A pro-Trump legal organization founded by White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has filed a lawsuit against Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, marking a long-shot effort as Trump allies push back against court rulings that have blocked key executive actions.<\/p>\n
The suit, brought by the America First Legal Foundation, targets Roberts in his role as head of the U.S. Judicial Conference, as well as Robert J. Conrad, director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Fox News reported.<\/p>\n
The complaint alleges that both the Judicial Conference and the Administrative Office have engaged in regulatory actions that exceed their constitutional mandate, arguing such actions fall outside the judiciary\u2019s core responsibilities of adjudicating cases and providing administrative support.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit also contends that records maintained by the U.S. Judicial Conference, under Roberts\u2019 leadership, should be subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests as a consequence of the alleged regulatory actions.<\/p>\n
In its lawsuit, America First Legal cited actions taken in 2023 by both the Judicial Conference and the Administrative Office to \u201caccommodate\u201d congressional requests to investigate alleged ethical misconduct by Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. The group also pointed to efforts by these bodies to develop or adopt an \u201cethics code\u201d for Supreme Court justices as part of its complaint.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder our constitutional tradition, accommodations with Congress are the province of the executive branch,\u201d AFL said, adding: \u201cThe Judicial Conference and the Administrative Office are therefore executive agencies,\u201d and should therefore be overseen the president, not the courts.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Judicial Conference serves as the national policymaking body for the federal judiciary. Led by the Chief Justice, it is responsible for making biannual recommendations to Congress as necessary, Fox noted.<\/p>\n