All articles tagged with #courts and law
Justice Department official Ed Martin, a Trump ally who clashed with fellow officials over investigative conduct, is leaving his post after a turbulent tenure that included a stint as interim U.S. attorney for D.C. and leadership of the DOJ’s controversial “weaponization” group; the president announced the departure, and Martin is expected to pursue legal battles tied to upcoming elections.
Civil liberties groups have asked the Supreme Court to hear a challenge to Texas's law requiring Ten Commandments displays in public school classrooms, a move that could trigger a landmark clash over church-state separation after the 5th Circuit upheld the law citing a 2022 Supreme Court ruling.
Democrats are proposing a set of Supreme Court reforms ahead of the midterms, including expanding the bench from nine to 13 justices, curtailing lifetime terms to 18 years, and introducing an ethics code along with standards for the court’s opaque shadow docket, part of a broader effort to depoliticize the high court amid frustration with its rulings and opposition from Republicans; success hinges on Democratic control of Congress.
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to lift a lower-court halt and allow construction of the White House ballroom to proceed, intensifying the legal battle over the controversial project and its impact on the White House’s historic architecture.
A former SPLC chief financial officer, Heidi Beirich, was indicted on fraud charges for overseeing payments to informants in hate groups, including diverting at least $140,000 to a joint account used for personal living expenses; prosecutors say she was romantically involved with an informant, while Beirich’s lawyer and the SPLC call the case politically motivated and deny fraud.
President Donald Trump is seeking ways to preserve major policies after adverse Supreme Court rulings on tariffs, birthright citizenship and the Fed, through new tariffs, renewed efforts to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook, and executive orders to limit birthright citizenship. Experts say these moves push the court’s rulings without signaling outright defiance, aiming to keep his priorities alive while the court’s authority remains in play.
Todd Blanche, Trump’s former criminal-defense lawyer, is sworn in as attorney general but faces a DOJ strained by vacancies and low morale, while balancing the president’s demands with legal obligations amid a skeptical judiciary and ongoing investigations.
A federal judge ordered the Pentagon to lift its May freeze on reviewing offshore wind energy projects for national security concerns, allowing reviews to proceed within the 75‑day deadline set by a 2011 law while the renewables lawsuit moves forward. The Defense Department had slowed and then halted approvals last year, and the ruling comes as wind advocates push back against Trump-era limits on renewables, even as Interior buys back offshore leases; analysts say renewed approvals could impact energy supply and costs.
Federal prosecutors dropped the felony vandalism charge against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn in the Reflecting Pool case, saying Interior Department documents show contractor errors during a rushed renovation—not vandalism—and following public assertions by Trump that vandals were to blame.
ICE arrests at Philadelphia International Airport have surged since mid-July, detaining at least seven people who initially entered the U.S. on visas and sought status changes; one detainee was a 74-year-old grandmother with a pending asylum case. Advocates say the Philadelphia spike mirrors a broader nationwide uptick at airports across the country and warn noncitizens to avoid air travel until more is known. Detainees have been transferred to facilities in other states, and families are raising funds for legal help while city and federal officials offer limited comment.
Montgomery County prosecutors charged four Cheltenham High School football coaches and six players after a six‑month grand jury investigation uncovered two hazing incidents in 2025, including assault and the use of a broomstick. The head coach Terance Tolbert, associate head coach Darian McFadden, assistant coach Benjamin Johnson III, and volunteer coach Ralph Burnley face child endangerment and conspiracy charges; two 18‑year‑old players, Isaiah Simpson (assault and conspiracy) and Josiah Peeler (false swearing), are charged as adults, while four younger players are charged as juveniles. Cellphone and text evidence reportedly showed attempts to cover up the assaults. The district canceled the season; a Title IX investigation remains ongoing, and the grand jury urged changes to hazing laws to recognize hazing as child abuse.
President Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to overturn the $83 million defamation verdict tied to E. Jean Carroll’s allegations, arguing broad presidential immunity may shield him; Separately, the Justice Department is seeking to substitute the U.S. as the defendant in the case.
Trump asked the Supreme Court to clear the way for an executive order that would tighten mail-in voting for the November midterms; a federal appeals court blocked the order, saying it would sow confusion and disenfranchise voters, a decision supported by Biden- and Bush-appointed judges and opposed by a Trump appointee, as the administration and states wage a high-stakes fight over voting access ahead of key elections.
A Philadelphia tenant has filed a lawsuit against Willow Bridge Property Company and RealPage, accusing their use of RealPage’s rent-setting software of violating the city’s new antitrust law that bans price coordination in rents; the suit targets Vue 32 in University City and Rittenhouse Row in Center City (244 apartments) and seeks damages up to triple the actual amount or $2,000 per violation, marking what’s believed to be the first case under the Feb 2025 law. The case follows a DOJ settlement with RealPage over its pricing algorithm, and representatives for the defendants did not comment.
The Supreme Court will review Ken Jouppi’s appeal challenging Alaska’s plan to confiscate his 1969 plane after he carried beer to a dry village, arguing the forfeiture violates the Eighth Amendment’s ban on excessive fines; Alaska defends the seizure as a response to the societal harms of illegal alcohol.