Central America

Insurance case is ‘but a speck in the recesses of interstellar space,’ high-profile appeals judge writes

In a span of less than a week, a conservative federal appeals judge has written two opinions that are getting attention—for taking a tough stand against the mistaken deportation of an immigrant in one case and for waxing philosophical in another case.

Apr 28, 2025 3:07 PM CDT

AARP says it’s not part of challenge to El Salvador deportations, despite case caption

The AARP—formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons—has intervened in a lawsuit filed on behalf of immigrant detainees because of concerns about the case caption.

Apr 23, 2025 2:19 PM CDT

Supreme Court’s late-night order barring deportation was ‘extraordinary in many ways;’ what did Alito say?

The U.S. Supreme Court acted quickly after the American Civil Liberties Union filed an emergency application Friday evening that sought to block what appeared to be the imminent deportation of its clients.

Apr 21, 2025 9:44 AM CDT

Appeals court excoriates Trump administration in illegal deportation case

In a legal battle with escalating tensions, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit on Thursday excoriated the Trump administration for its defiance of a federal judge’s orders that it show how it is facilitating the return of Kilmar Abrego García, a Maryland man who was illegally deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador.

Apr 18, 2025 10:27 AM CDT

Judge finds probable cause to hold US in contempt; is Trump administration ‘at the cusp of outright defiance’?

A federal judge who banned the Trump administration from removing Venezuelan immigrants from the United States ruled Wednesday that there is probable cause to find the government in criminal contempt for willfully disobeying his directive.

Apr 16, 2025 3:53 PM CDT

Barrett joins liberal dissent questioning SCOTUS venue decision that ends case before judge deemed ‘lunatic’ by Trump

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday lifted a temporary restraining order that banned the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members, ruling that the legal challenge should have been filed in Texas, rather than Washington, D.C.

Apr 8, 2025 11:52 AM CDT

DOJ opposes court-ordered return of immigrant, suspends lawyer who said he shouldn’t have been deported

Updated: The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay a federal judge’s order to return an immigrant mistakenly sent to a prison in El Salvador in Central America—a move that followed the department’s decision to place one of its lawyers on indefinite leave, apparently for his admissions in the case.

Apr 7, 2025 2:23 PM CDT

Trump administration invokes state secrets privilege for deportation flights, disputes Nazi analogy

Government lawyers are arguing that the state secrets privilege protects the Trump administration from divulging details about deportation flights to El Salvador in Central America, and that the Venezuelans aboard weren’t entitled to notice that would give them time for a hearing.

Mar 25, 2025 11:02 AM CDT

Meet the federal judge labeled ‘radical left lunatic’ by Trump, derided by DOJ for ‘micromanaged’ request

A federal judge facing President Donald Trump’s ire because of his rulings on deportation authority was once a housemate with Brett Kavanaugh, a future U.S. Supreme Court justice, at Yale Law School.

Mar 20, 2025 8:50 AM CDT

Relying on ‘secret evidence’ to deny visa for spouse violates due process, ABA says in SCOTUS amicus brief

The U.S. Supreme Court should rule that the government can’t deny visas for noncitizen spouses of U.S. citizens without explaining the reason and disclosing the evidence that was the basis for the decision, the ABA has said in an amicus brief.

Apr 1, 2024 1:08 PM CDT

US lawyer accused of fatally shooting 2 environmental protesters in Panama

A man shown in a video arguing with environmental protesters in Panama before allegedly shooting and killing two of them has been identified by local media as a retired U.S. lawyer.

Nov 10, 2023 11:39 AM CST

Guatemalan lawyer travels to remote areas, sometimes by foot, to help reunite separated families

Guatemalan human rights lawyer Eriberto Pop travels by car, motorcycle and foot to find parents separated from their children in the United States and deported without them under a controversial Trump administration program that has since been rescinded.

Jul 27, 2021 3:19 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Andrew Yang didn’t last long in BigLaw; suit against Taylor Swift revived

Andrew Yang lasted only five months in BigLaw Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang left Davis Polk & Wardwell in 2000 after spending only five months as an associate. He had scored 178 out of 180 on the LSAT and attended Columbia Law School before joining the law firm, but he…

Oct 29, 2019 5:23 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Former judge pleads guilty to murder; parents sue over Sharpie haircut punishment

Former judge pleads guilty to murder of his ex-wife Former Ohio judge Lance Mason pleaded guilty Tuesday to fatally stabbing his ex-wife, Aisha Fraser, in November. Mason had resigned his judgeship in 2015 after a previous guilty plea for assaulting the same woman. A University of Michigan law grad, Mason…

Aug 20, 2019 4:06 PM CDT

Strangers in a strange land: ‘Metering’ makes asylum rights meaningless, immigrant advocates say

Metering has created further barriers of all kinds in the legal process, including barriers to finding a pro bono lawyer, to those lawyers’ ability to provide effective representation and even to notifying the immigrants of their hearings. Most concerning to immigrant rights advocates, it leaves immigrants so unsafe that they may be deterred from claiming asylum in the first place.

Jul 24, 2019 6:00 AM CDT