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Alex Swoyer

Alex Swoyer

aswoyer@washingtontimes.com

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

A Christian women's activist group shows support as the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 for Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Missouri, that churches have the same right as other charitable groups to seek state money for playground surfaces and other nonreligious needs. (Associated Press)

Christians rely on courts to protect rights

Evangelical Christians and conservative Catholics are increasingly heading to the federal courts to try to carve out space for their religious activities, looking to press judges to imbue more meaning into the federal government's guarantees of protection.

July 4, 2017
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., writes "Mean-er" on a reported quote by President Donald Trump as Schumer responds to the release of the Republicans' healthcare bill which represents the long-awaited attempt to scuttle much of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, June 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Senate Democrats blocking Donald Trump court picks

Senate Democrats are turning to procedural tactics to delay confirmation of President Trump's appeals court picks, and conservative groups are firing back with a new ad in Michigan trying to force two Democrats to clear a path for one embattled nominee.

July 4, 2017
Associate Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, left, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts walks down the steps of Supreme Court in Washington, Thursday, June 15, 2017, following Gorsuch investiture, a ceremony to mark his ascension to the bench. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Neil Gorsuch on Supreme Court to add bigger cases

An understaffed U.S. Supreme Court left justices with a boring docket this year, but legal analysts said the addition of Justice Neil M. Gorsuch promises to make the next term, beginning in October, a blockbuster.

July 2, 2017
Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism Chairman Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., questions former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, and former National Intelligence Director James Clapper, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, May 8, 2017, during the subcommittee's on Crime and Terrorism hearing: "Russian Interference in the 2016 United States Election." Committee ranking member Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., listens at right. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Lindsey Graham demands to know if he was unmasked; intelligence officials demur

Officials from the Justice Department, FBI and National Security Agency refused to tell a GOP senator and former 2016 presidential candidate whether his conversations with a foreign leader abroad had been incidentally collected and unmasked during a hearing Tuesday about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

June 27, 2017
President Donald Trump applauds new Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch during a public swearing-in ceremony for Gorsuch in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on April 10, 2017. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Neil Gorsuch firmly on Supreme Court right

Newly minted Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch came out of the starting blocks quickly in his first months, firmly planting himself on the court's right along with Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr. as defenders of religious freedom and skeptics of judicial meddling in the other two branches' work.

June 26, 2017
Legal professionals are debating whether the state-owned dam in Pittsfield, New Hampshire, is a public forum — which would allow for an Islamic State flag. (Associated Press)

ISIS flag on dam raises First Amendment questions

When a New Hampshire police chief pulled a homemade Islamic State flag from a wall at a dam this month, it spurred a host of questions about First Amendment rights in the era of terrorism.

June 25, 2017
President Donald Trump applauds new Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch during a public swearing-in ceremony for Gorsuch in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on April 10, 2017. (Associated Press) **FILE**

Federalist Society seen as danger to progressives

President Trump hadn't even had a chance to officially release his new list of judicial nominees this month before a progressive advocacy group issued a statement blasting one of the picks for having ties to The Federalist Society.

June 18, 2017
Amul Thapar, whom President Trump nominated for the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, became just the second South Asian Pacific American to reach the appellate level after a failed filibuster attempt and opposition by Democrats. (Associated Press)

Minority judicial nominees pose Democrat dilemma

Democrats face a dilemma if President Trump appoints more minority judicial nominees, forcing the party that touts its commitment to diversity to decide between confirming more conservatives or opposing black, Hispanic and Asian judges -- and risking angering key constituencies.

June 13, 2017