A 'Reagan conservative' resigns from the federal judiciary

Sunday, February 08, 2026

President Ronald Reagan appointed Mark Wolf to be a U.S. district judge in 1985. Four decades later, he announced his resignation from the bench in an article in the Atlantic. Federal judges adhere to strict rules regarding what they can say in public. To avoid an appearance of bias, they rarely speak publicly at all -- and refrain from commenting on politics and political leaders. Instead, they speak through their written opinions on matters of fact and law.

Posted by lamplighter at 12:18 AM | 2 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

Alternate links: Google News | Twitter

Comments

Admin's note: Participants in this discussion must follow the site's moderation policy. Profanity will be filtered. Abusive conduct is not allowed.

More from the article ...

... But in the face of what he calls the Trump administration's "assault on the rule of law," Mr. Wolf wrote that he could "no longer ... bear to be restrained by what judges can say publicly or do outside the courtroom."

His decision has faced some criticism. Mr. Wolf "is a disgrace to the federal judiciary," wrote Mike Davis, founder of the Article III Project, a group that advocates confirming conservative judges to the federal courts, in a Fox News commentary.

Mr. Wolf, who served as a district court judge in Massachusetts and is now a lawyer at Todd & Weld in Boston, spoke with the Monitor recently. He discussed his decision to resign from the bench, why he believes President Donald Trump is a threat to the rule of law, and how he thinks the job of a judge is often misunderstood.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity. ...

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-02-08 12:21 AM | Reply

@#1 ... Mr. Wolf "is a disgrace to the federal judiciary," ...

A disgrace to the Federal Judiciary because he followed the law?

#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-02-08 12:22 AM | Reply