Congressional Democrats are pursuing legislation to bar "judge shopping," where lawsuits are filed in small courts to increase their chances of being assigned to sympathetic judges, reported Reuters. The lawmakers sponsoring the bill said it was spurred by a recent ruling from U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, Texas, limiting access to the abortion pill mifepristone nationwide. The new bill, introduced in the House by Rep. Deborah Ross, D-North Carolina, would require federal district courts to ensure that no judge has a greater than 25% chance of being assigned a civil case. Courts could designate judges from adjacent districts in the same state to serve in districts with fewer than four judges.

House Republicans passed a resolution Wednesday to overturn President Joe Biden’s student debt relief plan in an effort led by Rep. Bob Good, R-Virginia, and joined by Democratic representatives Jared Golden of Maine and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington. The House bill, passed 218-203, would terminate the pandemic-era student loan payment pause and cancel the potential relief for 40 million borrowers. The Biden proposal is estimated to cost around $400 billion. The Hill has the full story.

The Biden administration yesterday announced a new rule requiring that migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. must first seek protection in another country that offers asylum, The Hill reports. The current rule, known as Title 42 which is set to expire today, allows for the rapid expulsion of migrants without allowing them to first seek asylum. The administration announced it is creating regional processing centers throughout Central America to assist migrants in assessing if they are eligible for a legal pathway into the U.S. Also today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would limit asylum protections, stimulate the hiring of border agents, and authorize funding to finish building a border wall, though the measure likely will face opposition in the Senate and by the White House.

U.S. Rep. George Santos, R-New York, was arrested today on 13 counts: seven counts of wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, one count of theft of public funds and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. Reuters reports that nine House Republicans have so far called on Santos to resign, including six from his home state of New York. But House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, said the caucus would withhold judgment on Santos: "In America, there's a presumption of innocence, but they're serious charges. He's going to have to go through the legal process." The Hill reports that Santos has pleaded not guilty.

Former federal judge J. Michael Luttig told the Senate Judiciary Committee that Congress “has the power under the Constitution” to “enact laws prescribing the ethical standards applicable to the nonjudicial conduct and activities of the Supreme Court of the United States,” CNN reports. The hearing on ethics was called by committee Chair Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, after recent reports that Justice Neil Gorsuch failed to disclose a real estate transaction with the chief executive of a law firm that often does business before the court and Justice Clarence Thomas had omitted luxury gifts and real estate deals from his disclosure statements for decades. Last week, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts declined an invitation to appear before the committee, citing concerns about judicial independence.

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts yesterday declined an invitation to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee to talk about ethics issues, citing concerns about judicial independence and the division of power among the three branches of government. He did, however, submit a “Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices” to the committee, which explained how justices address ethical issues, SCOTUSblog reports. The committee chair had asked Roberts to testify about ethics rules and potential reform after news broke that Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose luxury travel. Yesterday, Politico reported that Justice Neil Gorsuch, soon after being appointed to the court, failed to disclose the purchaser of a Colorado property that he co-owned. It is now known that the buyer is chief executive of a law firm with business at the court.

The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) is asking Congress for $1.5 billion in FY 2024. According to LSC President Ron Flagg, the amount represents a projected increase in demand for civil legal services due to the persistent impact of COVID-19 on low-income Americans and the ongoing lack of adequate resources for legal aid organizations. The Biden administration included $800 million in its budget request for the agency, $100 million more than it asked for last year. Flagg praised the president for requesting increased funding, but said the LSC Board of Directors felt strongly about the $1.5 billion amount and unanimously supported the decision to continue advocating for that level of funding. Read more from the agency.

The chair of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee announced yesterday that the committee will hold a hearing on ethical issues recently in the news with regard to Justice Clarence Thomas. In a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts, Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Illinois, urged the court “to immediately open … an investigation and take all needed action to prevent further misconduct.” He also said that if the court does not resolve the issue, the committee will consider legislation to resolve it. Above the Law reports on the development and has a copy of the letter.

In the wake of last week’s school shooting in Nashville, federal and state lawmakers are calling for a range of responses. Tennessee Lookout reports that Gov. Bill Lee today called for increased funding for school security measures and mental health support. Read more on that proposal. According to WPLN, Tennessee Senate Speaker Randy McNally has expressed support for “red flag laws,” which would allow guns to be removed from those who pose a threat to themselves or the public. Former governors Bill Haslam and Phil Bredesen offer their proposed solutions in an editorial written for the Tennessean. On the federal level, Republican Rep. Andy Ogles of Columbia has asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to charge the shooting suspect with hate crimes, The Hill reports, while Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty unveiled legislation last week to create a $900 million federal grant program for school safety measures. Chattanoogan.com has more on that initiative.

The U.S. Justice Department is seeking to go on a “hiring spree” for immigration judges next year, Knoxville Times reports. In its budget proposal for fiscal year 2024, which starts Oct. 1, the department is seeking $1.46 billion for the office tasked with adjudicating immigration claims. The request represents an increase of nearly 70% in funding and would enable the agency to hire 965 new judicial staff, including 150 new immigration judges. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in written testimony before a Senate appropriations subcommittee that the effort is designed to address the backlog of cases. There are currently about 600 immigration judges in the country (more than double from just a few years ago) handling more than two million cases.