District Attorneys and state Attorneys General have expansive powers to investigate conditions and crimes in their jurisdictions. They have the power to subpoena documents and have people testify before secret grand juries, which the AGs and DAs control. Only the AGs and DAs and their associates present evidence to the grand juries. There is no cross examination by criminal defense attorneys, which is guaranteed in an actual criminal trial.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit recently issued a ruling in a case on “faithless electors,” Baca v. Colorado Department of State, that has received some media attention. The case is certainly interesting and the opinion from the court is thoughtful and thorough. The opinion from the court is deserving of some explanation of what it could mean for 2020 and beyond. There has also been speculation of the decision’s impact on the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, which is also deserving of explanation.

There was no shortage of fireworks in the Senate Judiciary Committee during the first day of the confirmation hearing for Judge Brett Kavanaugh, who has received a "well-qualified" rating from the American Bar Association. Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) hadn’t even completed the first sentence of his opening statement before Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) interrupted, beginning nearly 90 minutes of obstruction by Democrats who serve on the committee and frequent outbursts from protestors in the audience.

President Donald Trump named Judge Brett Kavanaugh to serve as the next associate justice on the Supreme Court on Monday evening to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy, who is retiring at the end of July after serving for 30 years on the bench. Judge Kavanaugh is President Trump’s second nominee to the Supreme Court, and he’s a good choice because of his experience and approach to the law, but he's not a home run nominee.

President Donald Trump is expected to announce his second Supreme Court nominee tonight at 9:00 pm. As one might expect, Democrats are losing their collective minds over Justice Anthony Kennedy’s retirement and the thought of another conservative jurist on the Court. But their primary argument for not confirming a nominee is very different from the set of circumstances that the Senate faced in 2016.