/1🚨BREAKING — FEDERAL JUDGE McCONNELL MUST RECUSE HIMSELF IMMEDIATELY.
AFL has uncovered a major potential conflict of interest for Judge John McConnell, Chief Judge of the federal district court of Rhode Island, who halted President Trump’s temporary spending freeze.
READ ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/mDEBDxd5hX
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) February 16, 2025
/3 In fact, Judge McConnell has appeared as a Director on Crossroads’ IRS Form 990 every year since he took the federal bench in 2013. pic.twitter.com/JfbKk7RrJC
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) February 16, 2025
/5 According to Crossroads’ 2023 Form 990, Crossroads Rhode Island received over $18.6 million in government funding that year alone.
That accounted for over half of its $30 million of revenue. pic.twitter.com/GARJD4iQGH
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) February 16, 2025
/7 This year, Rhode Island government records show that Crossroads Rhode Island has already received just under $2.9 million in FY2025 to provide various programs and services to Rhode Island, one of the plaintiffs. pic.twitter.com/GjgK4LW59t
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) February 16, 2025
/9 It is common practice for the federal government to disburse money to the states, which then hand it out to NGOs like Crossroads Rhode Island.
Here, Judge McConnell ordered taxpayer dollars to continue flowing to the states, including Rhode Island, writing, “[s]tates rely on… pic.twitter.com/C4ZAromQSk
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) February 16, 2025
/11 In short, in the 18 years Judge McConnell has been on the board of Crossroads Rhode Island, it has received over $128 million in government funding.
When Judge McConnell ruled against the Trump Administration and required federal taxpayers to continue funding the State of… pic.twitter.com/ZWn16ZOGp0
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) February 16, 2025
/13 The law further requires judges to disqualify themselves when they are a fiduciary or have any other interest that could be substantially affected by the outcome of the proceeding. pic.twitter.com/snm1gzo8bW
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) February 16, 2025
/15 But that’s not all… ⬇️
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) February 16, 2025
/17 In the words of the Supreme Court, ​​“An insistence on the appearance of neutrality is not some artificial attempt to mask imperfection in the judicial process, but rather an essential means of ensuring the reality of a fair adjudication.
Both the appearance and reality of… pic.twitter.com/M2mUZEvFLL
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) February 16, 2025
/19 Given the heightened public scrutiny of this case and the profound constitutional implications inherent in binding the actions of the President of the United States, the appearance of a conflict of interest is highly problematic, to say the least.
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) February 16, 2025
/20 If, as the documents suggest, Judge McConnell has been a leader of Crossroads Rhode Island, and if, as the documents also suggest, he knew or should have known that Crossroads Rhode Island would stand to benefit from his ruling against the federal taxpayers, then it seems he…
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) February 16, 2025