Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch scolded an experienced lawyer during oral arguments Monday in a case centered on disability discrimination in public schools – a rare and heated exchange that surprised many longtime court-watchers.

The tense exchange took place during oral arguments in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, a case centered on whether school districts can be held liable for discriminating against students with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 

Gorsuch scolded Williams & Connolly lawyer Lisa Blatt, an experienced Supreme Court litigator representing the Minnesota public schools, for accusing the plaintiffs of ‘lying’ in their assertions before the high court.

Plaintiffs in the case are representing the parents of a girl with severe epilepsy, who sued the public school for refusing to provide at-home school during the morning, an accommodation she would receive in other districts in the state.

The exchange between Gorsuch and Blatt took place after she accused them of lying about the public school’s stance.

Counsel ‘should be more careful with their words,’ Gorsuch told Blatt in a warning.

‘OK well, they should be more careful in mischaracterizing a position by an experienced advocate of the Supreme Court, with all due respect,’ Blatt responded.

Later, he referenced the lying accusation again. ‘Ms. Blatt,’ Gorsuch told her, ‘I confess I’m still troubled by your suggestion that your friends on the other side have lied.’

‘OK,’ she fired back. ‘Let’s pull it up. In oral arguments…’

Gorsuch cut in, telling her, ‘I think we’re going to have to, here. And I’d ask you to reconsider that phrase.’

‘You can accuse people of being incorrect, but lying–’ Gorsuch said, before Blatt attempted to interject.

‘Ms. Blatt, if I might finish,’ Gorsuch said, before continuing: ‘But lying is another matter.’

He then started to read through page one of their brief, before she interrupted again.

‘I’m not finished,’ Gorsuch told her, raising his voice.

‘Withdraw your accusation, Ms. Blatt,’ he then told her of the lying accusation.

‘Fine, I withdraw,’ she shot back.

Plaintiffs said on rebuttal only that they would not dignify the name-calling.

The exchange sparked some buzz online, including from an experienced appeals court litigator, Raffi Melkonian, who noted of the exchange on social media, ‘I’ve never heard Justice Gorsuch so angry.’

One hundred days into his new administration, President Donald Trump has reset negotiations with allies and foes across the globe, and experts say one is certain: it is all transactional. 

Gone are the days when the U.S. could be drawn to throw its force around the world solely in the name of defending or spreading democracy. Global leaders are learning to speak a new language with U.S. leadership, one that is less about ideology and more about how their interests benefit U.S. interests. 

‘There is a lot more transactional engagement rather than I think we’re ideological-based, policy decisions that were sort of the hallmark of the Biden administration,’ said Gregg Roman, executive director of the Middle East Forum. 

Here is a round-up of how Trump has changed U.S. foreign policy since taking office: 

Negotiating a deal to avert a nuclear Iran 

Former President Joe Biden toyed with reviving a nuclear deal with Iran and criticized Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, but his administration made little progress toward serious negotiations. 

Trump has now expressed interest in a new nuclear deal. He told Israel the U.S. would not come to their aid in attacking Iran until diplomatic negotiations played out. 

As Trump’s team met with Iranian counterparts in Oman this weekend for a second round of nuclear talks, he issued another threat: if negotiations whither away, the U.S. would not be dragged by Israel into war with Iran but will be ‘leading the pack.’ 

Taking Yemen’s Houthis head-on

An offensive campaign against Yemen’s Houthi terrorists launched six weeks ago has struck more than 800 targets and cost nearly $1 billion – a sharp departure from the tit-for-tat retaliatory strikes seen under the Biden administration, when Houthis attacked U.S. naval ships and Western commercial vessels.

‘Biden pursued a policy of retaliatory strikes: If you hit us, we’ll hit you,’ said Roman. ‘What Trump is trying to do is what I call a salting the earth strategy. If you dare challenge American military supremacy or the ability for us to conduct free trade to the bottom of or through the Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Yemen, Red Sea, Suez … We will attempt to end your ability to wage war on the United States in its interests.’

From funding Ukraine ‘as long as it takes’ to demanding a negotiated settlement 

While Biden had promised the U.S. would stand by Ukraine ‘as long as it takes’ in the war against Russia, Trump expressed a desire to see the war come to an end, promising that he could end the war on ‘day one’ of his presidency.

One hundred days in, the war is not over. Negotiations are ongoing, and Trump has jumped between sounding off in frustration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

As Putin continues to strike even civilian regions of Ukraine, Trump questioned on Saturday whether the Russian leader truly wants peace or is ‘tapping me along.’ 

He again questioned whether he would need to slap ‘secondary sanctions’ on nations that do business with Russia to starve its war coffers. 

On Monday, Russia offered a three-day ceasefire from May 8-10, but the White House was not satisfied. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump wants a ‘permanent ceasefire.’ 

Trump met face-to-face with Zelenskyy in Rome on Saturday, the first time since their infamous Oval Office spat in February, after slamming Zelenskyy’s latest rejection of his peace proposal, one that would have formally ceded Crimea to the Russians.

Strategic takeover: New pushes for Greenland, Panama

The Monroe Doctrine is back, analysts say, and Trump wants both Greenland and the Panama Canal under U.S. control.

The proposals drew shock across the world, but at least in Panama, Trump’s bold words prompted a proposal to offer the U.S. ‘first and free’ passage for its warships, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said earlier this month. It also spurred the proposed sale of two ports of entry from Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison to U.S.-based BlackRock, though that deal has been delayed by Chinese regulatory and political scrutiny. 

Efforts to attain Greenland have proved less successful. Tough talk against Denmark and its ownership of Greenland has ratcheted up tensions with the NATO ally and Greenland’s leadership has expressed little interest in becoming a part of the U.S. 

However, Trump has called out the threat of Russia and China’s increasing arctic military capabilities – the shortest range for a missile to travel from Russia to the U.S. would be over the icy island’s territory. Trump is also interested in the rare earth mining potential of the massive swath of land. 

Allies step up for their own defense 

Trump’s threats to pull out of the NATO alliance – or refuse to come to the defense of allies that do not contribute enough military spending – has left nations across the world planning for the contingency that they may have to defend themselves without U.S. aid. 

The European Union announced a plan for its nations to spend $840 billion to ‘re-arm Europe’ after Trump halted all aid to Ukraine in March. 

Countries like Spain, Belgium and Sweden have all announced plans this year to increase defense spending to meet NATO’s 2% target, while eastern European states near Russia’s border, including Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland, have announced plans to increase defense spending to around 5%. 

Punishing China for unfair trade practices

Concern over China’s hegemonic ambitions bridges the partisan divide, but the Biden White House never considered such drastic measures as 145% tariffs. 

Trump has said the goal of the tariffs is to both bring back US manufacturing after decades of offshore production and punish China for intellectual property theft, a massive trade imbalance, and fentanyl flowing from China to the U.S. A free trade push in the early 2000s had wrongly assumed liberal trade policies would bring democratic values and free markets into Chinese borders, his supporters argue. 

Trump has insisted that President Xi Jinping wants to cut a deal to lower the soaring tariffs, even as China has rejected the prospect of talks. 

It is unclear what sort of realistic concessions the U.S. could get out of a deal, perhaps promises to buy more American-made agricultural products, fuel or other specialty goods. 

For now, steep tariffs remain, and China is choking off U.S. supply of critical minerals, which could spell deep trouble for everyday electronics, electric vehicles and defense equipment.

Congressional Republicans are working on a multitrillion-dollar bill advancing President Donald Trump’s agenda – and it could include a modest tax hike on wealthy Americans, one of the House GOP’s tax writers said.

‘There’s potentially some talk about a tax hike on wealthier Americans. I think our goal in this committee, and the president’s goal, has been to provide tax relief for the working and middle class,’ Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

‘We have to find a way to pay for that, so we’ll have to see how this all shakes out.’

A senior House GOP aide who spoke with Fox News Digital also alluded to possible tax hikes on the table.

‘The reason we are in the majority and have the ability to do this entire process is because of working-class voters, not the wealthiest Americans,’ they said. ‘I believe our tax package will reflect that reality.’

Malliotakis sits on the House Ways and Means Committee, one of the most critical panels in the budget reconciliation process.

Reconciliation lowers the Senate’s passage threshold from 60 to 51, making it possible for the party that controls both chambers of Congress and the White House to pass massive policy overhauls while sidelining the opposition, in this case Democrats.

The process traditionally begins in the House, where seven committees are preparing to meet in the next two weeks to hash out policies under their relevant jurisdictions. Those will then be slotted into a larger budget framework, which is then considered by the House Budget Committee before a chamber-wide vote.

The Ways and Means Committee is responsible for the tax portion, a key priority for Trump. 

The president wants Republicans to extend his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) while also providing for a slate of new tax policies like eliminating duties on tips, overtime pay and Social Security checks for retirees.

Republicans are currently studying avenues to pay for those priorities.

Malliotakis signaled a corporate tax rate increase was likely off the table, but she’s among several Republican lawmakers who said they would be open to a small tax hike on the wealthy to pay for Trump’s middle- and working-class priorities.

‘Personally, I think that that should be on the table if we’re not going to make spending cuts. But I hope we make spending cuts,’ House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told Fox News Digital.

But others said they were opposed.

‘I don’t think we have a revenue problem. I don’t think we should be looking for places to add revenue. I think we have a spending problem. Congress spends way too much money, too large of a portion of our GDP. We need to find ways of cutting spending,’ Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., said.

It’s not immediately clear what shape such a tax hike could take. Republicans have discussed potential proposals, including raising the top tax bracket by roughly 1% after it was lowered by about 2% in TCJA. Another proposal would create a new tax bracket for millionaires, potentially of up to 40%.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., would not share any details of the forthcoming plan when asked about a possible tax hike.

‘There’s a lot of things that I’ve been reading in the press that have not been accurate, but I’m not going to say whether it’s accurate or not, and they’ll see the bill whenever we deliver it right before markup,’ Smith told Fox News Digital.

‘But what I will say is, is that we will have a tax bill that is pro-growth, pro-jobs, pro-family, pro-small business, and pro-workers. And Republicans believe in making sure that Americans keep more of their hard-earned dollars, and you’ll see a tax package that does that.’

He said Americans would likely get to see that plan in a matter of ‘days, not months.’

When reached for comment on a possible tax hike, a senior White House official told Fox News Digital, ‘The President is reviewing a wide range of tax cut proposals for inclusion in the reconciliation bill. He is most focused on tax policy that will help create more good paying jobs in America and delivering the major tax cuts he campaigned on for working and middle class Americans.’

Fox News Digital’s Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, D-Ill., reignited speculation about his 2028 presidential ambitions this weekend, but his call for ‘mass protests’ dominated headlines as Republicans accused him of ‘inciting violence.’

Speaking at the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s annual fundraising gala this weekend, Pritzker became the first potential Democratic candidate to visit New Hampshire, or any early primary state, since Democrats’ big November losses. 

‘Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption. But I am now. These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace. They have to understand that we will fight their cruelty with every megaphone and microphone that we have. We must castigate them on the soapbox and then punish them at the ballot box,’ Prtizker said, triggering outrage among President Donald Trump’s supporters. 

‘His comments, if nothing else, could be construed as inciting violence,’ Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security advisor, told reporters outside the White House on Monday. 

Pritzker told the first-in-the-nation primary crowd this weekend, ‘It’s time to fight everywhere and all at once,’ in a comment that seemed to refer to political action, like protesting, voting and challenging the Trump administration in the courts. Pritzker later clarified to reporters he was referring to political action, but Trump’s base wasn’t so convinced. 

‘Are you trying to inspire a 3rd assassination attempt on my dad? Two wasn’t enough for you?’ Donald Trump Jr. asked on X. 

Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., said Pritzker’s comments are the latest demonstration that Democrats are ‘out of touch’ with American voters. 

‘One of the biggest successes of President Trump’s first 100 days has been securing our southern border and keeping Americans safe. Democrats drumming up ‘mass protests’ opposing this obvious success story shows just how out of touch they are with everyday Americans,’ McCormick said on X. 

‘…and Pritzker cannot know a moment of a presidency. He is only the last Democrat to fuel the rage in calling ‘for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption,” Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley said, arguing that Democrats have consistently called for ‘mass protests’ since Trump returned to the Oval Office in January. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., made headlines earlier this year when he called for Democrats to ‘fight’ Trump’s agenda ‘in the streets.’

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., joked on X that Illinois Republicans are welcome in Missouri: ‘We welcome the Republican refugees from the Land of Lincoln suffering under the tyranny of the Pritzker regime to the free state of Missouri!’

And the Illinois Republican Party chimed in as well, slamming Pritzker’s presidential ambitions and what the party chair described as a politically divisive speech. 

‘JB Pritzker’s ego-driven obsession with becoming president is putting Illinois, and Republicans across the country, at risk. His inflammatory and dangerous speech is focused on further dividing our country and I hope to see Illinois Democrats condemn his call for violence,’ Illinois Republican Party Chair Kathy Salvi said in a statement. 

Salvi said it’s ‘clear that Pritzker’s only priority is what’s best for him and his presidential bid,’ and his trip to New Hampshire is ‘further proof that he’s already left Illinois behind.’

Trips to New Hampshire, which, for over a century, has held the first primary in the race for the White House, are seen as an early indicator of a politician’s interest in running for president in the next election.

The billionaire Democrat has emerged during the president’s first 100 days as one of the most vocal critics of Trump’s executive actions, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts, and the administration’s policies, including immigration reform and federal funding. 

Pritzker’s comments are the latest in a long-standing feud between the two politicians. Trump often evoked Pritzker’s name on the campaign trail as an example of the downfall of Democratic-run states. 

‘Sloppy J.B. Pritzker… has presided over the destruction and disintegration of Illinois at levels never seen before in any State,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social last year. ‘Crime is rampant and people are, sadly, fleeing Illinois. Unless a change is made at the Governor’s level, Illinois can never be Great Again!’

Pritzker’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.