Donald Trump has a new target. It is the guidebook federal judges use to parse complex science. On Sunday, the former president took to Truth Social, demanding a formal review of the Federal Judicial Center’s reference manual, arguing that the text relies on “discredited” information that has cost the country dearly.
He wants a probe. Specifically, he ordered Federal Suspension and Debarment Officials to investigate the unspecified “conduct” of those involved. The White House stayed silent when asked for clarification.
This is a messy fight. Earlier this year, the judiciary quietly yanked a chapter on climate change from the book’s latest edition after Republican state attorneys general complained of bias against fossil fuel companies. The system buckled.
The manual matters. Judges rely on it to parse complex expert testimony. Jointly produced by the Federal Judicial Center and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the fourth edition dropped in December. The now-deleted climate section, penned by Columbia Law School’s Jessica Wentz and Radley Horton, was meant to help judges weigh expert testimony. Instead, it became a political football.
