A conservative watchdog organisation has lodged a judicial misconduct complaint against U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, alleging he should have recused himself from a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s attempt to rename the Kennedy Center.
The complaint, filed by the Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, centres on Cooper’s wife, attorney Amy Jeffress, who has represented several prominent Trump critics and is currently acting for former President Joe Biden in litigation involving the Trump administration. In May, Cooper ruled against Trump, permanently blocking the renaming effort following legal action brought by Ohio Democratic Representative Joyce Beatty.
CASA argues that Cooper failed to disclose or step aside from the case despite what it describes as significant professional and financial connections through his wife’s legal work. “There was a clear need for Cooper to recuse himself from this matter, or at the very least disclose these conflicts,” CASA Director of Research and Policy Curtis Schube told Fox News.
The complaint contends that Cooper’s involvement created “an appearance of impropriety” and may have breached multiple provisions of the federal judiciary’s Code of Conduct relating to judicial independence, impartiality and public confidence in the courts. While the filing does not seek to overturn Cooper’s ruling, it calls for an investigation into whether disciplinary action is warranted.
Cooper, who was appointed to the federal bench by former President Barack Obama in 2014, has previously faced criticism from Trump allies over similar conflict-of-interest concerns linked to his wife’s representation of former FBI lawyer Lisa Page during investigations connected to the now-discredited hoax Trump-Russia collusion allegations.
