Judicial Watch head nominated for D.C. judicial commission

Shortly before entering the hospital for treatment for COVID-19 last week, President Trump nominated Tom Fitton, the head of Judicial Watch, to join the D.C. Commission on Judicial Disabilities and Tenure. The Commission oversees the District of Columbia judiciary (essentially D.C.’s equivalent of state judges) and has the power to remove judges for misconduct, as well as physical or mental incapacitation.

Fitton has been outspoken in opposition to the Mueller probe and critical of the Obama Administration, and plainly has ingratiated himself with the President. While Trump has the authority to nominate anyone he likes to the commission, the open partisanship of this choice will do little to build public confidence in the fairness or impartiality of the Commission.

D.C. Superior Court able to cobble together juries despite computer glitch

A computer glitch in the D.C. Superior Court prevented jury summonses from being printed and delivered in late December, leaving court officials scrambling for jurors in late January. Ultimately, the court was able to bring in enough jurors on a few days’ notice to be able to hold the scheduled jury trials.

Jury trials are a critical part of American democracy, and in many instances a constitutional right. But jury service is also an imposition on the lives of our citizens. Courts need to make it as easy as possible for people to perform their civic obligations, and monitoring whether jury notices go out on time seems like a simple place to start.