The Senate recessed today for two weeks and most people are focusing on the Omnibus. The government funding issue is important but so are the people who work for the government. Using obstruction tactics in unprecedented fashion, Democrats have fought against confirming Trump appointees to run the government. As Politifact recently reported:

On March 20, Senator Orrin Hatch, the president pro tempore of the Senate, delivered an impassioned speech about the current state of federal judicial vacancies under President Trump.

RNLA Executive Director Michael Thielen wrote today in The Daily Callerabout how Democrats are trying - successfully - to seize political control by using the courts to control redistricting:

In what is turning out to be a blockbuster term for the First Amendment (Janus v. AFSCME & Minnesota Voters Alliance v. Mansky) and redistricting cases (more generally), today the United States Supreme Court heard another highly controversial case involving compelled speech and the First Amendment: National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra.

The Republican Party of Pennsylvania asked acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Robert Torres to investigate several "irregularities" during last Tuesday's special election in the 18th Congressional District.  Democrat Conor Lamb won the race by just 627 votes over Republican Richard Saccone, a small enough margin that even a relatively small number of confused or disenfranchised voters could change the outcome of the race.

Wednesday, the Federal Election Commission approved a draft Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Internet Communication Disclaimers and the Definition of "Public Communication":

Professor Ron Rotunda, a stalwart leader of the conservative and Republican legal movements, has unexpectedly passed away.  A consummate scholar, he was an expert on constitutional law, federalism, free speech, professional responsibility, legal history, and many other areas of law.  His legal and political analysis was always insightful and witty, enabling non-lawyers and lawyers alike to easily understand complicated concepts and making him a sought-after commentator on many issues.  

Yesterday's much-publicized special election in Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district remains close, with the Democrat Conor Lamb leading Republican Rick Saccone by just 627 votes out of over 228,000 cast.  A recount is expected:

In Law360 yesterday, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley noted the vital importance of judicial nominees who are committed to the rule of law:

RNLA Member Donald Daugherty recently conducted a book review published by the Federalist Society on American Justice 2017: The Supreme Court in Crisis by Kimberly Robinson.