The judge who will hear the Democrat Party’s lawsuit against the Trump administration donated to former President Joe Biden.
Judge Amir Ali, a Biden appointee who was confirmed in late November by a 50-49 vote, has a history of donating to Democrats. He was assigned Friday to hear the Democratic National Committee’s lawsuit challenging Trump’s executive order emphasizing the president’s control over federal agencies.
While at the MacArthur Justice Center, Ali donated $2,000 to Biden’s 2020 campaign, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records. Additionally, he earmarked hundreds of dollars during the 2020 election for other Democratic candidates through donations to ActBlue.
The DNC’s lawsuit alleges Trump’s effort to assert control over agencies jeopardizes independence of the FEC, which the party relies on because the agency’s regulations “structure nearly every aspect” of their business.
The party expressed concern that FEC’s “bipartisan commission of experts” would be overtaken by the legal interpretations of a “political opponent.”
“The extinction of the FEC’s independence—and replacement with the President’s decree—severely harms Plaintiffs by placing the head of the opposing political party in charge of interpreting campaign finance law for the executive branch,” the lawsuit states.
In a separate case, Ali issued an order Tuesday giving the Trump administration until the next day to resume an estimated $2 billion in frozen foreign aid payments. Chief Justice John Roberts put a hold on Ali’s order Wednesday night.
Republican Tennessee Rep. Andy Ogles filed articles of impeachment on Thursday against Ali.
“Judge Ali has without merit marginalized the President’s Article II authority, which vests the power to conduct foreign policy in the President of the United States, and has further compromised the President’s fiduciary obligation to review federal agencies and programs,” the resolution states. “This patent violation of Constitutional precedent—which necessarily precludes an explanation based on ignorance of the supreme law of the land—is entirely inconsistent with serving the United States as a district court judge.”
Ali, who was born in Canada, clerked for the Supreme Court of Canada from 2012-2013.
Featured Image Credit: United States District Court for the District of Columbia
