Judge Trump called a ‘lunatic’ abruptly backs off demand after showdown with DOJ No. 3
The filing was signed only by Woodward, which immediately became a point of contention at the start of Monday's hearing.
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Reyes demanded that the attorneys "raise your hand" if they would sign the briefing, which Woodward said was "not an appropriate request."
She then invoked Rule 11 and ordered them to the podium to sign the filing.
But Woodward and the attorneys refused. Reyes initially set a 3 p.m. deadline but later extended it until noon Tuesday and offered to allow the attorneys' names to appear on the brief rather than requiring their signatures. In the end, she abandoned the demand completely.
"For those wondering, a common reason high level DOJ appointees sometimes signs briefs boils down to good leadership," Abhishek Kambli, a former federal prosecutor, wrote on X. "If there is something that is likely to be contentious with a judge, a DOJ leader signs their name on the brief so that any issues someone has with the brief is directed at them rather than lower level attorneys. Regardless, it goes without saying that a decision such as this should not be something a judge is inquiring into."
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"DOJ line attorneys increasingly do not sign briefs as of Dem law fare. Dems have and continue to go after the bar licenses of young DOJ line attorneys who are simply executing on behalf of the department," Rachel Boulvard, vice president of programs at the Conservative Partnership Institute, wrote on X.
Reyes, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2023, previously faced a Justice Department judicial-misconduct complaint over her handling of litigation challenging Trump’s restrictions on transgender individuals serving in the military.
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During a February 2025 hearing, Reyes questioned a Trump administration attorney about what Jesus Christ would say about policies excluding transgender people from homeless shelters.
Then-DOJ Chief of Staff Chad Mizelle accused Reyes of "hostile and egregious misconduct" and potential bias in a formal complaint filed with the D.C. Circuit. The complaint was later dismissed, with the circuit’s chief judge concluding that a recusal motion was the proper avenue for challenging Reyes’ conduct.
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