issue rulings that benefit their political allies, even if it means twisting the law beyond recognition. And they’ll do it all while wearing a robe and sitting on a bench, giving their actions an air of legitimacy.

The problem isn’t just that these judges exist—it’s that they’re often shielded from accountability. Judicial oversight is weak, and complaints about misconduct are frequently ignored. It’s a system designed to protect its own, leaving the rest of us to suffer the consequences.

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MORE LEGAL INSANITY: Obama Judge Blocks Trump Administration from Sending Venezuelan Migrants to Guantanamo Bay

Yet another judge has decided to legislate from the bench to stop President Trump from carrying out his agenda.

As Fox News reported, a federal court in New Mexico issued a temporary restraining order barring the Trump administration from shipping three Venezuelan immigrants held in the state to Guantánamo Bay as part of Trump’s efforts to rid America of illegal aliens.

The migrants’ lawyers accused the administration of racial profiling, stating in a legal filing that the men “fit the profile of those the administration has prioritized for detention in Guantánamo, i.e., Venezuelan men detained in the El Paso area with (false) charges of connections with the Tren de Aragua gang.”

The attorneys also went on to whine about “the mere uncertainty the government has created surrounding the availability of legal process and counsel access is sufficient to authorize the modest injunction.”

Attorney Jessica Vosburgh, who represents the three individuals, revealed District Court Judge Kenneth J. Gonzales granted the temporary restraining order.

Readers will not be surprised to find out that Gonzales was nominated to the bench by Barack Obama.

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US Judge Hints He May Release Prince Harry’s Immigration Files, as Embattled British Royal Is Suspected of Lying on Visa Application About Past Drug Use

While his ties to England seem to have been severed for the most part, the prodigal son of King Charles, Prince Harry, is now involved in a lawsuit aiming to release his US immigration files to the public—a move that could end up seeing him turned away from his new chosen home.

A US federal judge hinted yesterday (5) that he is ‘likely’ to order the release of Harry’s immigration documents.

These files are expected to reveal if the Duke of Sussex was lawfully issued a visa or if he could now be subject to deportation for lying to US authorities about his admitted past drug use.

US District Court Judge for the District of Columbia Carl J. Nichols decided this during a hearing for a case brought by lawyers at the Heritage Foundation.

The conservative group is suing the Department of Homeland Security to compel the release of Harry’s records.

The New York Post reported:

“’To the maximum extent possible, I’m required to make public everything that can be made public’, Nichols told both parties, adding that he had to take care any disclosures do not violate US privacy laws shielding the Duke.

‘I’m going to take this in stages’, Nichols added at the end of the hearing, indicating that he would allow the government to ‘submit proposed redactions’ in order for him to ‘analyze’ whether Harry properly attested to cocaine, cannabis and psychedelic mushrooms abuse, as detailed in his 2023 memoir ‘Spare’.”

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Robbery Suspect Freed by Weak Judge — in 30 Min He Sex Assaults 3 Women and 2 Girls: Police

One day after a trip through what NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch calls the “revolving door of our criminal justice system,” a man charged with robbery was accused of groping and grabbing five women.

Jason Ayala, 31, was charged with two counts of robbery after allegedly attacking a 61-year-old man and a 51-year-old man on Jan. 12 and then stealing a cell phone from one of them, the New York Post reported on Saturday.

Although the second-degree robbery charges are among those where bail can be set, Judge Robert Rosenthal, appointed by former Mayor Bill de Blasio, put Ayala on the street.

But as the Post told the tale, Ayala was free to do as he pleased, which led him to a public housing project where he began a 30-minute spree that started with him allegedly grabbing the buttocks of a 14-year-old girl in the lobby of the building.

After a walk to a different project, Ayala was accused of grabbing the buttocks of a 35-year-old woman.

Fifteen minutes after the first offense, he had returned to the first housing project. A 49-year-old woman was slapped on the buttocks, with Ayala being accused of the deed.

Five minutes later, Ayala was accused of touching the crotch of a 12-year-old girl and her 32-year-old mother as they rode an elevator.

The mom of the 14-year-old called police, who hauled off Ayala.

“The next day, the day after he was arraigned on the earlier robbery arrest, he victimized five additional females in Manhattan,” Tisch said.

“All of the arrests were for forcibly touching intimate parts and endangerment. He shouldn’t have been out on our streets the next day doing that,” she added.

Earlier this month, Tisch said in a statement that “we must stop the revolving door of our criminal justice system that has allowed too many violent and repeat criminals back onto our streets.”

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Judge Merchan tries to defend himself after Trump sentencing — but he and Bragg are responsible for this monster

On Friday, the sentencing of President-elect Donald Trump saw one of the most impassioned defense arguments given at such a hearing in years … from the judge himself.

Acting Justice Juan Merchan admitted that the case was “unique and remarkable” but insisted that “once the courtroom doors were closed, the trial itself was no more special, unique, and extraordinary than the other 32 cases in this courthouse.”

If so, that is a damning indictment of the entire New York court system. Merchan allowed a dead misdemeanor to be resuscitated by allowing Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to effectively prosecute declined federal offenses.

He allowed a jury to convict Trump without any agreement, let alone unanimity, on what actually occurred in the case.

Merchan ruled that the jury did not have to agree on why Trump committed an alleged offense in describing settlement costs as legal costs.

Neither the defendant nor the public will ever know what the jury ultimately found in its verdict.

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Georgia Judge Who Took His Own Life Sent a Cryptic Message to Governor Brian Kemp Before Dying

A new development of sorts has emerged regarding the incident where a Georgia judge shocked the nation after killing himself inside his own courtroom.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, 74-year-old Stephen Yekel was found dead inside Effingham County Court back in late December. He had recently lost a re-election bid, and speculation has swirled about whether this has played a role in the tragedy.

Now, The Daily Mail has revealed that Yekel sent Governor Brian Kemp a message shortly before he killed himself which will raise a few eyebrows given how cryptic and chilling it is.

According to the outlet, the message reads as follows: “Now they will have to appoint someone.”

It’s unclear what the total meaning behind this message was, but Georgia Virtue journalist Jessica Szilagyi, who first obtained the message, speculates that it referenced Yekel’s attempt to overthrow his election loss supposedly.

Yekel’s legal assistant, Charlene Kessler, accused Szilagyi of hacking the court’s emails to obtain the message. The journalist, however, maintains she used legal methods to obtain the message.

It’s not clear at this point who is telling the truth.

Yekel was appointed to the bench by Kemp in June 2022 after serving as a lawyer for more than 45 years. WSAX notes he worked as a special agent for Georgia’s Alcohol & Tobacco Tax Unit and was an investigator at the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office.

The judge previously tried to quit his position before killing himself, but Kemp refused to accept his resignation.

In addition to his loss last November, Yekel suffered personal challenges, including the loss of his best friend and dealing with a wrongful termination lawsuit.

Yekel and his ex-wife Lisa also had financial problems due to a failed daycare business. They divorced last year.

“He did everything he could to avoid bankruptcy,” Lisa Yekel said. “Unfortunately, I had used his life savings to keep the daycare open.”

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Federal Judge Violates Judicial Code While Lecturing Justice Alito on Ethics in New York Times Essay, Forced to Issue Apology for Misconduct

Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Ponsor of Massachusetts openly criticized Justice Samuel Alito’s ethics in a New York Times guest essay, violating the sacred trust of impartiality expected from the judiciary.

The conservative advocacy group, the Article III Project, filed a formal complaint against Ponsor, leading to a misconduct finding and a public apology from the senior judge.

The complaint, filed in May 2024, stemmed from an op-ed authored by Judge Ponsor and published in The New York Times.

The article discusses the controversy surrounding Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s display of an upside-down American flag and an “Appeal to Heaven” flag at his properties, which some media outlets tied to Trump supporters during the events of January 6, 2021. Ponsor declared the flags as symbols of partisanship and questioned Alito’s ethical judgment.

Despite lacking direct evidence of ethical violations or pending cases involving the flags, Ponsor’s essay implied that Alito’s actions warranted recusal from cases related to January 6, casting doubt on the Supreme Court justice’s impartiality.

“To me, the flag issue is much simpler. The fact is that, regardless of its legality, displaying the flag in that way, at that time, shouldn’t have happened. To put it bluntly, any judge with reasonable ethical instincts would have realized immediately that flying the flag then and in that way was improper. And dumb,” Ponsor wrote in the essay.

“The same goes for the flying of an “Appeal to Heaven” flag at Justice Alito’s vacation house along the New Jersey shore. Like the upside-down flag, this flag is viewed by a great many people as a banner of allegiance on partisan issues that are or could be before the court.”

Chief Judge Albert Diaz of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued a scathing rebuke of Ponsor’s actions.

“The essay expressed personal opinions on controversial public issues and criticized the ethics of a sitting Supreme Court justice. Such comments diminish the public confidence in the integrity and independence of the federal judiciary in violation of Canons 1 and 2A.” said Diaz in the filed reply.

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