Ex-Federal Judges Urge Court To Reopen Trump IRS Leak Settlement
On Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 35 retired federal judges asked U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams to reopen the Trump IRS leak settlement, calling the agreement a fraud on the court.[1]
The judges filed a motion asking Williams to vacate or revisit her dismissal order and to examine whether the settlement was the product of collusion.[1] They say Williams' earlier order noting "no settlement of record" shows she was deceived.[1]
The underlying settlement created a $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization fund" and included an IRS pledge not to pursue claims against Trump based on prior tax returns.[1] Democrats in Congress have labeled the fund a potential "slush fund," and some Republicans have warned it could benefit pardoned Jan. 6 defendants.[1] The Justice Department says a five-person board will decide claims and that it will use no partisan criteria.[1]
Williams had previously signaled concern about whether a lawsuit brought by Trump against his own administration met the Constitution's case-or-controversy requirement before the parties moved to dismiss.[1] The judges' filing asks Williams to reopen the case and reconsider her dismissal in light of their fraud-on-the-court allegations.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 35 retired federal judges filed a motion asking U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams to reopen Trump's IRS leak case.
- The underlying settlement created a $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization fund" and included an IRS pledge not to pursue claims against Trump based on prior tax returns.
- The judges allege the settlement was a product of collusion, call it a "fraud on the court," and say Williams' dismissal order noting "no settlement of record" indicates she was deceived.
- Williams had previously signaled concern over whether a lawsuit between Trump and his own administration met the Constitution's case-or-controversy requirement before the parties moved to dismiss.
- Congressional Democrats have labeled the fund a potential "slush fund," and some Republicans have raised concerns it could benefit pardoned Jan. 6 defendants, while DOJ says a five-person board will decide claims without partisan criteria.
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