Afternoon Briefs: Trump signs policing order; rogue worker tweets from court's Twitter account
President Donald Trump. Photo from Shutterstock.com.
Trump signs executive order encouraging chokehold limits
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that encourages better policing practices. The order allocates discretionary grants to police departments that seek credentials from organizations certified by the U.S. attorney general. The organizations would review police department practices, confirm that the departments follow the law regarding use of force, and confirm that the departments ban chokeholds except in situations in which the law allows the use of deadly force. The executive order also requires the attorney general to create a database to track improper use of force. (The executive order, the Washington Post, USA Today)
Rogue employee posts #Trump2020 tweet on court’s Twitter account
A rogue employee posted a tweet supporting President Donald Trump’s reelection on the Twitter account of the Stanislaus County Superior Court in California, the court said Friday in a press release. The tweet included a video of protesters tearing down Confederate statues. It read, “Some like their karma instantly. I’ll take mine in November. #Trump2020.” The court said the incident will be treated as a personnel matter, and appropriate action will be taken after a full investigation. The court has also imposed additional restrictions on access to its social media accounts. (Law.com, court press release)
4 federal executions scheduled to begin next month
Following resolution of a legal challenge, the U.S. Department of Justice had scheduled federal executions of four inmates to begin in July. The plaintiffs had contended that a plan to use a single execution drug conflicted with federal law. A federal appeals court lifted an injunction banning the executions in April. The last federal executions were carried out in 2003. (The Associated Press, the U.S. Department of Justice)
Federal Circuit agrees to toss suit over PACER fees
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed Monday the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging PACER charges for some court documents. The plaintiff, Florida lawyer Theodore D’Apuzzo, said judges are wrongly allowed to determine which documents are judicial opinions that must be provided for free under a contract with users. (Law360, the Federal Circuit judgment)
