Suzanne Monyak
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suzannemonyak.bsky.social
Suzanne Monyak
@suzannemonyak.bsky.social
Reporter covering federal courts + justice @ Bloomberg Law. Get in touch: [email protected], suzannemonyak.59 on Signal
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
NEW: US District Judge Sarah Pitlyk and Jesus Osete of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division are on a White House list of candidates interviewing for an 8th Circuit seat, per source familiar

Litigator Erin Hawley, Sen. Hawley's spouse, also expressed interest
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Litigator Erin Hawley Said to Be Interested in Circuit Judgeship
A Trump-appointed trial judge and a senior Justice Department official are included on a White House list of candidates interviewing for a federal appeals court seat in Missouri, a person familiar wit...
news.bloomberglaw.com
November 20, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
“This is what happens when you completely unmoor DOJ from the historical expertise that DOJ possesses,” said Sasha Samberg-Champion, a former appellate lawyer for the Civil Rights Division, tells Celine Castronuovo and @suzannemonyak.bsky.social

news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Trump Loyalists in DOJ Face Criticism as Judges Expose Blunders
Judges’ rebukes this week of blunders by top Justice Department lawyers show the pitfalls of installing President Donald Trump loyalists to their roles, lawyers and scholars said.
news.bloomberglaw.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
President Trump plans to tap a litigator behind efforts to prevent transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports to be a federal judge in Indiana, @suzannemonyak.bsky.social reports

news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Attorney in Trans Athlete Challenges Tapped by Trump for Bench
President Donald Trump plans to tap a litigator behind efforts to prevent transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports to be a federal judge in Indiana.
news.bloomberglaw.com
November 15, 2025 at 3:15 PM
The stopgap bill to reopen the govt included extra $$ for federal defenders, after funds for court-appointed attorneys ran out in July.

But defenders tell me while they're grateful for the money, it's still not enough to prevent a repeat next year. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Defender Funding in Stopgap May Still Tee Up Future Shortfall
Federal public defenders say the stopgap funding bill ending the US government shutdown will increase their funding and allow millions to be repaid to private defense attorneys but falls short of what...
news.bloomberglaw.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
There were few signs of any distance between the Federalist Society and Trump, who’d expressed disappointment earlier this year about advice he’d gotten from the organization on judicial nominations during his first term, @suzannemonyak.bsky.social reports

news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Conservatives Take a Victory Lap at Federalist Society Event
A Trump administration official had a message for a roomful of conservative lawyers at the Federalist Society’s annual convention, as he and other officials discussed the president’s priorities and ac...
news.bloomberglaw.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche described a “war” against the federal judiciary at the Federalist Society conference today and called on young conservative lawyers in the audience to join the fight, @suzannemonyak.bsky.social reports

news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
DOJ’s No. 2 Official Asks Lawyers to Join ‘War’ Against Judges
Todd Blanche, second-in-command at the Justice Department, described a “war” against the federal judiciary and called on young conservative lawyers in the audience to join the fight against so-called ...
news.bloomberglaw.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
A trial begins today for the DC man who went viral for throwing a sandwich at a CBP officer in August.

Learn more about the case: bit.ly/3JFee9g
November 3, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Court-appointed specialists who aid defense lawyers are cutting costs & refusing assignments after 4 months of unpaid work.

W/ no end in sight to the shutdown, lawyers are telling courts they can't get the experts their clients need. w/ @maiaspoto.bsky.social news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Court Experts Strained by US Funding Lapse Caused by Shutdown
Criminal case specialists who aid judiciary-funded defense lawyers are cutting costs and refusing assignments after four months of working without pay, prompting lawyers to request case delays.
news.bloomberglaw.com
October 30, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
News: The Texas senators have sent recommended picks for federal judgeships to the White House. Among the new names: Erin Nealy Cox is up for a seat in Dallas, local judge Chris Wolfe is tapped for Waco, fed prosecutor Rob Jones for McAllen news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Texas Senators’ Picks for Federal Judgeships Sent to White House
A Kirkland & Ellis partner and a former chief counsel to Sen. Ted Cruz (R) are among recommended judicial nominees Texas’ two Republican senators have sent to the White House, according to multiple pe...
news.bloomberglaw.com
October 29, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
A US judge accused prosecutors of “insolence and indifference” after he suggested they impeded an investigation into the attempted murder of his former clerk during a high-profile case and misrepresented his follow-up efforts, @suzannemonyak.bsky.social reports

news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Federal Judge Says Prosecutors Are ‘Personally Adverse’ to Him
A Tennessee federal judge accused US prosecutors of “insolence and indifference” after he suggested they impeded an investigation into the attempted murder of his former clerk during a high-profile ca...
news.bloomberglaw.com
October 20, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
The government shutdown threatens to stress resources for an already strapped criminal defense bar, as the federal judiciary prepares to run out of cash, @suzannemonyak.bsky.social reports

news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Judiciary Funding Lapse Strains Defense Bar as Shutdown Drags On
The government shutdown threatens to stress resources for an already strapped criminal defense bar, as the federal judiciary prepares to run out of cash.
news.bloomberglaw.com
October 17, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
The recent uptick in threats has heightened concerns around well-being and prompted new efforts to address it, including roundtables and support networks for federal judges, steps former judges say are long overdue, @suzannemonyak.bsky.social reports

news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Judges’ Mental Well-Being Gets New Attention as Threats Rise
After a day of sentencing criminal defendants, Judge Lee Yeakel made a ritual of replaying each hearing in his head and worry whether he’d gotten them right.
news.bloomberglaw.com
October 1, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
At least a third of senior career leaders have left the Justice Department since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, taking with them centuries of combined expertise, according to a Bloomberg Law analysis by @suzannemonyak.bsky.social

news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Justice Department Loses a Third of Career Leaders Under Trump
At least a third of senior career leaders have left the Justice Department since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, taking with them centuries of combined expertise, according to a Blo...
news.bloomberglaw.com
September 29, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
News: Trump's planned nominee for US attorney in Eastern VA, Lindsey Halligan, arrives today as interim chief prosecutor. She's sworn in by Bondi to get to work in an office under pressure to indict Tish James. w/ @suzannemonyak.bsky.social news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-...
Halligan Sworn In as Top Prosecutor in Eastern Virginia
Lindsey Halligan has been sworn in as interim US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, two days after another conservative lawyer was installed to lead the office in an acting capacity.
news.bloomberglaw.com
September 22, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
Scoop: Trump DOJ departs from protocols that prevented politicized civil rights hiring to restock a depleted division. At least two new hires were removed or suspended from prior prosecutor jobs while facing complaints. With @suzannemonyak.bsky.social:
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Trump DOJ Said to Unwind Apolitical Civil Rights Career Hiring
The Justice Department is consolidating civil rights attorney hiring authority with a handful of Trump-aligned supervisors, departing from practices that were designed to avoid politicization, accordi...
news.bloomberglaw.com
September 18, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
EXCLUSIVE: The Justice Department is consolidating civil rights attorney hiring authority with a handful of supervisors, departing from practices that were designed to avoid politicization, @benjaminpenn.bsky.social and @suzannemonyak.bsky.social report

news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Trump DOJ Said to Unwind Apolitical Civil Rights Career Hiring
The Justice Department is consolidating civil rights attorney hiring authority with a handful of Trump-aligned supervisors, departing from practices that were designed to avoid politicization, accordi...
news.bloomberglaw.com
September 18, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
A rotating group of four assistant US attorneys, a supervisor, and paralegal have had to be on call starting at 5:30 p.m. every night for a 24-hour shift to handle the federal arrest surge, @suzannemonyak.bsky.social and @benjaminpenn.bsky.social report

news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Prosecutors Work Overnight in Trump-Directed DC Anti-Crime Surge
Federal prosecutors at the Washington US attorney’s office have been required to work overnight shifts and pushed to charge more cases during a Justice Department law enforcement surge.
news.bloomberglaw.com
September 11, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
Exclusive from @suzannemonyak.bsky.social & me on continued upheaval at DOJ civil rights division:
- 2 probationary attorneys fired
- Others forced into sections focused on voter fraud & anti-DEI probes
- AAG Dhillon hires "new class of civil rights warriors"
news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
DOJ Fires and Reassigns Civil Rights Lawyers as New Hires Arrive
The Justice Department civil rights division’s much shrunken career staff is facing new firings, forced reassignments, and demands for summaries of recent work as its leaders hire outside attorneys an...
news.bloomberglaw.com
August 25, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
Alleged sandwich thrower Sean Charles Dunn is an international affairs specialist with the Office of International Affairs within the department’s criminal division, @suzannemonyak.bsky.social reports.

news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
DOJ Employee Fired for Throwing Sub Sandwich at Federal Officer
The man charged with assault for throwing a sandwich at a federal officer in Washington worked for the Justice Department and has been fired, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced.
news.bloomberglaw.com
August 14, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
New w/ @suzannemonyak.bsky.social: DOJ OLC overturns 1978 policy forbidding prosecutions of low-level border entry offenses when immigrants are apprehended outside the district they first entered. They can now be charged wherever they're arrested. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
More Low-Level Immigration Charges Approved by New DOJ Memo
The Justice Department is now permitting prosecutors to charge undocumented immigrants with lower-level offenses for evading immigration officers when they’re arrested outside the district they initia...
news.bloomberglaw.com
June 25, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
On the allegations from a former DOJ lawyer claiming Emil Bove -- Trump's former personal lawyer, top DOJ official and 3rd Circuit nominee -- discussed defying court orders, from @suzannemonyak.bsky.social‬ (1st reported by NYT) buff.ly/B38vrTy
Bove Told DOJ Lawyers to Ignore Court Orders, Whistleblower Says
Emil Bove, a Justice Department official and judicial nominee, told government lawyers to ignore court orders against the Trump administration’s move to deport immigrants to a Salvadoran prison under…
news.bloomberglaw.com
June 24, 2025 at 4:28 PM
One criminal defense lawyer is taking out a loan. Another will be paying her law student intern out of pocket and “putting everything on credit cards.”

My latest on CJA panel attorneys bracing to foot the bill this summer after judiciary funds expire: news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Defense Lawyers Face Months Without Pay as Federal Funds Dry Up
One Kansas City-based criminal defense lawyer is taking out a loan to sustain operations this summer, as she prepares for more than two months without pay once the federal defenders’ budget runs out. ...
news.bloomberglaw.com
June 2, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Reposted by Suzanne Monyak
The Trump administration is ratcheting up its threats of prosecution against Democrats and other critics, in an escalation of its use of the legal system to go after perceived enemies, @justinfwise.bsky.social and @suzannemonyak.bsky.social report

news.bloomberglaw.com/white-collar...
Trump Ramps Up Threats Against Political Foes After DOJ Shakeup
The Trump administration is ratcheting up its threats of prosecution against Democrats and other critics, in an escalation of its use of the legal system to go after the president’s perceived enemies.
news.bloomberglaw.com
May 22, 2025 at 3:33 PM
New: House Dems announced legislation that would move the Marshals out of the Justice Department and into the judicial branch, amid rising threats against judges and concerns about the independence of the courts. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Democrats Propose Removing US Marshals From Executive Branch (1)
House Judiciary Democrats plan to introduce legislation that would move the federal agency tasked with protecting federal judges out of the Justice Department and into the judicial branch, amid rising...
news.bloomberglaw.com
May 22, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Time is running out for Ed Martin, Trump’s controversial pick for DC US attorney, to be confirmed after opposition from key Senate Republican.

His acting term expires May 20, two days before the earliest date the Judiciary panel can vote under its rules. news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...
Trump’s D.C. Prosecutor Pick Stalls as Key GOP Senator Balks (2)
Time is running out for President Donald Trump’s controversial pick for Washington’s chief prosecutor to be confirmed as he faces opposition from a key Senate Republican.
news.bloomberglaw.com
May 6, 2025 at 9:09 PM