Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., has declared war on the judicial branch.
Among his many complaints, he has insinuated without proof that judicial opinions he disagrees with are influenced by amicus—“friend of court”—briefs entangled in webs of dark money. To combat this supposed problem, he has pushed for onerous disclosure requirements that would essentially reveal everyone (and every dollar) an amicus associates with.
It’s all part of his broader efforts to hurt his perceived political enemies and undermine public confidence in the courts now that they no longer reliably deliver politically palatable results for him and his left-leaning constituents.
At first, he and Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., introduced the AMICUS Act, a partisan bill that would impose onerous donor disclosure requirements on anyone who dares to file a friend-of-court brief. Given the…
