US judiciary says courts have discretion to adopt ‘judge shopping’ policy

The U.S. federal judiciary on Friday made clear that trial courts had discretion to decide how to implement a policy it adopted earlier in the week to curtail the practice of "judge shopping" cases that challenge government policies. Judicial policymakers issued the guidance following a backlash from some conservative judges and Republican lawmakers including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who called it a "half-baked" policy that would advantage Democrats in legal battles. The policy announced on Tuesday by the U.S. Judicial Conference followed complaints by Democratic lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, about conservative litigants filing lawsuits challenging President Joe Biden's agenda in one-or-two judge courthouses, or divisions, in Texas with Republican-appointed judges, allowing them to effectively pick their judge.