Some Jan. 6 rioters win early release, even before key Supreme Court ruling

Federal judges have begun ordering the early release pending appeal of Jan. 6 defendants who challenged their sentences even though the Supreme Court is a week away from hearing arguments on whether a key charge brought against them is legally sound.

Apr 10, 2024 10:00 AM CDT

What to know about Trump’s New York charges—and any potential sentence

Former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York, scheduled to begin Monday, centers on 34 counts against Trump of falsifying business records in the first degree, a felony that could result in his serving time at New York’s jail complex on Rikers Island or in state prison.

Apr 9, 2024 11:50 AM CDT

Former DOJ official who alleged election fraud violated at least one ethics rule, ethics committee says

Former U.S. Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark violated at least one ethics rule in connection with his false claims of election fraud during the 2020 presidential election, according to a preliminary finding announced Thursday by an ethics hearing committee.

Apr 5, 2024 9:14 AM CDT

Judge Cannon shoots down Trump’s presidential records act claim

U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon on Thursday rejected Donald Trump’s bid to have his charges of mishandling classified documents dismissed on the grounds that a federal records law protected him from prosecution.

Apr 4, 2024 2:15 PM CDT

Trump ramps up attacks on judges, sparking concerns as criminal trial nears

Former President Donald Trump is ramping up efforts to disparage judges overseeing his criminal and civil cases—reprising a long-standing strategy as a high-profile trial draws near and prompting growing concerns from legal experts and an expanded gag order late Monday.

Apr 2, 2024 2:45 PM CDT

Montana Supreme Court strikes down voting restrictions

Montana’s highest court on Wednesday struck down four laws that the state’s Republican-led legislature passed in 2021 to restrict voting.

Mar 28, 2024 12:25 PM CDT

Judge recommends conservative lawyer John Eastman be disbarred in California

A California judge recommended that conservative attorney John Eastman be disbarred in the state over his role in developing a legal strategy to help President Donald Trump stay in power after his 2020 election loss.

Mar 28, 2024 9:40 AM CDT

Is ex-DOJ official facing ethics trial for ‘thought crime’? His election-fraud letter was based on sincerely held belief, lawyer says

A former Department of Justice official accused of drafting a letter with false allegations of election fraud that he hoped to send to Georgia officials did not violate ethics rules, his lawyer said at a disciplinary hearing Tuesday.

Mar 27, 2024 10:01 AM CDT

Lawyer defending ex-CEO of Overstock arrested after she is no-show on voting-machine-possession charge

A Michigan lawyer was arrested in Washington, D.C., on Monday for failing to appear for a March 7 hearing on charges that she possessed and damaged a voting machine.

Mar 20, 2024 9:44 AM CDT

How a sleuth defense attorney and a disgruntled law partner damaged the Trump Georgia case

In early September, a lawyer for one of former President Donald Trump’s co-defendants in the Georgia election-interference case scheduled a call with the other defense attorneys to share what he thought could be a game-changing allegation.

Mar 19, 2024 8:47 AM CDT

Fani Willis can remain on Trump Georgia case if special prosecutor steps aside, judge rules

In a 23-page ruling issued Friday, the judge wrote that defendants “failed to meet their burden” in proving Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade was a “conflict of interest” enough to merit her removal from the case. But the judge also found an appearance of “impropriety” and said either Willis and her office must fully leave the case or Wade must withdraw from the proceeding.

Mar 15, 2024 9:02 AM CDT

Georgia judge dismisses six charges in Trump election interference case

The judge overseeing the election interference case against former president Donald Trump and several of his allies dismissed six counts in the sweeping 41-count criminal racketeering indictment, ruling that the charges lacked specific detail, but declined to dismiss the case.

Mar 13, 2024 10:00 AM CDT

SCOTUS ballot ruling raises new questions even as it answers others

The Supreme Court quickly and unanimously resolved a case this week that had divided legal scholars for months, clearing a path for Donald Trump to remain on the ballot for president nationwide. But in doing so, the justices unleashed new questions that could confront Congress and the courts after the November election. “They’ve introduced new uncertainty,” said Richard Hasen.

Mar 8, 2024 11:45 AM CST

Did ‘grand bargain’ fail to materialize in Trump ballot case? Metadata leads to speculation

The U.S. Supreme Court left "a big clue dangling in the metadata" about potential negotiations when it issued a unanimous decision Monday that kept former President Donald Trump on the ballot in Colorado, according to an article in Slate.

Mar 5, 2024 10:07 AM CST

SCOTUS unanimously keeps Trump on ballot amid sparring over reach of decision; did it ‘insulate’ insurrectionists?

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that Colorado can’t kick former President Donald Trump off the primary ballot because it is up to Congress, not the states, to enforce the constitutional ban on insurrectionists holding office.

Mar 4, 2024 9:08 AM CST