A federal judge has been removed from a significant challenge to Mississippi’s anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) law following a scathing rebuke from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which characterized his handling of the case as a “botch job.” The appeals court vacated U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate’s preliminary injunction blocking the law, citing orders riddled with factual errors, a potentially AI-generated fake case citation, and a flawed application of Supreme Court precedent. In an extraordinary move, the Fifth Circuit has ordered the case reassigned to a different judge, with Judge Jerry Smith writing that the district judge “carelessly exercised his Article III power by issuing sloppy edicts based on falsehoods and fabrications,” and suggesting the court, “or perhaps, being charitable, its AI agent—ignored and manipulated governing law, apparently to satisfy a policy agenda.” The controversy began with Wingate’s initial temporary restraining order, which contained numerous factual inaccuracies, including naming non-existent plaintiffs and misidentifying defendants, and attributing language to the law that was not present. Even a corrected order included a citation to a non-existent case, which the Fifth Circuit labeled an “apparent AI hallucination,” despite Wingate’s claim that errors were “clerical” and stemmed from a law clerk’s use of AI. The appeals court also found major flaws in Wingate’s legal reasoning, particularly his misinterpretation of key Supreme Court rulings on free speech challenges and injunctive relief, concluding that his laxity in following binding authority necessitated the preliminary injunction’s doom.
Adapted from: Latest Political News on Fox News
