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Alex Swoyer

Alex Swoyer serves as The Washington Times' editor-at-large, covering law and politics in Washington. Alex leads "The Sitdown with Alex Swoyer" and her column, "Seen, Heard & Whispered," where she interviews officials and discusses the latest political noise echoing through the nation's capital.
She also hosts a podcast, "Court Watch," showcasing high-stakes legal battles. She has covered presidential campaigns, Capitol Hill, and the Supreme Court for more than a decade.
Originally from Texas, Alex left the Lone Star State to attend the Missouri School of Journalism where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism with an emphasis in broadcast.
After graduating from Ave Maria School of Law in Florida, she decided to leave the courtroom and return to the newsroom with The Washington Times.
She can be reached by email at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.

Seen, Heard & Whispered

Written by Alex Swoyer, "Seen, Heard & Whispered” is a weekly column taking you inside the conversations happening in Washington’s power corridors, the moves being made and the whispers that explain what’s really going on in the nation’s capital. Email tips to whispered@washingtontimes.com

Click here to receive Seen, Heard & Whispered in your inbox every Friday.

The Sitdown with Alex Swoyer

Washington Times' Editor-at-Large Alex Swoyer dives into political and legal news with lawmakers, administration officials and politicos inside Washington.

Court Watch Podcast

The 'Court Watch' podcast breaks down the Supreme Court's major cases and top news stories about the justices, federal courts and perplexing legal battles with key insight from court watchers from both sides of the aisle.

Articles by Alex Swoyer

Biden ending COVID emergency won’t affect high court case over student debt forgiveness, say experts

President Biden's decision to end the COVID-19 emergency order this week won't sway his pending Supreme Court case over forgiving millions of student loan borrowers who he claimed needed financial help due to the pandemic, legal experts say.

April 11, 2023

Justices confront Big Tech’s definition of ‘terrorist’ in legal liability case

For Twitter, one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. And then there's Donald Trump.

April 11, 2023

Senate Democrats demand Chief Justice John Roberts probe Clarence Thomas’ travel, gifts

Senate Democrats sent a letter to Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. Monday demanding he investigates Justice Clarence Thomas' undisclosed travel with a GOP megadonor.

April 10, 2023

New reporting requirements for gifts, travel hit Supreme Court

Supreme Court justices as well as other federal judges now must disclose gifts and travel funded by a third party, under new ethics requirements that Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and circuit court judges quietly adopted last month.

April 7, 2023

Justice Thomas says vacations with GOP megadonor were cleared by judicial advisers

Justice Clarence Thomas is defending his more than 25-year relationship with a GOP megadonor by saying he is one of his "dearest friends" and that the court signed off on their families' vacations together.

April 7, 2023

Liberals renew calls for Clarence Thomas’ resignation over luxury travel with GOP donor

The Democratic chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee vowed his panel will take action after a report published Thursday alleged Justice Clarence Thomas accepted millions from a GOP donor in luxury travel experiences.

April 6, 2023

House Republicans slam potential gag order in Trump case

The Republican chairmen of two House committees on Tuesday voiced their concerns that the judge overseeing former President Trump's criminal case may impose a gag order, calling it "unconstitutional."

April 4, 2023

Columbia Law School students outraged over fellow students meeting with Justice Kavanaugh

Columbia Law School students have condemned an Instagram photograph of fellow students meeting with Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh in Washington, D.C., during a February visit.

April 4, 2023

Trump campaign: Gag order would be ‘tyrannical, Third World country move’

President Trump's campaign said a gag order from the New York judge handling his case would be a "tyrannical, Third World country move."

April 3, 2023

Supreme Court rejects death row inmate’s appeal after co-conspirator’s confession to actual murder

The Supreme Court declined Monday to take up an appeal from a death row inmate in Louisiana who argues that the state ignored a confession from another inmate that potentially would have taken his death sentence off the table.

April 3, 2023

Chaos in the courts after justices’ ruling that firearm regs must align with nation’s founding

Gun control measures are struggling to survive in lower courts in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling last year that firearm restrictions must align with the nation's history when the Second Amendment was drafted -- but at least one state law has survived.

April 3, 2023

Supreme Court to determine IRS’ clout amid Biden’s push to expand tax agency’s operations

The Supreme Court heard arguments this week in a dispute about when -- or if -- the IRS must give notice when it accesses banking records while probing assets of a delinquent taxpayer.

April 1, 2023

Potential charges against Trump ‘not a slam-dunk case,’ legal experts warn

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case against former President Donald Trump faces numerous hurdles, suggesting the pending charges against the 45th president and the leading GOP 2024 contender are unusually weak, legal experts said Friday.

March 31, 2023

Jan. 6 ‘Shaman’ released from prison early as lawyer calls for sanctions on prosecutors over video

The Jan. 6 defendant known as the QAnon Shaman, who wore a horned headdress during the riot at the U.S. Capitol, has been released from prison 14 months early as his lawyer seeks sanctions against Justice Department prosecutors over previously concealed security video that could have aided his defense.

March 30, 2023

QAnon Shaman’s lawyer calls for sanctions against DOJ, prosecutors after his client’s early release

The lawyer representing Jan. 6 defendant Jacob Chansley, better known as the buffalo headdress-adorn QAnon Shaman, is calling for sanctions against the Justice Department prosecutors over the previously concealed security video footage that showed his client peacefully escorted by police through the Capitol.

March 30, 2023

QAnon Shaman released early from prison after the release of Jan. 6 security videos

Jan. 6 defendant Jacob Chansley, better known as the QAnon Shaman who wore a buffalo headdress during the Jan. 6 riot, was released early from prison after revelations of exculpatory evidence in previously concealed security video footage.

March 30, 2023

Taxpayer privacy rights hang in balance at Supreme Court in dispute over IRS notice requirements

The Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in a dispute about when -- or if -- the IRS must give notice when it accesses banking records while probing assets of a delinquent taxpayer.

March 29, 2023

Christian counselor challenges state law banning conversion therapy for minors

A Washington marriage and family counselor asked the Supreme Court this week to hear his challenge to a state law that punishes therapists and counselors who advise against gender transitioning for youth in accordance with religious beliefs.

March 28, 2023

Sen. John Kennedy stumps another Biden judicial nominee in confirmation hearing

A Biden judicial nominee couldn't answer a basic legal question during his confirmation hearing Wednesday, making him the second nominee to the federal courts stumped by GOP questioning this year.

March 22, 2023

Jack Daniel’s fight over use of trademark for poop-themed dog toy lands before Supreme Court

The Supreme Court grappled Wednesday with whether a poop-themed dog toy too closely resembled Jack Daniel's trademark in a dispute that had justices from both wings of the court skeptical of the whiskey company's claim that consumers would confuse the two products.

March 22, 2023

EVENT: IndoPac 2026 Naval Dominance: Shipbuilding, Autonomy & C2

WATCH: The Sitdown With Alex Swoyer Sen. Chuck Grassley on Arctic Frost, judicial activism

WATCH: How America lost its way God, Country & the American Story

Alex Swoyer

Seen, Heard & Whispered

The Sitdown with Alex Swoyer

Court Watch Podcast

Articles by Alex Swoyer

Biden ending COVID emergency won’t affect high court case over student debt forgiveness, say experts

Justices confront Big Tech’s definition of ‘terrorist’ in legal liability case

Senate Democrats demand Chief Justice John Roberts probe Clarence Thomas’ travel, gifts

New reporting requirements for gifts, travel hit Supreme Court

Justice Thomas says vacations with GOP megadonor were cleared by judicial advisers

Liberals renew calls for Clarence Thomas’ resignation over luxury travel with GOP donor

House Republicans slam potential gag order in Trump case

Columbia Law School students outraged over fellow students meeting with Justice Kavanaugh

Trump campaign: Gag order would be ‘tyrannical, Third World country move’

Supreme Court rejects death row inmate’s appeal after co-conspirator’s confession to actual murder

Chaos in the courts after justices’ ruling that firearm regs must align with nation’s founding

Supreme Court to determine IRS’ clout amid Biden’s push to expand tax agency’s operations

Potential charges against Trump ‘not a slam-dunk case,’ legal experts warn

Jan. 6 ‘Shaman’ released from prison early as lawyer calls for sanctions on prosecutors over video

QAnon Shaman’s lawyer calls for sanctions against DOJ, prosecutors after his client’s early release

QAnon Shaman released early from prison after the release of Jan. 6 security videos

Taxpayer privacy rights hang in balance at Supreme Court in dispute over IRS notice requirements

Christian counselor challenges state law banning conversion therapy for minors

Sen. John Kennedy stumps another Biden judicial nominee in confirmation hearing

Jack Daniel’s fight over use of trademark for poop-themed dog toy lands before Supreme Court