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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

Florida’s proposal for non-unanimous death sentences is major outlier, say legal experts

If Florida adopts non-unanimous jury verdicts in death penalty cases, it wouldn't be alone -- but it would be the biggest outlier of the outlying states on capital punishment, according to legal experts.

February 9, 2023

Retired Justices Breyer, Kennedy attend Biden’s State of the Union

Retired Justices Stephen G. Breyer and Anthony M. Kennedy attended President Biden's State of the Union address Tuesday, marking the first time in more than two decades that retired justices came to the event, according to court watchers.

February 8, 2023

Courts follow founders’ gun laws, nullify bans

Gun rights supporters are cheering after judges last week struck down two federal bans on gun ownership in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling in June that said such measures must be consistent with the laws that existed when the U.S. was founded.

February 7, 2023

Federal judge suggests national right to abortion exists after Supreme Court ruling

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., suggested Monday there may still be a national right to abortion, despite the Supreme Court's landmark ruling last year overruling Roe v. Wade.

February 6, 2023

Former law clerks say respect, honor system will protect Supreme Court from future leaks

The Supreme Court's report on its probe of the leak of a draft abortion opinion last year revealed weaknesses in an antiquated security protocol, but former law clerks say it's really respect for the court -- and its honor system -- would prevent a future leak.

February 3, 2023

Hunter Biden laptop lawsuit risks putting family deals, finances under intense legal scrutiny

Hunter Biden's threat of a lawsuit over news reports based on the contents of his leaked laptop computer would expose President Biden's son to depositions and other legal discovery about his family's far-flung business deals.

February 2, 2023

Watchdogs call for ethics review over Chief Justice Roberts’ wife

Watchdog groups are calling for ethics rules for the Supreme Court after news broke this week that Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.'s wife made millions as a recruiter for law firms by placing lawyers at firms that sometimes had business before the court.

February 1, 2023

Biden’s end of COVID emergency undermines his Supreme Court case on student debt forgiveness

President Biden has decided the coronavirus emergency will be over in early May -- which is a problem for his lawyers, who are about to go to the Supreme Court and argue that the pandemic gives him the legal leeway to forgive student debt.

January 31, 2023

Legal loophole exposes U.S. military secrets to China, Russia, lawmakers warn

Sen. John Kennedy is sounding the alarm over a potential misuse of the U.S. legal system that would allow adversaries like Russia and China to fund lawsuits against American companies and use the discovery process to obtain military technology or intellectual property.

January 24, 2023

Supreme Court dismisses tax crime case over attorney-client privilege

The Supreme Court dismissed Monday a case on the extent of attorney-client privilege it had heard just two weeks ago.

January 23, 2023

Supreme Court issues first opinion of the term, rules against Navy veteran on disability benefits

The Supreme Court issued Monday its first opinion of the current term, ruling unanimously against a Navy veteran who was seeking roughly three decades of retroactive disability benefits.

January 23, 2023

Supreme Court marshal says justices, spouses weren’t responsible for leak of abortion ruling

Supreme Court justices cooperated in the investigation of who leaked a draft opinion to the news media last year and were cleared as potential perpetrators, said Supreme Court Marshal Gail A. Curley.

January 20, 2023

Judge rules for DeSantis in firing of state’s attorney, despite finding governor violated his rights

A federal judge has ruled in favor of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a case brought by a Democratic state's attorney whom the governor suspended from office last year.

January 20, 2023

Supreme Court can’t identify abortion-opinion leaker

The Supreme Court has come up empty in its search for how a draft opinion on last year's highly charged abortion-rights case leaked to the media weeks before it was issued.

January 19, 2023

Deaf student asks Supreme Court to let him sue school that denied sign language interpreter

A deaf student in Michigan asked the Supreme Court in oral arguments Wednesday to allow his lawsuit against a public school district in Michigan to proceed. The student claims the school did not provide him with a qualified sign language interpreter, hurting his ability to graduate.

January 18, 2023

Supreme Court weighs criminal charges against Turkish bank over violations of Iranian sanctions

A Turkish bank accused of flouting U.S. sanctions against Iran argued Tuesday before the Supreme Court that it is shielded from American legal challenges because it is operated by a foreign sovereign.

January 17, 2023

Supreme Court to decide what’s a ‘true threat’ in the age of the Internet

The Supreme Court on Friday announced it would hear a challenge over what is considered a "true threat" in the age of the internet, weighing a case where a man is seeking to overturn his criminal conviction for stalking under Colorado's state law due to his social media messages.

January 14, 2023

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