Reporter covering federal courts + justice @ Bloomberg Law. Get in touch: smonyak@bloombergindustry.com, suzannemonyak.59 on Signalhttps://bsky.app/profile/suzannemonyak.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/suzannemonyak.bsky.social/post/3mhccx32wzc2dThe Trump admin was back in court today facing a skeptical Judge Richard Leon, as DOJ defended Trump’s authority to construct a massive White House ballroom. DOJ’s position “takes some brazen interpretation of the laws of vocabulary,” Leon said. New: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/judge-skeptical-of-trump-power-to-build-white-house-ballroom18 Mar 2026 01:18 +0000at://did:plc:bcbzmhet3mt6p2ygda2gp5im/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhccx32wzc2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/suzannemonyak.bsky.social/post/3mfd7gnojmc2uRetired MA federal Judge Mark Wolf created a stressful culture in chambers, including by yelling and throwing papers, some former staff told me. Wolf resigned last year to speak freely about Trump's "assault on the rule of law" after decades on the bench. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/ex-judge-wolfs-staff-describe-walking-on-eggshells-in-chambers20 Feb 2026 22:57 +0000at://did:plc:bcbzmhet3mt6p2ygda2gp5im/app.bsky.feed.post/3mfd7gnojmc2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/suzannemonyak.bsky.social/post/3m5m6v5z3x224The 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. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/defender-funding-in-stopgap-may-still-tee-up-future-shortfall14 Nov 2025 17:20 +0000at://did:plc:bcbzmhet3mt6p2ygda2gp5im/app.bsky.feed.post/3m5m6v5z3x224https://bsky.app/profile/suzannemonyak.bsky.social/post/3m4g224zm3c2zCourt-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 https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/court-experts-strained-by-us-funding-lapse-caused-by-shutdown30 Oct 2025 13:12 +0000at://did:plc:bcbzmhet3mt6p2ygda2gp5im/app.bsky.feed.post/3m4g224zm3c2z