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A satirical play based on UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione will debut next month in San Francisco.

“Luigi: The Musical” is a comedy show centered on Mangione, 26, the Ivy League graduate accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, 50, in December outside a Hilton hotel in New York City.

The show’s website calls it a “campy, surreal, funny” and “emotionally honest” take on the cultural fascination surrounding Mangione’s case that imagines him “sharing a prison with real-life inmates Sam Bankman-Fried and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.”

On the play’s Instagram account, the actor playing Mangione is shown singing a line about the events that led up to his arrest that goes, “flash those pearly whites, there were cameras there that night, and that’s what let the police take me in.”

TRUMP ADMIN USES LUIGI MANGIONE CASE TO ‘SEND A MESSAGE’ IN FIRST 100 DAYS: FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR

The 60-minute show will debut at Taylor Street Theater on June 13. Tickets for its entire run are currently sold out, but more dates will be announced soon.

The creators of the show clarified that it was “not a celebration of violence of any kind” or intended to send a message about the “ongoing legal matter.”

“Our hearts go out to the family of Brian Thompson, and we acknowledge the pain and complexity surrounding this case,” they wrote on the show’s website.

The satirical show will instead explore “deeper cultural questions” about why Mangione has been celebrated by some and ask why Americans have become disillusioned by institutions like “healthcare, tech and Hollywood.”

LUIGI MANGIONE’S ‘FANGIRLS’ ARE ‘NOT ME’: TAYLOR LORENZ ATTEMPTS TO CLARIFY COMMENTS ABOUT ALLEGED MURDER

“Our hope is that Luigi: the Musical makes people laugh—and think. We’re not here to make moral proclamations. We’re here to explore, with humor and heart, how it feels to live through a time when the systems we’re supposed to trust have stopped feeling trustworthy,” the show’s website says.

Mangione has gotten praise on some corners of the left for allegedly killing the healthcare executive. The suspect’s supporters on social media have argued that Thompson’s murder was morally justified because of the resentment people feel towards America’s healthcare industry.

Mangione’s supporters have raised over $967,000 for his legal defense fund in the past five months.

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Mangione pleaded not guilty last week to federal charges of stalking, murder through a firearm, and other firearms offenses during an arraignment hearing.

Federal prosecutors indicated last week that they intend to seek the death penalty.

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Fox News’ Adam Sabes contributed to this article.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is launching a month of action to “Fight to Save Medicaid,” targeting four “vulnerable” House Republicans, who Democrats claim are “poised to gut Medicaid and other critical programs.”

Republicans quickly fired back in statements to Fox News Digital on Friday.

“The dishonest Democrats should rename their campaign ‘the fight to save taxpayer-funded welfare benefits for illegal immigrants’ because that’s what they’re really trying to do,” Rep. Mike Lawler’s director of communications, Ciro Riccardi, told Fox News Digital.

“This is a desperate political stunt, plain and simple. The truth is that Congressman Lawler has been very clear on this: he will vote to protect and strengthen Medicaid for those who rely on this critical program.”

DAVID HOGG FACES CHALLENGE TO DNC ROLE AS PARTY TENSIONS ESCALATE

The DNC’s multipronged pressure campaign, including digital, local and direct action, will target Republican Reps. Lawler of New York, Tom Barrett of Michigan, Don Bacon of Nebraska and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. The DNC is advising voters to post “accountability content” on social media, host “People’s Town Halls” in the Republicans’ congressional districts, and call or email their representatives to “make their outrage known.”

DNC Chair Ken Martin said the four Congressional Republicans will “seal their political fate if they go along with Trump’s disastrous budget.”

“To ensure these Republicans understand that it’s either their vote or their job, the DNC is launching its first-ever distributed organizing program to offer voters a platform to join Democrats in taking direct action — from hosting town halls to mobilizing their personal networks — against the GOP’s budget, while building grassroots power for critical elections still ahead. Our representatives must serve the people — not ignore them. Republicans will either learn that lesson now or at the ballot box,” Martin said.

TRUMP SAYS PUBLIC ENTITLEMENTS LIKE SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICAID WON’T BE TOUCHED IN GOP BUDGET BILL

While Democrats have railed against potential cuts to Medicaid since President Donald Trump was elected in November, the White House has maintained that public entitlements, including Social Security and Medicaid, will not be cut in the Republicans’ budget bill.

“All national Democrats have are pathetic lies and fear-mongering tactics to distract from their failures. They were already forced to take down their dishonest Medicaid ads across the country because Americans know they’re full of crap, and voters aren’t going to buy their latest publicity stunt,” National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC) Spokesman Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital in a response to the DNC’s new pressure campaign.

Last month, Democrats were forced to take down six billboards targeting Republican Reps. Gabe Evans, Don Bacon, Ryan Mackenzie, Monica De La Cruz, Jen Kiggans and Rob Wittman, as reported by the Washington Examiner, after the NRCC sent a cease and desist letter to Lamar Advertising Company, accusing the vendor of spreading “defamatory messages.”

“What DC Democrats are saying when it comes to Medicaid is they oppose having work requirements for able-bodied adults without children, annual audits to ensure only eligible individuals receive benefits, and ensuring that only people who are here legally should qualify,” Bacon told Fox News Digital in a statement. “The methods our group of 12 Republicans has identified to improve Medicaid are not controversial or cutting the quality of healthcare. We’re protecting our children and those most vulnerable. Last time the DNC targeted me on this issue, the billboard companies pulled their ads for false information.”

While Bacon blamed the DNC for the billboards, the DNC was not affiliated with that ad campaign. House Majority Forward, a Super PAC focused on electing House Democrats, launched the billboard campaign.

Despite Republicans’ assurances that Medicaid services will be protected, there is debate among the party about how to slash wasteful spending within the program. Those discussions come as Republicans seek to extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and deliver Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which includes no taxes on tips and Social Security.

But Democrats are warning “vulnerable” House Republicans that Medicaid cuts are a losing issue, and their new campaign will not just hold Republicans accountable but help them win back a Democratic majority in 2026.

“House Republicans have lost the trust of the American people and are on track to lose in the midterms because of their record of broken promises. They’ve consistently sold out their own constituents to please their billionaire backers, even when it means supporting catastrophic cuts to health care access,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair Suzan DelBene said.

The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution or BfV, on Friday classified the country’s popular Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as “extremist.”

“Central to our assessment is the ethnically and ancestrally defined concept of the people that shapes the AfD, which devalues entire segments of the population in Germany and violates their human dignity,” the BfV said, explaining its decision. “This concept is reflected in the party’s overall anti-migrant and anti-Muslim stance.”

The AfD slammed the decision, calling it a “blow against democracy,” claiming it was “clearly politically motivated,” which the BfV denied.

The U.S. also criticized the designation, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio claiming it is “tyranny in disguise.”

GERMANY ACCUSES ELON MUSK OF TRYING TO INTERFERE IN ITS NATIONAL ELECTIONS

“Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition,” Rubio posted on X. “That’s not democracy—it’s tyranny in disguise. What is truly extremist is not the popular AfD—which took second in the recent election—but rather the establishment’s deadly open border immigration policies that the AfD opposes. Germany should reverse course.”

Elon Musk wrote on X: “Banning the centrist AfD, Germany’s, most popular party, would be an extreme attack on democracy.”

AfD leaders Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla said, “The AfD will continue to take legal action against these defamatory attacks that endanger democracy.”

Vice President JD Vance met with Weidel before the election and said that free speech was under attack in Europe.

TRUMP CELEBRATES CONSERVATIVE PARTY WIN IN GERMANY

The BfV also classifies the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party (NDP), the Islamic State and other Islamist groups, and the far-left Marxist-Leninist Party of Germany as “extremist.”

The classification allows the intelligence agency to closely surveil the AfD, which came in second in Germany’s February elections, winning a record number of seats in parliament.

Germany’s intelligence agency is more legally constrained than other European countries in its ability to surveil political parties, which requires the “extremist” designation, because of its history under Nazi and Communist rule.

The designation also allows the intelligence service to intercept party communications.

The “extremist” designation followed a 1,100-page report by the intelligence agency, and a court case loss for AfD in challenging the BfV’s previous classification of the political party as one suspected of extremism.

Conservative leader Friedrich Merz, who heads the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), will be confirmed as chancellor next week following the elections in a coalition government with the center-left Social Democrats.

Both Merz and the Social Democrats ruled out governing with the AfD.

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CDU, along with its Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union (CSU), won Germany’s elections in February after garnering 28.6% of the vote, according to Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW).

The AfD secured 20.8% of the vote. Meanwhile, outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) won just 16.4% of the vote, its worst result since World War II.

Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and Reuters contributed to this report.

U.S. officials have finalized new economic sanctions against Russia, including banking and energy measures, to intensify pressure on Moscow to embrace U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to end its war on Ukraine, according to three U.S. officials and a source familiar with the issue.

The targets include state-owned Russian energy giant Gazprom and major entities involved in the natural resources and banking sectors, said an administration official, who like the other sources requested anonymity to discuss the issue.

US-UKRAINE INCHING TOWARD MINERAL DEAL AMID LAST-MINUTE ROADBLOCKS

The official provided no further details.

It was far from clear, however, whether the package will be approved by Trump, whose sympathy for Moscow’s statements and actions have given way to frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spurning of his calls for a ceasefire and peace talks.

The U.S. National Security Council “is trying to coordinate some set of more punitive actions against Russia,” said the source familiar with the issue. “This will have to be signed off by Trump.”

“It’s totally his call,” confirmed a second U.S. official.

“From the beginning, the president has been clear about his commitment to achieving a full and comprehensive ceasefire,” said National Security Council Spokesman James Hewitt. “We do not comment on the details of ongoing negotiations.”

The U.S. Treasury, which implements most U.S. sanctions, did not respond to a request for comment.

An approval by Trump of new sanctions, which would follow the Wednesday signing of a U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal that he heavily promoted as part of his peace effort, could signify a hardening of his stance towards the Kremlin.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 the United States and its allies have added layer upon layer of sanctions on the country. While the measures have been painful for Russia’s economy, Moscow has found ways to circumvent the sanctions and continue funding its war.

Trump “has been bending over backwards to give Putin every opportunity to say, ‘Okay, we’re going to have a ceasefire and an end to the war,’ and Putin keeps rejecting him,” said Kurt Volker, a former U.S. envoy to NATO who was U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations during Trump’s first term. “This is the next phase of putting some pressure on Russia.”

“Putin has been escalating,” he continued. Trump “has got the U.S. and Ukraine now in alignment calling for an immediate and full ceasefire, and Putin is now the outlier.”

Since assuming office in January, Trump has taken steps seen as aimed at boosting Russian acceptance of his peace effort, including disbanding a Justice Department task force formed to enforce sanctions and target oligarchs close to the Kremlin.

He also has made pro-Moscow statements, falsely blaming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for starting the conflict and calling him a “dictator.”

Meanwhile, Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, has advocated a peace strategy that would cede four Ukrainian regions to Moscow, and has met Putin four times, most recently last week.

But three days after that meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated Putin’s maximalist demands for a settlement and Moscow’s forces have pressed frontline attacks and missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities, claiming more civilian casualties.

Reuters reported in March that the United States was drawing up a plan to potentially give Russia sanctions relief but Trump in recent weeks has expressed frustration with Putin’s foot-dragging on ending the invasion and last Saturday held a “very productive” one-on-one meeting in the Vatican with Zelenskiy.

The next day, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform that he was “strongly considering large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions and Tariffs on Russia” that would remain until a ceasefire and final peace deal.

Volker said that Russia has been earning hard currency that funds its military through oil and gas sales to countries like India and China and that it would be “very significant” if Trump slapped secondary sanctions on such deals.

Secondary sanctions are those where one country seeks to punish a second country for trading with a third by barring access to its own market, a particularly powerful tool for the United States because of the size of its economy.

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GETTING AN EARFUL: New York DA’s office eavesdropped on Luigi Mangione’s call with defense attorney, prosecutors admit

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DEVIL IN THE DETAILS: Jennifer McCabe doubles down on Karen Read’s alleged ‘I hit him’ confession, but can’t find it in paper trail

DARK WATERS: New England serial killer fears: Investigators identify two bodies pulled from rivers in separate states

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CRASH COURSE: Karen Read crash expert admits he sent notes to defense, broke sequestration order in first trial

REASONABLE SUSPICION’: Luigi Mangione prosecutors fire back at suspected assassin’s complaints over arrest

DOUBLE DIGITS: New England serial killer fears: 10 bodies now found in less than 2 months

FIGHTING WORDS: Menendez brothers demand Los Angeles DA recuse himself or be disqualified in resentencing case

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GRAVE CONCERNS: New England serial killer fears: Rhode Island police search for ‘clandestine graves’ amid string of deaths

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‘TERRIFYING TERRITORY’: Child abduction survivor Elizabeth Smart warns of ‘terrifying territory’ for today’s kids

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KILLER CONFIDENCE: Indiana man who killed girls on hike strikes defiant tone with police in new interrogation video

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Connecticut Senate Democrats posted an outlandish TikTok video on Thursday, featuring lawmakers listing out unpleasant things they would rather subject themselves to, rather than face another 100 days of the Trump administration.

The video, which had garnered just over 100 likes on the platform as of Friday afternoon, appears to have been partially filmed in the State Senate chamber.

TRUMP TOUTS ‘MOST SUCCESSFUL’ FIRST 100 DAYS IN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY DURING MICHIGAN RALLY

Lawmakers suggested they would rather have 100 bad haircuts, 100 vaccination shots in the arm or spend 100 hours in a traffic jam on Interstate 84.

Sen. Julie Kushner, D-Danbury, added she would rather cook 100 family meals, which she noted her kids would find “very funny.”

FOX NEWS POLL: TRUMP, REPUBLICANS AT RECORD-HIGH RATINGS AS DEMOCRATS FALTER 

The post came days after President Donald Trump said at a Michigan rally that his administration had enjoyed the most successful first 100 days in presidential history.

Trump’s first 100 days of his second term centered around aggressive action to address border security, trade, education, civil rights, technology and innovation, Fox News Digital previously reported.

TRUMP ADMIN REVOKES 4K FOREIGN STUDENTS’ VISAS IN FIRST 100 DAYS, NEARLY ALL WITH SERIOUS CRIMINAL RECORDS

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), established with an executive order signed by the president on his first day in office, claims to have slashed federal spending through budget and staffing cuts.

However, the latest poll numbers show Trump has 44% approval and 55% disapproval ratings in the most recent Fox News national poll, which collected data from April 18-21.

On specific issues, Trump received a 55% majority approval on border security, 47% approval on immigration and 38% approval on the economy.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKS SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW EL SALVADOR DEPORTATION FLIGHT CASE

His worst ratings were on inflation (33% approve, 59% disapprove), tariffs (33%-58%), foreign policy (40%-54%), taxes (38%-53%) and guns (41%-44%).

Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

A top Chinese government official is asking what the Trump administration wants the communist nation to do about chemicals used to make fentanyl amid an ongoing trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

Wang Xiaohong, China’s minister of public security, has been making inquiries about what Trump wants China to do about the fentanyl issue over the last few days, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

Chinese companies produce precursors, large quantities of chemicals that eventually flow to Mexican drug cartels, which then make fentanyl and smuggle it into the United States.

ON TRUMP’S 100TH DAY, CHINESE COMMUNIST REGIME DECLARES IT WILL ‘NEVER KNEEL’ TO U.S. PRESSURE IN FIERY VIDEO

Beijing could possibly have Wang meet with senior Trump administration officials in a neutral country, the newspaper reported.

Trump has tried to persuade China, Mexico and Canada to do more to combat the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.

TRUMP SAYS TARIFFS ARE INCENTIVIZING US INVESTMENT, HURTING CHINA

“China has consistently failed to take meaningful steps to stem the flow of precursor chemicals to known illicit drug producers,” the White House told Fox News Digital. “Most governments could do so through regulation and enforcement – this is especially true for an authoritarian state like China.”

Upon taking office, Trump imposed 20% tariffs on China over its role in the fentanyl epidemic in the U.S., which kills tens of thousands of Americans every year.

Since then, Trump has increased tariffs on China to 145%, while Beijing has retaliated with 125% tariffs on American goods.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is sounding the alarm on a potential measles exposure at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

In a news release on April 30, the department identified two confirmed measles cases in Cook County.

These are the first two cases in the county, following the state’s first confirmed case in a southern Illinois adult on April 23.

MEASLES OUTBREAKS EMERGE ACROSS US: SEE WHICH STATES HAVE REPORTED CASES

One case was identified as a suburban Cook County adult with an unknown vaccination status who sought medical care at a local hospital on April 28.

The second case was identified in a Chicago adult who traveled internationally through O’Hare Airport in April.

MEASLES OUTBREAKS NOW DECLARED IN 8 STATES, INCLUDING MICHIGAN’S FIRST IN 5 YEARS

The patient, who had one prior dose of the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine, reported a rash onset on April 25.

Both individuals have been isolated at home since being diagnosed.

The state health department listed the following locations where there was potential for public exposure:

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IDPH urges all people over the age of 12 months to receive two doses of the MMR vaccine prior to traveling internationally.

Individuals who may have been exposed should monitor for symptoms and notify their healthcare provider if they are unsure of prior vaccinations.

If symptoms arise, they should notify the healthcare provider before arriving at a facility to ensure “special arrangements” that will prevent others from infection, according to health officials.

IS MMR VACCINE SAFE FOR KIDS? DR. NICOLE SAPHIER ADDRESSES CONCERNS AS MEASLES CASES RISE

Measles is highly contagious and spreads easily through the air, IDPH noted, adding that 90% of people close to an infected person will also become infected if not immunized against it.

As of May 1, there have been 935 total cases of measles confirmed across the U.S., according to CDC data.

IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra wrote in a press release statement that while Illinois public health officials are working to prevent further spread, being fully immunized “remains the best and most effective way for everyone to protect themselves and those they love.”

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“The MMR vaccine is safe and effective,” he said. “We encourage anyone who is unvaccinated, or under-vaccinated, to speak with their medical provider and take appropriate steps to get up to date on the recommended shots.”

Interim Cook County Department of Public Health COO Dr. Kiran Joshi added that there is a resurgence of measles in the U.S., despite the effectivenes of the MMR vaccine.

“Misinformation has contributed to declining vaccination rates and fueled recent outbreaks,” he said.

“The MMR vaccine has been in use for over 50 years, is highly effective, and has protected millions of lives.”

The state of Maine and President Donald Trump came to one small agreement in their large-scale feud over the issue of trans athletes in girls’ sports.

In exchange for the U.S. Department of Agriculture agreeing to restore federal funds to Maine that it had frozen, the state dropped its lawsuit against the Trump administration over that issue.

The lawsuit was filed April 7 after a federal funding freeze in response to the state’s refusal to keep trans athletes out of girls sports.

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Federal Judge John Woodcock ordered the Trump administration to restore those funds April 12. Woodcock, a senior judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maine, was appointed by former President George W. Bush in 2003.

Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey’s office released a statement addressing the settlement Friday afternoon.

“It’s unfortunate that my office had to resort to federal court just to get USDA to comply with the law and its own regulations,” Frey said. “But we are pleased that the lawsuit has now been resolved and that Maine will continue to receive funds as directed by Congress to feed children and vulnerable adults.”

However, the state is still facing other legal battles related to the issue.

MAINE GIRL INVOLVED IN TRANS ATHLETE BATTLE REVEALS HOW STATE’S POLICIES HURT HER CHILDHOOD AND SPORTS CAREER

The U.S. Justice Department announced a lawsuit against the state of Maine for its continued defiance of Trump’s executive order to keep biological males out of girls and women’s sports and alleged violations of Title IX. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the lawsuit at a press conference April 16.

“The Department of Justice will not sit by when women are discriminated against in sports,” Bondi said at the press conference. “What they have been through is horrific.”

Bondi said she was seeking an injunction and to have titles returned to the girls who “rightfully” won competitions in which trans athletes participated.

The Justice Department accused the state of “openly and defiantly flouting federal anti-discrimination law by enforcing policies that require girls to compete against boys in athletic competitions designated exclusively for girls,” according to a complaint obtained by Fox News.

“By prioritizing gender identity over biological reality, Maine’s policies deprive girl athletes of fair competition, deny them equal athletic opportunities, and expose them to heightened risks of physical injury and psychological harm.”

Frey previously alleged the “Child Nutrition Program of the Maine Department of Education was unable to access several sources of federal funding, all of which are necessary to feed children and vulnerable adults” after Rollins had signaled the funding freeze wouldn’t affect programs that keep children fed.

Meanwhile, Maine sate Rep. Laurel Libby is looking to bring her lawsuit against Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau before the U.S. Supreme Court. Libby sued Fecteau after she was censured by the state legislature’s Democratic majority in February for a viral Facebook post that identified a trans athlete who won a girls competition.

But Rhode Island U.S. District Court Judge Melissa DuBose ruled against Libby in her case April 22. DuBose, appointed by former President Joe Biden in January, presided over the case after every district judge in Maine refused to take it.

Then, the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals also ruled against Libby.

So, now she is looking for intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court and expects to hear whether the court will hear the case April 12.

The state is embroiled in its own internal conflict with residents too.

A school district in Maine is moving to comply with Trump instead of the state over the issue. The MSAD No. 70 School Board voted unanimously Monday night to comply with Title IX, and Superintendent Tyler Putnam told Fox News Digital he will amend the district’s policies to prevent trans athletes from competing in girls sports.

Maine parent Nick Blanchard recently drew national attention after he was interrupted at a school board meeting in Maine’s capital city of Augusta while discussing the controversial issue and a petition he launched to have a school administrator removed from her position for supporting transgender inclusion.

Maine high school athlete Cassidy Carlisle spoke at a rally in Augusta opposing Gov. Janet Mills on the issue and made a trip to the White House to discuss the issue in her state Feb. 27. Carlisle was driven to take action on the issue after losing to a trans athlete in cross-country and Nordic skiing competitions. She also says she had to share a locker room with a trans athlete six years ago during a middle school gym class.

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President Trump announced his first judicial nominee of his second term, kicking off what will be a historic next four years as he continues to build on the most consequential accomplishment of his first term by appointing even more bold and fearless judges. The stakes could not be higher as Democrat activist judges are actively sabotaging American voters, the presidency, our Constitution, and our country.

Trump nominated Whitney Hermandorfer to a Tennessee-based seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She is a brilliant legal mind and committed constitutionalist who has litigated critical First Amendment issues. Trump’s first nomination stands in stark contrast to the Obama- and Biden-appointed Democrat activist judges who have repeatedly attempted to sabotage the president’s core Article II executive powers during these first months of Trump’s historic second term. These anti-American judges, who side with Hamas supporters, MS-13 gang members, and no-show federal bureaucrats leeching on the taxpayer, need to be countered. Trump’s nominees promise a return to the original vision of a judiciary grounded in constitutionalism and judicial restraint.

TRUMP-BACKED BILL TO STOP ‘ROGUE’ JUDGES PASSES HOUSE

During his 2016 campaign, Trump boldly and brilliantly ran on the issue of judicial nominations in an unprecedented way. He released a list of potential Supreme Court candidates from which he would choose to fill the vacancy arising from Justice Antonin Scalia’s death. This list of nominees set him apart from his rival at the time, Hillary Clinton. Had Clinton won, we would have been subjected to leftist judicial tyranny for at least a generation. Fortunately for the Constitution and the American people, Trump prevailed, and the country was rewarded with Justice Neil Gorsuch instead of Justice Merrick Garland. Given his horrendous and truly shameful service as attorney general, Garland would have been an unmitigated disaster had he received a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.

Trump did not stop after the confirmation of Gorsuch. Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation shifted the balance of the Court in 2018, as he replaced Anthony Kennedy, the pivotal justice in countless landmark cases. The coup de gras came in 2020, when Trump replaced liberal lion Ruth Bader Ginsburg with the more conservative Amy Coney Barrett. This dramatic shift paid dividends in short order and in many consequential ways.

In 2022, the Court overruled Roe v. Wade (1973) in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and restored the issue of abortion to its rightful place: the states. The justices also strengthened the Second Amendment in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, ruling that the Second Amendment requires “shall-issue” concealed-carry permits. No longer can states have foggy standards where bureaucrats whimsically decide whether to allow citizens to carry concealed weapons. States must set forth standards, and citizens who satisfy those standards will be able to carry such firearms.

The next year, the Court put a stop to the practice of race-based college admissions policies in two cases involving Harvard and the University of North Carolina. Thanks to the rulings in Students for Fair Admissions, students must be evaluated based on merit. Conservatives had been trying for decades to eliminate affirmative action, just as they had abortion. Trump made these dreams come true. Last year, the Court struck a giant blow against the administrative state in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, a decision that overturned the requirement that courts defer to administrative agencies when a statute is ambiguous.

Just days after Loper Bright, the justices strengthened the presidency in Trump v. United States. There, the Court held that presidents are absolutely immune when exercising core Article II powers like pardons and at least presumptively immune for acts done within the outer perimeters of their official duties. This ruling enormously aided Trump against the lawfare perpetrated by the Biden Justice Department.

Trump’s judicial impact extended beyond the Supreme Court. He appointed 54 circuit judges in his first term, second only to President Jimmy Carter’s 56 in a single term. Carter benefited enormously from the Democrat-controlled Congress’s creation of 35 new circuit judgeships during his term. Congress created none for Trump. More importantly, Carter did not appoint any Supreme Court justices. Trump’s impact on the judiciary dwarfs Carter’s by any reasonable metric. Trump appointed only one fewer circuit judge in one term than did President Obama in two, and several of Obama’s appointees were to the Federal Circuit, a court with comparatively less impact than the other circuits on crucial issues. More importantly, Obama’s two Supreme Court appointments did not shift the balance of the Court; he replaced two leftist justices with two others. Trump also has an excellent chance to surpass President Ronald Reagan’s record for circuit confirmations of 83.

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The accomplishments of Trump’s first term were excellent, but there is still work to be done. At times, the Supreme Court has been frustrating with rulings, mainly on the emergency docket with respect to Trump’s policies and the leftist inferior court judges who have enjoined them. Thanks to the Republican-controlled Senate—and a wider majority than existed in the first two years of his first term—Trump will select even more bold and fearless nominees. He will look beyond the garden-variety Federalist Society choices and install a new generation of judicial titans who will change the landscape for generations to come in line with our Founders’ intent.

Trump has assembled an excellent judicial nominations team in Attorney General Pam Bondi, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, White House counsel Dave Warrington, and his deputy Steve Kenny to help him identify, vet, and nominate bold and fearless judges. The Article III Project, which I founded, is proud to support and assist their efforts and these excellent nominees, who will uphold the law and Constitution without fear or political consideration. We will continue to dedicate our resources and expertise to ensure only the most bold and fearless judges are nominated and confirmed to the bench.

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