While many people were on vacation, Biden judges kept busy during August, casting votes in 14 significant cases across the country. These included an important Sixth Circuit ruling on the obligation of states to provide abortion counseling and referral when they take federal family planning funds. While the Supreme Court may well decide to review that decision, in a 6-3 order it declined to stop a Tenth Circuit ruling to that effect. The August cases also included four involving environmental protection and four relating to claims of discrimination or sexual harassment.
Each case is summarized below, along with a link to the full People For the American Way Foundation blog entry on the decision and to the ruling itself. Links to previous People For analyses of Biden judge cases are also below. Such rulings by Biden judges demonstrate the importance to all of us of promptly nominating and confirming fair-minded judges.
The Biden White House and Senate Democrats have been working hard to rebalance the courts after four years of Senator McConnell’s brisk pace of confirming Trump judges. As of September 9, the Senate has confirmed 205 Biden judges, the same as confirmed by McConnell at this point in the Trump presidency. More work remains necessary, however, since McConnell confirmed an additional 29 judges from this point in 2020 through the end of the year. Updated statistics can be found at: peoplefor.org/confirming-fair-minded-judges
- Biden Judge Casts Deciding Vote and Writes Opinion to Uphold Federal Requirement that State Must Provide Neutral Abortion Referrals to Requesting Patients as a Condition of Obtaining Federal Family Planning Grants
- Biden Judge Authorizes Environmental Groups to Proceed with Suit Against EPA Under the Toxic Substances Control Act
- Biden Judge Upholds EPA Rule Regulating Chemical Emissions that Create Cancer Risk
- Biden Judge Casts Deciding Vote and Rules that Sex Harassment Claim Should Go to a Jury
- Biden Judge Writes Unanimous Opinion Authorizing Black Man to Go Forward with Discrimination Claim Against Store Where he Tried to Make Purchase
- Biden Judge Writes Unanimous Opinion Letting Indigent Woman Challenge Her Conviction As Unfairly Based on Testimony from an Unqualified Expert
- Biden Judge Casts Deciding Vote to Allow Consumer Class Action Against Auto Insurance Company to Proceed
- Biden Judge Casts Deciding Vote to Authorize Class Action for Fraud Against GM to Proceed
- Biden Judge Affirms Award of Black Lung Benefits to Former Coal Miner
- Biden Judge Affirms Award of Over $120,000 in Compensatory Education Relief to Student with Disabilities
- Biden Judge Agrees that Woman Cannot be Forced to Resolve Hostile Work Environment Claim Through Arbitration Pursuant to New Federal Law
- Biden Judge Writes 2-1 Decision Giving Student Who was Raped an Opportunity to Prove that Univesrity Retaliated Against Her for Filing Federal Claim
- Biden Judges Vacate Order Approving Liquefied Natural Gas Project Because of Environmental Concerns
- Biden Judge Casts Deciding Vote to Allow Woman Who Was Shot While Police Were Pursuing Her Boyfriend to Sue For Damages
Previous People For analyses of Biden judge rulings include our September 2022 report, July 2023 report, and monthly summaries for September , October, November, and December of 2023 and for January, February March April May and June-July 2024.