America First Legal (AFL) has filed a judicial complaint against Rhode Island Federal Judge John McConnell, Jr. The complaint was submitted to Chief Judge David Barron of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. It highlights potential conflicts of interest and violations of judicial ethics by Judge McConnell.
Judge McConnell is currently overseeing the case New York v. Trump, involving 21 states and the District of Columbia seeking to prevent a temporary freeze on federal funding. In February, he ruled that taxpayer funds should continue to be distributed to these states, including an organization in Rhode Island where he served on the board for nearly two decades.
In March, AFL raised concerns about a conflict of interest in this case and requested Judge McConnell's recusal while launching an investigation into his conduct. AFL has now presented its findings to Chief Judge Barron and formally requested an investigation by the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
The complaint from AFL accuses Judge McConnell of violating several Canons of Judicial Conduct and potentially breaching his fiduciary duty due to his long-term association with Crossroads Rhode Island.
Andrew Block, Senior Counsel at America First Legal, stated: “At a time when the public is losing faith in the integrity and independence of the judicial system, it is incumbent on the First Circuit to objectively investigate the allegations in the complaint in a fair and transparent manner to help restore the public’s faith in the judicial system.”
The formal judicial complaint can be accessed for further details.