"Internal Strife: Republican Judges Clash Over 'Judge Shopping' Tactics"
Originally Published 1 year ago — by Vox.com
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas is defying the Judicial Conference's new policy intended to combat "judge-shopping," which allows plaintiffs to choose their own judges. This defiance could render the new policy useless, as the Northern District of Texas is a locus of judge-shopping. The conflict sets up a significant divide between the far-right court and the broader federal judiciary, with implications for US policy. The Supreme Court has heard cases from the Fifth Circuit, known for its loyalty to the MAGA movement, but an alliance between the Court's Democrats and less hardline Republicans may prevent reshaping the nation in MAGA's image. The federal judiciary's non-MAGA Republicans seem to share Democrats' frustration with judges like Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee known for implementing right-wing policies. The divide between center-right and far-right judges could become irrelevant if former President Donald Trump appoints more judges, potentially tipping the debate in favor of the far right.