Obama-Appointed Federal Judge Slammed for Bizarrely Informal Language in Ruling Against Trump Admin: ‘It’s an Embarrassment’
A news article reports that a federal judge appointed by President Obama faced social media criticism after using juvenile slang in a legal ruling. Specifically, Judge Cornelia Pillard described a legal argument as “weak sauce,” a slang term meaning lacking substance. This phrase drew comments from legal experts adn judges, who considered it unprofessional and damaging to the court’s credibility. Critics argued that such informal language in official judicial opinions undermines judicial seriousness and could be misused in future cases. Prominent figures, including Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton, accused the judges of abusing power and questioned the court’s integrity. Some commentators also labeled the judge “unqualified” for using accessible but inappropriate language, with others mocking the trend of incorporating slang into legal writing. The ruling involved a decision that the IRS’s data-sharing agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement was unlawful, and the court upheld a stay on further disclosures. The case remains under consideration, with the government potentially planning an appeal.
A federal judge appointed by former President Barack Obama was called out on social media this week by several legal commentators after she used a juvenile slang term in one of her rulings.
A Washington, D.C. Circuit panel of judges ruled Tuesday that a data-sharing agreement between the IRS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to crack down on illegal aliens is illegal, according to Courthouse News.
The three-judge panel, all Obama appointees, upheld another federal judge’s decision to stay the IRS from disclosing more addresses to ICE after it had already given the agency 47,000 records.
U.S. Circuit Judge Cornelia Pillard, who wrote the court’s 32-page opinion, was criticized for using the term “weak sauce” when describing the IRS’ argument. The term is slang for something with no substance or foundation.
“The IRS also asserts that the preliminary injunction is ‘highly unusual and harmful’ because it requires the IRS to provide the district court with ‘prior notice of criminal investigatory activity.’” Pillard wrote in the decision. “That argument is weak sauce where the district court has permitted the IRS to file any necessary notifications ‘under seal,’ thereby shielding any criminal investigative activity from disclosure.”
William Shipley, a former DOJ prosecutor, said on social media that this verbiage was an “embarrassment” and will be cited in future cases, diminishing the court’s credibility.
“It’s an embarrassment to the Court that 2 judges would not have told the author to change a different phrase with the same meaning,” he wrote. “Now that is going to be quoted/cited in future cases and it will look sophomoric and unserious.”
It’s an embarrassment to the Court that 2 judges would not have told the author to change a different phrase with the same meaning. Now that is going to be quoted/cited in future cases and it will look sophomoric and unserious. https://t.co/8fgRdwKiDL
— Shipwreckedcrew (@shipwreckedcrew) September 8, 2026
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton also d a screenshot of the ruling on X, adding that, “Three anti-Trump Obama judges abuse power to impair basic immigration law enforcement. We have a judicial integrity crisis in the federal courts.”
Three anti-Trump Obama judges abuse power to impair basic immigration law enforcement. We have a judicial integrity crisis in the federal courts. https://t.co/mhkDuwSE3D
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) September 8, 2026
One X user called the judge “unqualified” and said she was using the “elementary vernacular of political appointees.”
D.C. litigation lawyer Joshua Prince jokingly posted, “Make legal writing formal again.”
Paul Taske, Director of the Net Choice Litigation Center, remarked, “I’m all for using accessible language, but the insertion of popular slang in judicial opinions is getting out of hand.”
Pillard was joined in her decision by U.S. Circuit Judges Patricia Millett and Robert Wilkins.
The Wall Street Journal reported that an IRS spokesman declined to comment on the case, leaving it unclear whether the federal government will appeal Pillard’s decision.
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