All articles tagged with #federal courts
U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix ruled that once Congress eliminated the National Firearms Act taxes for suppressors, the existing registration and transfer rules no longer had constitutional footing, blocking federal enforcement and letting the first suppressor transfers occur without NFA paperwork; gun-rights groups hailed it as a landmark Second Amendment victory, and the DOJ said it would not appeal.
A federal appeals panel ruled that President Trump must pause most construction of the White House ballroom, saying he exceeded his authority; Congress must authorize the privately funded $400 million project, with a 14-day stay to allow a possible appeal to the Supreme Court.
U.S. District Judge John McConnell, who blocked the Trump administration’s sweeping funding freeze in 2025, has since received credible death threats, illustrating the climate of intimidation facing jurists across political lines; a pizza-delivery incident in the name of a deceased son highlighted how threats can manifest, underscoring concerns about judge safety and the ongoing need for strong protections of the judiciary and the rule of law.
Ex-national security adviser John Bolton is expected to plead guilty in a federal case over retaining sensitive government information; the plea deal could reduce potential prison time and includes a $2.25 million fine, tied to notes from his memoir.
The Justice Department asked two federal judges to reject lawsuits challenging the $1.7 billion anti-weaponization fund, arguing the case is moot because Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche says the program will not go forward. The filings say there is no live issue before the courts, even as Judge Leonie Brinkema temporarily blocked disbursement to prevent irreversible transfers. The suits—by CREW in D.C. and by Virginia plaintiffs including a former prosecutor—seek longer-term relief, but DOJ contends the political process should resolve the matter and that the fund’s status has changed. The fund originated in a Trump‑IRS settlement and faced bipartisan backlash; Blanche’s assurances suggest the fund may not be resurrected.
A group of 35 retired federal judges is urging a U.S. district court to reopen Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over leaked tax records and to investigate whether the settlement—creating a $1.8 billion payout fund—was fraudulent, arguing the court wasn’t properly informed about the settlement and that the deal could affect ongoing investigations.
The Supreme Court reversed a Fourth Circuit ruling, saying the lower court overstepped by letting the immigration-judges’ free-speech lawsuit proceed, and sent the case back to federal courts on venue grounds. The decision is procedural and does not address the merits, occurring amid broader political pressure on immigration judges.
A POLITICO analysis shows hundreds of federal judges have largely rejected the Trump administration’s expansion of ICE detentions, with influential jurists across the ideological spectrum driving rulings that order bond hearings, limit detentions, and are increasingly constrained by appellate decisions that curb ICE’s mass-detention policy.
Federal judges, including Trump appointees, have ordered bond hearings and often release hundreds of immigrants who already have final deportation orders and were held by ICE, ruling their detention violates due process. The rulings challenge the Trump administration’s mass-detention policy and revolve around a contested six‑month detention limit and the practical hurdles of arranging deportations, with some detainees freed after years in custody.
A New Jersey federal judge ejected a prosecutor from a sentencing hearing and ordered the three leaders of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey to testify about who runs the office, illustrating a broader clash between the DOJ and federal judges over office leadership and operational control.
A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled that the Trump administration's policy allowing immigration authorities to deport migrants to third countries without notice or a chance to object is unlawful, violating federal immigration law and due process; the ruling pauses for 15 days to allow an appeal.
Since December, Operation Metro Surge has generated over 1,000 habeas corpus petitions in Minnesota, with federal judges frequently ordering detainees released or given bond hearings. A decentralized, volunteer group of mostly non-immigration lawyers has mobilized to represent immigrants facing detention, even as many are transferred out of state and the administration faces mounting court scrutiny over mass detention policies.
Judges warn that the surge in immigration enforcement under President Trump is overwhelming federal courts, driving up caseloads and backlogs as detention measures and expedited removals expand, raising concerns about the system’s capacity to handle the surge.
Federal judges are undermining the Trump administration’s mass detention drive by ordering releases for detainees who post bond, citing long-standing legal interpretations that require release; the rising volume of cases is straining courts and complicating immigration enforcement.
In Brooklyn, Mark Anderson was arrested after posing as an FBI agent at the Metropolitan Detention Center in a bid to secure the release of Luigi Mangione, the murder suspect held there. He arrived with a pizza cutter and a barbecue fork, claimed a judge-signed order, and tossed documents at guards before being detained. Mangione’s high-profile case has drawn broad support and a large defense fund, while the MDC’s concerns about safety and conditions continue to draw scrutiny.