President Obama has reshaped the federal courts for decades to come with a record number of women and minorities appointed to lifetime judgeships, despite losing his high-profile battle over the U.S. Supreme Court this year.

Of the more than 340 judges nominated by Mr. Obama and confirmed by the Senate, about 42 percent are women, 19 percent are black and 11 percent are Hispanic — more female and minority appointees than any other president. Mr. Obama also has appointed at least 11 federal judges who are openly gay, another record.

Along the way, the president has turned nine of the 13 key federal appeals courts into majority-Democrat courts. When he came into office in 2009, only one of the circuit courts was majority Democrat.

Ryan Bundy, a son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, argued before a judge Friday that he should be released from federal custody as he awaits charges stemming from the 2014 armed standoff near Bunkerville.
Bundy, arguing on his own behalf, told U.S. Magistrate Judge George Foley Jr. in Las Vegas that he can’t adequately prepare for his case while detained and asserted that his right to a speedy trial have been violated.

“I am not afraid of the truth,” said Bundy, 44. “I just want the truth brought out.”

The Wisconsin governor has asked Trump to restore the balance of federal and state power. Here’s why all states should rally to his call.

America owes President Barack Obama an enormous debt of gratitude for showing how truly dangerous the federal government can be when our Constitution’s checks and balances start failing. With the active collusion of congressional Democrats, President Obama’s presidency has been one long series of body blows to the separation of powers that has protected our democracy since the Founding. The results have been stark. Never has a president trampled so much on the prerogatives of Congress. Obama’s executive orders, suspending parts of our immigration laws and even his own prized Obamacare, have been sheer usurpations, going far beyond even the breathtaking delegations of legislative authority granted by the brief Democratic supermajority in Congress in 2009–10.

JOHN DAY, Ore. — On a recent wintry evening, members of the Grant County Public Forest Commission walked into the warmth of a rustic diner and took seats at their customary table for their bimonthly meeting.

They voiced anger and frustration. At this meeting, they were officially a non-entity.

12-17-16 : By BEN BOTKIN LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL One of Cliven Bundy’s co-defendants in the armed standoff case wants to go to trial sooner than a judge has ordered. In a motion filed Wednesday, defendant Peter Santilli also argues that the 17 defendants in the standoff case should be tried with two trials instead of the three trials the judge ordered. The motion is an effort to change U.S. Magistrate Judge Peggy Leen’s order for three separate trials that group the defendants in tiers based on their alleged involvement in the standoff. The order puts Santilli in the second trial. The first trial is […]

U.S. to disclose estimate of number of Americans under surveillance Fri Dec 16, 2016  Reuters   By Dustin Volz | WASHINGTON The U.S. intelligence community will soon disclose an estimate of the number of Americans whose electronic communications have been caught in the crosshairs of online surveillance programs intended for foreigners, U.S. lawmakers said in a letter seen by Reuters on Friday. The estimate, requested by members of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, is expected to be made public as early as next month, the letter said. Its disclosure would come as Congress is expected to begin debate in the coming months […]

Obama admin. sent taxpayer money to campaign to oust Netanyahu   By Stephen Dinan – The Washington Times – Tuesday, July 12, 2016 The State Department paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayers grants to an Israeli group that used the money to build a campaign to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in last year’s Israeli parliamentary elections, a congressional investigation concluded Tuesday. Some $350,000 was sent to OneVoice, ostensibly to support the group’s efforts to back Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement negotiations. But OneVoice used the money to build a voter database, train activists and hire a political consulting firm with ties to President Obama’s campaign […]

2016 Oregon Person of the Year: Top 25 nominees December 15, 2016 : the Oregonian Who was the most influential, fascinating or newsworthy person we’ve written about in 2016? We’re letting our readers decide. We’ve narrowed the field to 25 candidates for your consideration. As you’ll see, they aren’t all heroes. Some of them are controversial figures; some were involved in tragic stories; some are longtime leaders and some you may never have heard of. And one is not a person at all. The finalists all have local or regional ties, and at one point or another captivated readers or […]