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Ex-judges blast top Trump DOJ official for declaring ‘war’ on courts
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A group of former federal judges sharply criticized a top Justice Department official this week for characterizing the court fights playing out in President Donald Trump’s second term as a «war» against so-called «activist judges» — remarks they described as unnecessarily inflammatory, and amounting to «pouring oil» on an already fast-burning fire.
Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, spoke colorfully last week during a fireside chat hosted by the Federalist Society. Blanche used his time to excoriate federal judges for pausing or blocking some of Trump’s biggest executive orders and actions since January, and to urge young lawyers and law students in the audience to fight back. «It is a war,» Blanche said, «and it is something we will not win unless we keep on fighting.»
The judges «have a robe on, but they are more political, or as political, as the most liberal governor or D.A.,» Blanche added.
His remarks prompted rebuke from the New York State Bar Association and from the Article III Coalition — a group of 50 former federal judges appointed by Democratic and Republican presidents.
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Todd Blanche, nominee for U.S. deputy attorney general, testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C., on February 12. (Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
This type of rhetoric, «especially when voiced by high-ranking officials — not only endangers individual judges and court staff, but also undermines the public’s trust in the judiciary as an impartial and co-equal branch of government,» the judges said in a letter.
In a series of interviews this week, several former judges told Fox News Digital they were shocked by Blanche’s remarks, which they described as a departure from longstanding Justice Department norms and a threat to the judiciary both as an institution and to the individual judges who serve on the bench.
One judge said Blanche’s remarks were «wildly different from all prior decades, and under all prior administrations» he experienced in his more than 60-year career in D.C.
«I’ve been in Washington since 1974, continuously, and I’ve never seen anything like it,» Paul R. Michel, the former chief judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, told Fox News Digital in an interview.
Michel formerly served as a special prosecutor in the Watergate investigation, a role in which he personally interviewed former President Nixon. «It’s just startling for the deputy attorney general to be functioning as a PR ‘hatchet man’ instead of a law enforcement official,» he said of Blanche’s remarks.
Michel and others in the group of retired judges told Fox News Digital that they fear the rhetoric used could further erode public trust in the judiciary — a branch that the framers designed to interpret the law impartially and to serve as a check against excesses of the other branches, regardless of politics or the administration in charge.
They noted that while parties often disagree with a decision, or a near-term temporary order or motion, both the Justice Department and the opposing parties have a readily available mechanism to seek relief via the appeals process.
FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP’S BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP BAN FOR ALL INFANTS, TESTING LOWER COURT POWERS
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks as U.S. President Donald Trump looks on during a press conference in the Oval Office on Oct. 15, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Parties looking to challenge a temporary order or other form of injunctive relief can proceed with having the district court evaluate the case on its merits, or kick it to the U.S. Court of Appeals — and, in some cases, the Supreme Court, for review, Philip Pro, a former U.S. District Judge in Nevada appointed by President Ronald Reagan, told Fox News Digital.
Federal judges have attempted to issue near-term or emergency orders temporarily blocking some of Trump’s biggest policy priorities, including on immigration enforcement, birthright citizenship and sweeping layoffs across the federal government. The administration has responded to the lower court actions by seeking emergency relief from the higher courts, via emergency stays — which Blanche also touted during his remarks last week.
Judges are «totally reactive» by design, Pro said. «We’re sitting in our districts. The cases are randomly assigned.»
«There is nothing ‘rogue’ about these decisions,» Pro added. «Those wheels grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly well, and that’s the way you get resolution.»
Josh Blackman, a professor at the South Texas College of Law who attended the fireside remarks, told Fox News Digital in an interview that he is sympathetic to the concerns voiced by the judges, but he also understands the broader issue Blanche may have been trying to get at — which is, the power the courts have to review the actions of the executive branch.
This has emerged as a particular pain point not only for Trump but for his predecessors as well, each of whom has sought to enact some of their policy priorities via executive order in a bid to sidestep a clunky and slow-moving Congress.
Those actions are therefore more vulnerable to emergency intervention from the federal courts, Blackman said — though the degree to which judges can or should act in this space is the subject of ongoing debate.
«I don’t see Blanche’s comments as calling for violence,» Blackman said. «I think it’s more trying to say that there’s just this struggle between the executive branch and the judiciary that is not normal,» he said.
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The Supreme Court building is seen at dusk. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Trump is far from the first president to publicly complain about «activist» judges for hampering his policies — such criticisms stretch back decades and include former presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Richard Nixon, among others.
Still, the judges say they are concerned by Blanche’s remarks, which are a stark departure from what they experienced in their own careers, including while serving as federal prosecutors.
«Calling judges ‘rogue’ because they apply the law in a politically unfavorable way is a fundamental misunderstanding of the role of the judiciary in our constitutional structure,» Allyson K. Duncan, a former judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, said in a statement.
Michel, the former special prosecutor for the Watergate investigation, noted he worked for two successive deputy attorneys general, in the «exact post Blanche now holds» — but who gave much different marching orders, he recalled.
«Their instructions to me were, ‘Politics are outside the boundaries for Justice Department employees,’ and politics are ‘not to have any influence,’» he said. «We were not to pay any attention to what somebody in the White House might say, or in the media, or elsewhere — we were to be a ‘politics-free zone.’»
«That seemed to me to be entirely appropriate,» Michel said. «The power to investigate, the power to indict, and the power to indict and the power to prosecute and convict are awesome, awesome powers,» he added.
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The group also cited concerns for their colleagues who remain on the bench at a time when public threats to judges have increased, according to data from U.S. Marshals. This includes online harassment, threats of physical violence, and «doxxing» judges at their home addresses by sending them unsolicited pizzas. Some deliveries have been made in the name of a judge’s son, who was shot and killed in 2020 after opening the door to a disgruntled individual disguised as a delivery person.
The number of threats made against federal judges in 2025 has outpaced threats from the past 12-month period, according to the U.S. Marshals Service, prompting a push for Congress to take action.
«Deputy Attorney General Blanche’s remarks reflect a reality the Department of Justice confronts every day: a growing number of activist judges attempting to set national policy from the bench,» a spokesperson for the Justice Department told Fox News Digital on Friday in response to a request for comment.
«The department will continue to follow the Constitution, defend its lawful authorities, and push back when activist rulings threaten public safety or undermine the will of the American people.»
federal judges,donald trump,supreme court,federal courts,politics,judiciary
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Insólito: un esquiador británico terminó la Copa del Mundo de Oslo bajo los efectos del alcohol
Gabriel Gledhill, esquiador británico de 23 años, cruzó la meta en la Copa del Mundo de Oslo tras aceptar bebidas alcohólicas del público durante toda la prueba. En los cincuenta kilómetros estilo libre de esquí de fondo, terminó en el puesto 67 y el deportista reconoció que bebió entre diez y doce cervezas antes de llegar a la meta. El incidente cobró notoriedad viral y desató un debate sobre los límites del espectáculo en el ámbito profesional.
El atleta, nacido en Inglaterra y residente en Noruega desde hace cinco años, explicó el contexto de su accionar a la agencia noruega de noticias NTB. Durante la competencia, aceptó todas las bebidas que recibió, consciente de que podría tratarse de la última vez que participaba en el circuito noruego de esquí de fondo por razones vinculadas a su situación migratoria. El atleta admitió: “Me ofrecieron mucha cerveza y alcohol durante el recorrido, por lo que terminé bastante borracho, pero fue muy divertido”. Además, reveló que también aceptó snus —un tipo de tabaco húmedo sueco— y hasta enjuague bucal, lo que le provocó vómitos durante buena parte del recorrido.
La permanencia del esquiador en Noruega se encuentra en riesgo, ya que las autoridades locales rechazaron su solicitud de residencia permanente por motivos económicos. El deportista enfrenta la posibilidad de abandonar el país antes del 28 de marzo, fecha en la que vencerá su permiso actual. Según sus propias palabras: “Significaría el fin de mi carrera. Mi entorno de entrenamiento se encuentra íntegramente en Lillehammer. Si tengo que irme del país ahora, tendría que abandonar el esquí de fondo y retirarme de este deporte”, declaró a NTB.
El comportamiento del atleta provocó duras críticas entre colegas y seguidores del deporte. Durante la carrera, el esquiador fue adelantado por competidoras de la rama femenina, algo poco frecuente en la competencia masculina debido a las diferencias de desarrollo y ritmo entre los circuitos masculinos y femeninos, lo que intensificó las dudas sobre su desempeño y actitud.
El portal deportivo español MARCA recogió la opinión de Petter Soleng Skinstad, exesquiador y comentarista de televisión: “A Gledhill le encanta ser el centro de atención en las redes sociales y la televisión. Pero hay un límite para lo que resulta entretenido. Creo que ese límite se ha alcanzado”.
Por su parte, el británico defendió que su comportamiento no perjudicó a los demás ni alteró el desarrollo de la jornada. Destacó que para él la carrera representó un momento especial vinculado a una posible despedida y “podría ser mi última carrera aquí, así que tuve que aceptar todas las ofertas de cerveza y alcohol que hicieron”, sentenció ante NTB.
La jornada no estuvo exenta de polémica entre seguidores y responsables del circuito internacional: la controversia alcanzó a entrenadores y dirigentes deportivos, quienes insistieron en la necesidad de preservar la integridad y el respeto en el esquí de fondo profesional.
La red social Instagram, a través de la cuenta oficial de la Copa del Mundo de Esquí de Fondo, publicó un video del atleta británico con una cerveza en la mano. En el mensaje, se optó por destacar su humor y la visibilidad que aportó al circuito internacional: “Hoy también fueron los últimos 50 km para un chico que se ha convertido en alguien reconocido en el esquí de fondo. Gracias por destacar esta actitud, Gabriel, y por traer tu humor, aura y visibilidad al esquí de fondo”.
Según MARCA, el incidente llevó al británico a convertirse en un personaje mediático dentro de la disciplina, tanto por su desempeño como por el episodio protagonizado en Oslo, lo que reavivó el debate sobre la profesionalidad y los límites del espectáculo en la alta competencia.
La conducta de Gledhill abrió interrogantes sobre posibles sanciones o futuras regulaciones relativas al consumo de alcohol en las pruebas de esquí de fondo. Hasta ahora, no se han anunciado medidas específicas.
El deportista, mientras tanto, enfrenta un futuro incierto ante la posibilidad de dejar Noruega en los próximos días. Agradeció el apoyo recibido y manifestó su intención de continuar en el esquí de fondo, ya sea en Noruega o en otro país, si no logra revertir su situación migratoria.
deportes de invierno,Juegos Olímpicos,Milano Cortina 2026,esquí,atleta,celebración,nieve,competencia,pista,aficionados
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Google Gemini declares only GOP senators violate hate speech policy, zero Democrats, author claims
Google admits role in Biden censorship push
Rep. John Cornyn, R-Texas, joins ‘The Faulkner Focus’ to react after Google acknowledged pressure from the Biden administration to censor accounts over political views, and weighs in on anti-ICE rhetoric following a violent attack in Dallas.
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EXCLUSIVE: Google’s AI chatbot Gemini flagged several Republicans — but no Democrats — when asked to identify senators who have made statements that violate its hate speech policies, author Wynton Hall told Fox News Digital. It’s just one example of what the author believes is a deeply ingrained bias against conservatives found in artificial intelligence tools.
Hall used the «deep research» function on Google’s Gemini Pro. Fox News Digital reviewed a screen recording of Hall’s prompt and findings. Google did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
One of the Republicans flagged by Gemini in Hall’s research, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, of Tennessee, was listed for characterizing «transgender identity as a harmful cultural ‘influence’ and has used ‘woke’ as a derogatory slur against protected groups.» Another, Arkansas’ Sen. Tom Cotton, was cited for cosponsoring legislation «to exclude transgender students from sports.»
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Hall argues that artificial intelligence is biased in his new book «Code Red: The Left, The Right, China and the Race to Control AI.» (Wei Leng Tay/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
The finding stood out against a backdrop of inflammatory rhetoric from some Democrats in recent years.
In 2023, Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., warned that then-candidate Donald Trump was «destructive to our democracy» and needed to be «eliminated.» However, he quickly apologized for his comments, claiming that it was a «poor choice of words.»
Last year, Texas Democratic House candidate Rep. Jolanda Jones made a throat-slashing gesture while rejecting former first lady Michelle Obama’s famous mantra, «when they go low, we go high,» on CNN’s «Outfront.»
«If you hit me in my face, I’m not going to punch you back in your face. I’m going to go across your neck,» Jones said while making a slashing motion across her neck. «We can go back-and-forth, fighting each other’s faces. You’ve got to hit hard enough where they won’t come back,» she added.
But for Hall, Gemini’s seemingly partisan answer underscored the central argument of his new book, «Code Red: The Left, The Right, China and the Race to Control AI.» In it, he argues that AI systems marketed as neutral are increasingly shaped by the ideological assumptions of the people and institutions who create them, which are far from neutral.
His book starts out with a clear example.
Less than 10 weeks before the 2024 election, a series of viral videos appeared to expose a strange double standard in American homes. When users asked Amazon’s Alexa why they should vote for Kamala Harris, the device delivered a polished endorsement. When asked why they should vote for Donald Trump, Alexa declined, citing a policy of neutrality.
«I cannot provide content that promotes a specific political party or a specific candidate,» Alexa said.
Hall says the concern extends beyond a single Gemini output.
«AI’s Silicon Valley architects lean left politically, and their lopsided political donations to Democrats underscore their ideological aims,» Hall told Fox News Digital.
To Hall, episodes like this show how AI can shape political perceptions while maintaining the appearance of objectivity. «Through algorithm throttling and shadow bans, Big Tech centralized control over which voices soar and sink across social networks. Now AI has put Big Tech’s consolidating control on steroids,» he writes.
WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?
Hall alleges Google Gemini flagged Republican senators’ rhetoric as hate speech while identifying no Democratic violations, raising questions about AI bias. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He argues that this imbalance reflects the politics of the people building the systems. The billionaires driving the AI revolution, he says, invest their money and political energy where their values lie. As PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel once put it, «Silicon Valley is a one-party state.»
The money appears to bear that out. According to Hall, 85% of political donations from employees at Apple, Meta, Amazon and Google go to Democrats.
After Trump’s 2024 victory, major tech companies made the customary $1 million inauguration donations. But Hall argues those gestures did little to hide where Silicon Valley’s loyalties had long been. Aside from Elon Musk, he says, most of Big Tech’s leading figures remained firmly on the left.
Hall points to Democratic fundraising in 2024 as evidence of Silicon Valley’s political influence, citing major support from figures including Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, Reid Hoffman and Laurene Powell Jobs.
But Hall argues the bigger issue is not campaign money.
It is the growing influence of AI systems that many people assume are neutral and objective. He warns that users often trust those answers too much, even when they may be biased.
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To Hall, this bias is reinforced by the relationship between tech companies and legacy media. He argues AI systems are trained on enormous amounts of content from outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic and Reuters, while conservative outlets are largely excluded.
The result, he says, is a closed loop: AI absorbs the assumptions of legacy media and repackages them as objective truth. Hall argues conservatives must respond by demanding transparency in training data and ending taxpayer-funded contracts for vendors whose systems show political bias.
«Whoever wins the AI fairness battle,» Hall concludes, «will shape the minds and political attitudes of future generations. The time to act is now.»
technology,artificial intelligence,politics
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