A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s bid to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 350,000 Haitian immigrants, a decision that halts the planned rollback of legal protections that shield recipients from deportation and authorize them to live and work in the United States. U.S. District…
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Federal Judge Again Blocks Trump Administration’s Ban on Lawmaker Surprise Visits to Detention Centers
A federal judge has once again struck down a Trump administration policy aimed at banning surprise visits by lawmakers to immigration detention facilities, ruling that the restrictions violate statutory oversight rights and improperly curtail congressional authority. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana in the Southern District of Texas granted…
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Immigrant-Rights Groups Sue Over ICE Policy Allowing Home Entries Without Judicial Warrants
A coalition of immigrant-rights organizations has filed a federal lawsuit challenging a controversial U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policy that permits agents to enter private homes without a warrant signed by a judge, arguing that the practice violates the U.S. Constitution and undermines long-standing Fourth Amendment protections. The complaint…
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Judges Push Back on Trump Wind Freeze, Allow Multiple Offshore Projects to Proceed
A federal judge has ruled that Dominion Energy Inc. may restart construction on its ambitious offshore wind project off the coast of Virginia, delivering another judicial rebuke to the Trump administration’s efforts to halt major renewable energy developments. The decision came late Friday in the U.S. District Court for the…
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Appointment of Trump Nominee as Acting U.S. Attorney Struck Down by Court
A federal judge has ruled that Ryan Ellison, the acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico, was improperly appointed and therefore has been serving unlawfully in the top federal prosecutor role, delivering a fresh legal setback for the Trump administration’s efforts to place loyalists in key Justice Department…
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Court Upholds Convictions After Violent Encounter with Virginia Beach Officers
The Court of Appeals of Virginia has affirmed the convictions of Dean Anton Vitasek, who was found guilty on numerous charges stemming from a highly volatile confrontation with two Virginia Beach police officers in May 2023. Vitasek appealed, challenging the evidence for three specific felony convictions and arguing that his…
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Magistrates Can Issue Custody Orders for Sexually Violent Predators, Virginia Appeals Court Rules
The Court of Appeals of Virginia has overturned a circuit court order that sought to restrict which judicial officers could issue Emergency Custody Orders (ECOs) for a designated sexually violent predator, William Messenger. The appellate court firmly stated that under Virginia’s Sexually Violent Predators Act (SVPA), magistrates—not just circuit courts—have…
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CenturyTel Loses Bid to Overturn NLRB Ruling on Information Request
A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) finding that CenturyTel of Montana, Inc., violated federal labor law by refusing to provide the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 768 (the Union), with requested information regarding non-union technicians working in the Union’s…
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Supreme Court Considers Legality of Transgender Sports Bans in High-Profile Equal Protection Case
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday opened oral arguments in a pair of closely watched cases evaluating whether multiple states can legally bar transgender athletes from competing on female sports teams in public schools and colleges. The hearings mark a major moment in the national debate over transgender rights, discrimination…
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Tenth Circuit Upholds Denial of Habeas Relief in High-Profile Murder Appeal
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit has affirmed the denial of federal habeas corpus relief to Brenda Andrew, convicted and sentenced to death for the first-degree murder of her husband, Rob Andrew. The court’s decision centered on Ms. Andrew’s sole remaining claim: that the introduction of evidence…