Sen. Whitehouse to warn of judicial activism, Dec. 4

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) will explore the issue of judicial activism at a National Press Club Headliners news conference at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4.

The event, scheduled for the Zenger Room, is open to all credentialed media and members of the National Press Club.  Advance registration is required.

Judicial activism was often used in the past by conservatives to decry decisions of perceived liberal judges and courts on matters of social activism.  Whitehouse’s view is the opposite.  He is concerned that the federal judiciary is tending to support the interests of partisan political donors. 

He has referred to this situation as the “capture of America's judiciary by corporate and partisan interests.”  His assertions have ignited opposition from Republican leaders.

Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was elected to his third Senate term in 2018.  He was previously appointed as the U.S. Attorney for Rhode Island by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and later was elected Rhode Island attorney general in 1999. He is a graduate of Yale (architecture) and the University of Virginia Law School.