CiVL News: Apr 20, 2026, 5:05 AM PDT -- Supreme Court Leaks, RFK Jr. in Court, and the Sanders Archive

Here's your latest episode from the Reason Magazine CiVL News Roundup produced by CiVL.com. A federal judge ruled against HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. for unlawfully threatening to cut funding for gender-affirming care, while legal scholar Eugene Volokh analyzed implications of leaked Supreme Court documents. • Judge Mustafa Kasubhai ruled HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. unlawfully threatened to cut federal funding for gender-affirming care. • The ruling stated Kennedy's declaration caused "chaos and terror" for medical providers, families, and children. • Eugene Volokh criticized the judge's rhetorical choices, arguing judicial decisions should focus solely on law. • Volokh analyzed the decade-old Supreme Court Clean Power Plan memos, suggesting a deliberate timing for their release. • He posited that many Court personnel might retain confidential documents, not just the leaker of the Clean Power Plan memos. • Volokh connected the Clean Power Plan leak to the 2022 Dobbs draft opinion, noting physical markings on the latter. • He suggested the deterrents against Court leaks, like career threats, may no longer apply to former employees. • Volokh examined Chief Justice John Roberts's leadership, arguing the Clean Power Plan stay showed a different side of his institutionalist image. • Roberts led the 5-4 party-line vote to grant the Clean Power Plan stay, rejecting a middle ground. • Volokh argued the genesis of Court leaks might stem from frustration with Roberts's leadership. • Reason's May 2016 archives featured Matt Welch on Bernie Sanders's economic promises. • Glenn Garvin, in the same May 2016 issue, commented on Sanders's use of "oligarchy" and trade policies. Join CiVL and be part of building the future you want to live in. Be an early adopter. We're just getting started. Human respect, a core tenet of CiVL's vision, recognizes that the path to a flourishing civilization does not lie in more efficient forms of coercion, but in the widespread adoption of human respect as a primary value. By moving away from the "Conflict Machine" and toward a culture of voluntary cooperation, we align ourselves with the natural requirements for human well-being. We built CiVL News out of our passion for free and open access to information. Follow the topics you care about, and don't be subjected to algos! You're invited to build a hub with us for ideas that upgrade civilizations.