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Outlet profile

Balls and Strikes

U.S. left

Owned byPublished by Demand Justice, a progressive judicial-advocacy nonprofit; edited by Jay Willis
FundingNonprofit-funded via Demand Justice, which is fiscally sponsored by the Sixteen Thirty Fund (a 501(c)(4) 'dark money' hub) and has received large contributions from liberal donor networks, including groups tied to George Soros and Pierre Omidyar
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

Demand Justice launched Balls and Strikes in 2021 to provide 'commentary and analysis' on judges and the courts from a progressive vantage point, naming it ironically after Chief Justice John Roberts's description of judges as neutral umpires who merely 'call balls and strikes.' Demand Justice itself was founded in 2018 by former Clinton and Senate Democratic aides Brian Fallon and Christopher Kang to push for structural changes to the judiciary, including Supreme Court expansion, and is fiscally sponsored by the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a major progressive dark-money vehicle that does not disclose its donors. Balls and Strikes is edited by Jay Willis, a former Slate and GQ legal writer, and has built a reputation for sharply opinionated, plain-language legal journalism rather than traditional straight-news reporting. It does not claim strict neutrality; its stated mission is explicitly to counter what it views as mainstream media's overly deferential coverage of courts and judges. Since Trump's second term began in January 2025, the site has run frequent pieces criticizing the administration's immigration enforcement tactics, judicial nominees, and instances of alleged noncompliance with court orders. It has also occasionally criticized Democrats, including Senate Democrats it says have not pushed back hard enough against Trump's judicial picks. The outlet is small and niche compared to major legal press but is frequently cited in progressive media discussions of judicial politics.

Sources

  1. About | Balls and Strikes
  2. Demand Justice Launches 'Balls and Strikes' Site for Commentary and Analysis on Judges and the Courts
  3. Demand Justice (Wikipedia)
  4. Sixteen Thirty Fund (Wikipedia)
  5. Demand Justice, the 'Dark Money' Group Behind a $10 Million Campaign Against the Supreme Court
  6. Senate Democrats Are Letting Trump's Judicial Nominees Off the Hook | Balls and Strikes
  7. The Trump Justice Department Is Way Too Comfortable Violating Court Orders | Balls and Strikes

Profile compiled 2026-09-25; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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