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(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton made the following statement regarding the unprecedented indictment of President Donald Trump by Democrats in New York:

What a sad day for America. And what a blow to the rule of law and our republican form of government. Today, President Trump and the American people were abused and victimized by New York Democrat politician Alvin Bragg, who abused his office to try to jail a man he must know to be innocent. This is an indictment about nothing based on non-crimes and politics. It is a rigged prosecution to rig an election. The courts must end this malicious prosecution before the nation is irreparably damaged. In the meantime, Congress must immediately investigate Bragg’s election interference and his political attack on Trump’s civil rights. Judicial Watch has already launched a series of Freedom of Information Act inquiries into this unprecedented attack on the American way.

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(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton made the following statement regarding the passing of former Arizona State Senate President Russell Pearce, architect of some of the most significant pieces of legislation to crack down on illegal immigration

Judicial Watch is proud to have worked with Russell Pearce. He was a hard-working, public-minded patriot who upheld the rule of law in the face of the slings and arrows of the open borders Left. As leader of the of the Arizona State Senate, Pearce was the chief sponsor of commonsense legislation that allowed law enforcement in Arizona to ask for proof of citizenship during traffic stops, as well as the “Legal Arizona Workers Act,” which required all Arizona employers to use the E-Verify system to confirm the eligibility of new employees and penalized employers who knowingly hired illegal aliens. Key parts of this legislation survived court challenges and continues to protect Arizona and all of America.

Judicial Watch fought with Pearce on several fronts to uphold Arizona’s landmark immigration laws. He died at age 75, his family said in a statement released on January 5, 2023.

The Arizona State Senate said in a statement:

Pearce was a God-fearing man and loved his country with all his heart. He was an ardent champion for secure borders and gave his all which it came to preventing the violence associated with dangerous cartel encroaching into our communities. He was passionate about public safety and had a fiery approach when it came to conservative causes, like limited government. He leaves a memorable legacy behind, and Arizona is a better place because of him.

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The post Judicial Watch Statement on the Passing of Russell Pearce, Patriot and Former Arizona State Senate President appeared first on Judicial Watch.

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton made the following statement regarding the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) highly redacted affidavit released in response to Judicial Watch’s court request to unseal the warrant materials used in the unprecedented raid on the home of former President Trump:

In a remarkable and historic victory for transparency, Judicial Watch today forced the release of the infamous and heavily redacted Trump raid affidavit. Now we know why the Biden Justice Department did not want to release this material, as it exposes how there was significant evidence of President Trump’s cooperation, a major legal dispute about the legal status of the records believed to be in Trump’s possession, and that the FBI abusively raided his home anyway. The Biden Justice Department’s dishonest redactions of the reasons for its redactions makes a mockery of the American people’s right to know the entire story about this FBI raid, which was a wild abuse of power by the Biden administration.

This legal battle for accountability is just getting started.

Additional filings were also unsealed today.

Yesterday, in response to a Judicial Watch request, Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart ordered the redacted version of the search warrant affidavit be unsealed by noon today.

Judicial Watch has been in the forefront in the court battle for transparency regarding the abusive FBI raid.

On August 9, Judicial Watch filed its motion asking the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida to unseal as soon as possible the search warrant materials used by the FBI to raid President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida (U.S. v. Sealed Search Warrant (Case No. 9:22-mj-08332)).

On August 11, the DOJ filed a motion offering to unseal certain warrant materials.

On August 12, Judicial Watch Judicial Watch filed President Trump’s public statement with the court, in which he made it clear that he would not oppose the release of documents related to the August 8, 2022, raid. Later that day, the DOJ made a partial release of the Trump raid warrant materials.

Initially, the Albany Times Union and the New York Times joined Judicial Watch in filing for the unsealing of the warrant by filing an amicus letter and motion respectively. Other interests later joined in the effort.

The Justice Department was ordered by Magistrate Judge Reinhart to respond by August 15 to Judicial Watch’s Motion to Unseal the warrant and supporting materials behind the FBI raid. In itsfiling, the Justice Department alleged that releasing the affidavit would “cause significant and irreparable damage” to its ongoing criminal investigation.

The court also ordered the release of other documents concerning the warrant.

On August 17, Judicial Watch submitted its reply to the DOJ’s effort to keep under seal the affidavit used to justify the controversial raid on the home of former President Trump. Judicial Watch cited former President Trump’s support for the release of the affidavit.

After last week’s hearing in West Palm Beach, FL, the court issued an order which stated:

As I ruled from the bench at the conclusion of the hearing, I find that on the present record the Government has not met its burden of showing that the entire affidavit should remain sealed. It is ORDERED that by noon EST on Thursday, August 25, 2022, the Government shall file under seal its proposed redactions along with a legal memorandum setting forth the justification for the proposed redactions.

Four additional filings were made public on August 22, click here.

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The post Judicial Watch Victory: Trump Raid Affidavit Released appeared first on Judicial Watch.

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton made the following statement regarding Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart’s latest decision granting Judicial Watch’s motion and ordering that “before noon Eastern time on Friday, August 26, 2022, the Government shall file in the public docket a version of the Affidavit containing the redactions proposed:”

In no small victory for transparency and against government corruption, the court finally granted Judicial Watch’s request and ordered the release of the redacted affidavit used to justify the warrant in the unprecedented raid on the home of former President Trump. We expect the redactions to be unnecessary and that they will demonstrate contempt for the American people’s right to know the entire story about the Biden administration’s wild abuse of power. This legal battle for accountability is just getting started.

Judicial Watch has been in the forefront in the court battle for transparency regarding the abusive FBI raid.

On August 9, Judicial Watch filed its motion asking the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida to unseal as soon as possible the search warrant materials used by the FBI to raid President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida (U.S. v. Sealed Search Warrant (Case No. 9:22-mj-08332)).

On August 11, the DOJ filed a motion offering to unseal certain warrant materials.

On August 12, Judicial Watch Judicial Watch filed President Trump’s public statement with the court, in which he made it clear that he would not oppose the release of documents related to the August 8, 2022, raid. Later that day, the DOJ made a partial release of the Trump raid warrant materials.

Initially, the Albany Times Union and the New York Times joined Judicial Watch in filing for the unsealing of the warrant by filing an amicus letter and motion respectively. Other interests later joined in the effort.

The Justice Department was ordered by Magistrate Judge Reinhart to respond by August 15 to Judicial Watch’s Motion to Unseal the warrant and supporting materials behind the FBI raid. In itsfiling, the Justice Department alleged that releasing the affidavit would “cause significant and irreparable damage” to its ongoing criminal investigation.

The court also ordered the release of other documents concerning the warrant.

On August 17, Judicial Watch submitted its reply to the DOJ’s effort to keep under seal the affidavit used to justify the controversial raid on the home of former President Trump. Judicial Watch cited former President Trump’s support for the release of the affidavit.

After last week’s hearing in West Palm Beach, FL, the court issued an order which stated:

As I ruled from the bench at the conclusion of the hearing, I find that on the present record the Government has not met its burden of showing that the entire affidavit should remain sealed. It is ORDERED that by noon EST on Thursday, August 25, 2022, the Government shall file under seal its proposed redactions along with a legal memorandum setting forth the justification for the proposed redactions.

Four additional filings were made public on August 22, click here.

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The post Court Grants Judicial Watch Request: Orders Release of Redacted Trump Raid Affidavit appeared first on Judicial Watch.

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton made the following statement regarding Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart’s latest decision partially granting Judicial Watch’s request to unseal the affidavit and other materials used to justify the unprecedented raid on former President Trump’s home:

Judge Reinhart today affirmed his decision to deny the Biden administration’s attempt to keep the affidavit completely sealed. He states in today’s ruling that “given the intense public and historical interest in an unprecedented search of a former President’s residence, the Government has not yet shown that these administrative concerns are sufficient to justify sealing.”

In the meantime, the Biden DOJ continues to dishonestly hide its reasons for its abusive and unprecedented raid on the home of former President Trump. We’re glad the court agrees the secrecy must end.

The courts should reject the Biden DOJ “modified limited hangout” approach to coming clean about abuse of President Trump.

Four additional filings were made public today. Click here.

After last week’s hearing in West Palm Beach, FL, the court issued an order which stated:

As I ruled from the bench at the conclusion of the hearing, I find that on the present record the Government has not met its burden of showing that the entire affidavit should remain sealed. It is ORDERED that by noon EST on Thursday, August 25, 2022, the Government shall file under seal its proposed redactions along with a legal memorandum setting forth the justification for the proposed redactions.

The court also ordered the release of other documents concerning the warrant.

Judicial Watch has been in the forefront in the court battle for transparency regarding the abusive FBI raid.

On August 9, Judicial Watch filed its motion asking the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida to unseal as soon as possible the search warrant materials used by the FBI to raid President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida (U.S. v. Sealed Search Warrant (Case No. 9:22-mj-08332)).

On August 11, the DOJ filed a motion offering to unseal certain warrant materials.

On August 12, Judicial Watch Judicial Watch filed President Trump’s public statement with the court, in which he made it clear that he would not oppose the release of documents related to the August 8, 2022, raid. Later that day, the DOJ made a partial release of the Trump raid warrant materials.

Initially, the Albany Times Union and the New York Times joined Judicial Watch in filing for the unsealing of the warrant by filing an amicus letter and motion respectively. Other interests later joined in the effort.

The Justice Department was ordered by Magistrate Judge Reinhart to respond by August 15 to Judicial Watch’s Motion to Unseal the warrant and supporting materials behind the FBI raid. In itsfiling, the Justice Department alleged that releasing the affidavit would “cause significant and irreparable damage” to its ongoing criminal investigation.

On August 17, Judicial Watch submitted its reply to the DOJ’s effort to keep under seal the affidavit used to justify the controversial raid on the home of former President Trump. Judicial Watch cited former President Trump’s support for the release of the affidavit.

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The post Court Grants Judicial Watch Request: Orders Partial Release of Trump Raid Affidavit appeared first on Judicial Watch.

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton made the following statement regarding Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart’s decision granting Judicial Watch’s request to unseal at least part of the affidavit and other materials used to justify the unprecedented raid on former President Trump’s home:

Judicial Watch achieved a key court victory today over the Biden Justice Department’s desperate move to keep the Trump warrant affidavit complete sealed. The court outright rejected the Justice Department’s brazen play to keep the whole document secret. The Biden administration’s unprecedented and abusive raid on Trump’s home has created a rule of law crisis that can only be alleviated with transparency and accountability. And, we’re thrilled that Americans will get more of both with today’s court decision, finding that at least some more information about this terrible raid should be released.

James Moon of the Meland Budwick, P.A. law firm in Miami argued on behalf of Judicial Watch. After the hearing in West Palm Beach, FL, today, the court issued an order which stated:

As I ruled from the bench at the conclusion of the hearing, I find that on the present record the Government has not met its burden of showing that the entire affidavit should remain sealed. It is ORDERED that by noon EST on Thursday, August 25, 2022, the Government shall file under seal its proposed redactions along with a legal memorandum setting forth the justification for the proposed redactions.

The court also ordered the release of other documents concerning the warrant.

On August 9, Judicial Watch filed its motion asking the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida to unseal as soon as possible the search warrant materials used by the FBI to raid President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Florida (U.S. v. Sealed Search Warrant (Case No. 9:22-mj-08332)).

On August 11, the DOJ filed a motion offering to unseal certain warrant materials.

On August 12, Judicial Watch Judicial Watch filed President Trump’s public statement with the court, in which he made it clear that he would not oppose the release of documents related to the August 8, 2022, raid. Later that day, the DOJ made a partial release of the Trump raid warrant materials.

Initially, the Albany Times Union and the New York Times joined Judicial Watch in filing for the unsealing of the warrant by filing an amicus letter and motion respectively. Other interests later joined in the effort.

The Justice Department was ordered by Magistrate Judge Reinhart to respond by August 15 to Judicial Watch’s Motion to Unseal the warrant and supporting materials behind the FBI raid. In itsfiling, the Justice Department alleged that releasing the affidavit would “cause significant and irreparable damage” to its ongoing criminal investigation.

On August 17, Judicial Watch submitted its reply to the DOJ’s effort to keep under seal the affidavit used to justify the controversial raid on the home of former President Trump. Judicial Watch cited former President Trump’s support for the release of the affidavit.

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The post Judicial Watch Victory: Court Rejects Biden DOJ Effort to Keep Trump Warrant Affidavit Completely Sealed appeared first on Judicial Watch.

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton made the following statement Supreme Court’s 6-3 Dobbs v Jackson opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade:

This is a day to celebrate life! Five Supreme Court justices today stood strong in support of the Constitution by overturning Roe. Now states can again extend the protection of law to the precious lives of unborn human beings. Americans will mourn the tens of millions human beings lost to abortion on demand under the Roe regime. But Americans will soon rejoice for the millions who will live thanks to Roe being thrown into the dustbin of history.

Justice Alito’s opinion is one for the ages and simply holds: “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives” and “procuring an abortion is not a fundamental constitutional right because such a right has no basis in the Constitution’s text or in our Nation’s history.” The decision affirmed Roe was egregiously wrong and was an abusive exercise of “raw judicial power.” Today’s decision begins to undo Roe’s damage to our nation. 

Simply put, abortion ends a human life and is incompatible with a civil, moral society. The lives of unborn human beings must be protected in every state. States should immediately act to protect the lives of unborn human beings. And Congress should also move to protect unborn lives at the federal level. For example, Congress should move to stop, in the least, federal funding for the trafficking of fetal organs harvested from human beings killed by abortion.

The heroic decision comes down shortly after Justice Kavanaugh was almost assassinated as a foreseeable result of this president’s and his leftist allies’ despicable intimidation campaign against the Supreme Court to protect the abortion on demand regime imposed by the Roe court. The criminal leak, illegal protests, and threats didn’t work: Justices Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett held firm for the rule of law and will go down in history for their bravery.

Americans can expect an escalation of the terror campaign by pro-abortionists against the Justices, pro-life centers that help pregnant mothers, and Catholic and other Christian churches that support the right to life. Rather than allowing illegal protests at the homes of Supreme Court Justices and paying little attention to the terror campaign to date, the Biden Justice Department must act to address this crisis now. And state and local law enforcement should also focus on the escalating threats pregnancy centers, pro-life advocates, and churches. 

Judicial Watch filed an amicus curiae brief with the Supreme Court in the Dobbs case in support of the constitutionality of Mississippi’s Gestational Age Act and overturning Roe v. Wade. The brief argued that the Constitution and Bill of Rights exist to protect the federalist system and sovereignty of the states on these matters:

Our Founding Fathers very carefully crafted the Constitution and Bill of Rights to protect the individual sovereignty of the states. The resulting principles of federalism purposefully guided the jurisprudence of this country for more than 150 years, maintaining fairly clear spheres of federal and state power….

Abortion policy began in the states where the people used the democratic process to voice their moral, religious, and scientific opinions. Roe needlessly wrenched abortion policy from the states and, relying on “penumbras formed by emanations,” seven unelected judges created a brand-new constitutional right to abortion. The response was immediate and lasting and after 48 years, strong opposition to Roe and its progeny remain. 

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Despite creative judicial legislating, it is crystal clear that abortion does not involve war, peace, negotiation, foreign commerce, or taxation. Abortion fits squarely into the states’ sphere of objects that concern the “lives, liberties, and properties of the people.” Not being an enumerated power, the Roe Court did not have the authority to overturn the abortion laws of the states.

In deciding Roe as it did, the court created a legal morass for decades to come. The Judicial Watch brief addresses this fact as another reason for overturning Roe:

Far from creating a national consensus, Roe threw the states into a 48-year contentious legal battle. Even some abortion advocates eschew the injudicious method of federalizing abortion as short-circuiting a naturally evolving jurisprudence under state laws. As federal and state judges attempt to apply this Court’s precedents, a national landscape of inconsistent, inconclusive, and untenable rules have emerged. As a national policy, abortion jurisprudence is, in a word, a mess. Stubbornly holding on to unconstitutional precedent will never have a positive outcome. It is time to return abortion policy to the states where it belongs and where the democratic process can effectively work.

Finally, this court completes what its predecessors failed to do in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833, 874-75 (1992) only 20 years after Roe, fully cast aside that decision. In Casey, the court rejected many of the tenets of Roe, but it failed to take the final step and overturn it. This decision in Dobbs remedies that failure as addressed in the Judicial Watch brief:

Less than 20 years after Roe, this Court essentially rejected Roe without overturning Roe and set up a new standard which permitted states to restrict abortion within their borders barring an “undue burden” on women. Planned Parenthood v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833, 874-75 (1992), another splintered opinion and holding, recognized the states’ interest in protecting prenatal life after viability but fell short of recognizing the preeminence of state power.

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