All articles tagged with #jurisprudence
A federal district court in Massachusetts paused the DHS rule that would cap “duration of status” for international students and researchers at four years (and 240 days for journalists), finding the administration’s justification weak and warning the policy could cause significant economic disruption; the injunction is temporary and signals judiciary limits on pushing immigration changes through broad regulatory action.
A Slate Jurisprudence piece argues that Trump’s effort to suppress mail voting echoes Andrew Jackson’s 1830s use of the Postal Service to block abolitionist material, showing how postal censorship has been used for political ends across eras; it contrasts Jackson’s racist justifications with Trump’s claim about mail-in ballots, and notes the ongoing legal and constitutional implications while implying the Supreme Court could curb the latest push sooner.
Morning Rundown highlights an unprecedented Democratic effort to safeguard midterms—from drafting legal briefs and expanding early voting to the New Battlefield Project that trains democracy protectors—alongside a Massachusetts judge’s decision not to remove a lone juror in Lindsay Clancy’s trial amid a deadlock, and a look at Gloria Steinem’s Ms. magazine and its enduring impact on the women’s movement.
Judge Indira Talwani halted key provisions of the USPS’s final mail-ballot rule for the 2026 elections, ruling the agency likely lacked congressional authority to regulate election mail and that the rule would impose federal requirements on states administering elections; she rejected the DOJ's “cynical” reading of the Supreme Court ruling and noted that challenges to the final rule were ripe, setting up potential further federal appeals as states and voting-rights groups race to adapt before the midterms.
Texas delayed deciding on Minnesota's extradition request for ICE officer Christian Castro, keeping him detained past the 90‑day limit and prompting a lawsuit that threatens to delay his extradition; Castro is charged with four felony counts for a January shooting in Minneapolis, and Minnesota argues his release would enable a flight to Mexico. The episode underscores growing state–federal friction over immigration enforcement and suggests broader, nationwide consequences as DOJ considers charges and courts assess Texas's definition of 'fugitive'.
Slate’s Jurisprudence column argues that Trump’s fixation on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool has sparked a politically charged legal fray, from an investigation into a prosecutor’s handling of the pool controversy to discussions of potential new charges, all under Todd Blanche’s watch as the DOJ leader-in-waiting, signaling a high-stakes struggle where partisan pressure and accountability collide.
Slate argues that Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s stance on birthright citizenship helped set up President Trump’s latest bid to redefine who is a citizen, as Trump issues two executive orders expanding exceptions and targeting birth tourism, despite the Constitution guaranteeing birthright citizenship; the piece contends the court’s conservative tilt and a narrow Barbara ruling leave room for further challenges to the 14th Amendment’s protections.
Trump asks the Supreme Court to fast-track an emergency order that would let the administration impose a nationwide mail-ballot restriction tied to citizenship rolls, prompting lower courts to block the plan for risking voter confusion and disenfranchisement. The move centers on the Purcell principle—the unwritten rule against changing election rules at the last minute—and could test whether the Court continues to apply that doctrine when the request comes from the executive branch rather than plaintiffs. The Court’s ruling will signal how much self-restraint remains in election cases as the fall midterms approach.
The Tate brothers, facing new sex-trafficking and rape charges in the U.K. and Romania, await extradition from the U.S. in a high-stakes collision of international law and politics. The case probes whether Trump-era influence and media networks can shape a legal process that spans multiple countries, with a U.S. judge weighing the extradition and the secretary of state ultimately determining the outcome.
A federal judge faulted acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for aligning the DOJ with Donald Trump’s interests in the IRS tax‑return leak lawsuit, calling Blanche’s arguments weak and noting a settlement that created an $1.8 billion anti‑weaponization fund. The judge reopened the case, demanded sanctions, and cast doubt on Blanche’s suitability for the AG post as he faces a Senate confirmation hearing.
In Chatrie v. United States, Justice Elena Kagan rejects evaluating surveillance piece-by-piece, holding the Fourth Amendment protects against comprehensive digital data collection—from location history to cloud data—regardless of duration, and extends Carpenter’s emphasis on what data reveals to modern technology, signaling stronger constitutional privacy against fragmented or voluntary data sharing.
The Supreme Court, in a 6–3 decision, overruled Humphrey’s Executor and held that the president may remove heads of independent agencies (as with the FTC), advancing the Project 2025 blueprint; in a separate 5–4 ruling it preserved the Federal Reserve’s independence by allowing Lisa Cook to remain on the board after concerns about due process. The paired rulings mark a major shift toward executive control over agency officials, while preserving a narrow exception for the Fed.
Slate argues the Supreme Court’s June shadow-docket decision enshrined a colorblind interpretation of the 14th Amendment that blocks race-conscious remedies and will likely worsen racial discrimination in voting, policing, education, housing, and employment.
In a 6–3 ruling on FS Credit v. Saba Capital, Barrett’s majority narrows the private right to sue under the Investment Company Act, while Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s blistering dissent accuses the majority of openly showing contempt for Congress and elevating judicial policy preferences over legislative history, arguing that relying on legislative history preserves congressional will and keeps the court in its constitutional lane.
Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick argues that Todd Blanche’s bid to be attorney general could become a GOP test of independence and accountability, given his Trump-aligned DOJ tenure, the controversy over a $1.776 billion slush fund settlement and a broad civil release, and whether Senate Republicans will demand real scrutiny or yield to total deference to the president—shaping the future handling of the rule of law.