Hillary Clinton today agreed with MSNBC host Joe Scarborough that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sending 50 undocumented migrants to Martha’s Vineyard is “literally human trafficking.” There are good-faith reasons to oppose the transportation to migrants to the island, but, as a legal matter, this is legally nonsense. Continue reading “No, Transporting Undocumented Migrants to Martha’s Vineyard is Not “Literally Human Trafficking””
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), in partnership with College Pulse, has released the third annual College Free Speech Rankings, ranking the speech climates of 203 of America’s largest campuses. I am happy to report that my alma mater, the University of Chicago, took the top position in protecting free speech. At the bottom of the list is Columbia university. George Washington University does not fair well. It is 171 out of 203 near the bottom of the ranking. Continue reading “UChicago Ranked as Top Free Speech School While Columbia, Georgetown, Penn Rank at the Very Bottom”
Today I have the honor of speaking to the judges and lawyers in the 2022 Ohio Judicial conference on the Supreme Court in Columbus, Ohio. I will be discussing the last year of cases and controversies for the Court from leaks to threats as well as the recent and upcoming decisions.
Continue reading “Turley Speaks to the 2022 Ohio Judicial Conference”
Yesterday, a filing by Special Counsel John Durham revealed that Igor Danchenko, who worked as a key contributor to the discredited Steele dossier funded by the Clinton campaign, was later put on the FBI payroll as an informant. The disclosure rocked Washington and raised additional questions of the FBI’s eagerness to pursue any allegations against Donald Trump despite being warned that the dossier appeared to be a vehicle for Russian disinformation.
With the passing of Kenneth Starr this week, the legal profession lost one of its most enduring and impactful figures of the last century. As someone who was able to work with Starr in litigation, I can honestly say that Starr was one of the best lawyers that I have seen in court. He not only had a brilliant legal mind but brought a sense of extraordinary clarity and precision to the law. It was that penetrating intellect that repeatedly led to his being called upon to handle some of this nation’s most intractable and controversial matters. He was often repaid with partisan hostility by the media and Congress. However, he never stooped to the level of his critics. He remained one of the most modest, respectful, and kind individuals that I have ever known. Continue reading “A Farewell to Kenneth Starr, a Great Lawyer and a Decent Man”
A Texas woman, Tiffani Gish, has been arrested after leaving an unhinged diatribe message for U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon (left) that threatened to kill the judge if she continued to order an independent review of seized material from Mar-a-Lago. According to the federal complaint, Gish used the fake name of Evelyn Salt to tell Cannon “stand the f**k down or get shot.” Gish appears unstable but she is precisely the reason why the use of “rage politics” is so dangerous on both sides in this election.[Warning: this story contains vulgar or offensive language]. Continue reading ““Stand the F**k Down or Get Shot”: Texas Woman Arrested for Threatening the Life of Judge Cannon over Mar-a-Lago Order”
Below is my column in the Hill on how history appears to be repeating itself in the rise of rage politics by the two major parties. Both President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump have made headlines in labeling each other as enemies of the state. We have seen this before…
Here is the column:
As a lifelong backpacker and hiker, I often use speeches to explore state and federal parks in different states. This weekend was a particular delight. I was able to take a day after speaking at the Tenth Circuit judicial conference in Colorado Springs to explore some of the trails in the North and South Cheyenne forest and the spectacular Seven Falls areas. Colorado is paradise for hikers and Colorado Springs has endless choices within an hour or so drive. It was raining but the effect was spellbinding as I hiked among the clouds at around 7500 feet in elevation. I wanted to share some of the photos. Continue reading “Hiking in the Clouds of Colorado Springs”
On Meet the Press, Vice President Kamala Harris denounced the conservatives on the Supreme Court as “activists” due to their decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. She objected that the decision ignored decades of precedent and “we are suffering as a nation because of it.” The common attack on the integrity of the justices is beneath the office of the Vice President and only legitimates the unfair attacks on these justices who are fulfilling their oath to uphold what they believe are the dictates of the Constitution (as did their colleagues in dissent in Dobbs).
Continue reading “Vice President Kamala Harris Slams “Activist” Supreme Court”
Glenn Kessler at the Washington Post looked at the claim of Hillary Clinton on Twitter this week that “the fact is that I had zero emails that were classified.” The Post declared Clinton “technically correct” in the claim, which left out that she was substantively wrong. While the Post elects not to award any “Pinocchios,” Clinton’s statement is clearly false and even the Post appears to recognize that fact at the very end of its analysis. Indeed, “technical” truth is wonderfully Clintonesque — captured in Bill’s infamous defense during the Monica Lewinsky investigation that “it depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.” The email scandal now depends on what the meaning of “were” was. Hillary Clinton is focusing on whether the emails were marked classified as opposed to whether they contained classified information.
Below is a longer version of my New York Post column on the recent claim of Hillary Clinton that she has been the subject to a long-standing and unfair “Clinton standard” while denying that there was any classified information found on her private server. In a signature move, Clinton is focusing on the actual classification of emails as opposed to the use of the unsecured server for communications with aides that revealed classified information — the reason why such unsecured servers are dangers to national security.
Here is the column:
I have the honor of speaking today at the Tenth Circuit judicial conference in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I will be part of a panel discussing the Supreme Court’s recent religious freedom cases and related First Amendment issues. The highlight of the conference will be separate events with Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch.
Continue reading “Turley Speaks at Tenth Circuit Judicial Conference”
Many of us (including some Democrats) have criticized President Joe Biden for his inflammatory speech in Philadelphia that cast Republicans as “threats to the foundations of our republic.” I also objected to the use of Marines at the political speech like nutcracker props flanking the President as he accused millions of their fellow Americans of being enemies of the state. Now, a Trafalgar poll shows that a majority of Americans believe that Biden tried to “incite conflict” with his speech.
When U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon issued an order for the appointment of a special master, she instantly became the latest jurist targeted by a furious mob of media and pundits. Rather than simply disagree with her order, these critics attacked Cannon personally and ethically, including lawyers and law professors. It is a familiar pattern but the fury shown in the last two days is chilling for our federal judges who have seen increasing attacks, including an alleged attempted assassination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Nevertheless, legal and media figures seemed to rush to outdo each other in the most extreme statements about a judge with a distinguished background.