House Judiciary Republicans ask US Judicial Conference to review conduct of federal judge in Florida

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, sent a letter Thursday to the Judicial Conference of the United States, asking it to review whether a federal judge in Florida abused her judicial authority and violated fundamental tenets of judicial impartiality.

The letter refers to U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams' order in July that chastised President Trump's lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service and referred the attorneys who brought it for disciplinary proceedings.

The letter, also signed by House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts Chairman Darrell Issa, noted that the judge's order came after the plaintiffs filed a notice of voluntary dismissal of the case.

"In addition, the nonparties filed their motion on May 27, 2026—nine days after the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed the case—and completed their briefing on June 19," House Judiciary Republicans said in a news release. "Judge Williams issued her order on July 13, two days before then-Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's confirmation hearing in the Senate. 

"Judge Williams unnecessarily maligned Attorney General Blanche in her order, which elected Democrats subsequently used against him during the confirmation hearing for political advantage," the release added.

The order came after the Department of Justice settled with the IRS earlier this year, reaching an agreement to establish a now-terminated anti-weaponization fund. Trump had sued the IRS over the leak of his tax returns.

"The Code of Conduct for United States Judges requires a judge to avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all activities, to perform the duties of office fairly, impartially, and diligently, and to refrain from political activity," the letter reads. 

"The timing and posture of the July 13 order, the reliance on unsolicited information from politically motivated nonparties, and the direction that copies of the order be sent to the New York and D.C. bars raise questions whether Judge Williams complied with these ethical obligations," it added.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.