Civil Rights

Supreme Court begins new term on a quieter note than last, but that could change

The new U.S. Supreme Court term opens next week with a lower-temperature docket compared with last term, which saw blockbuster rulings on voting rights, immigration, transgender participation in school sports and President Donald Trump’s policies on tariffs, birthright citizenship, and the removal of federal officers.

Oct 1, 2026 12:48 PM CDT

DOJ files complaint against Minn. judges for criticizing immigration surge

The Justice Department filed judicial misconduct complaints against all but one of Minnesota’s active federal judges Wednesday, calling recent media interviews they gave discussing the impact of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown in their state evidence of partisan bias and a “threat to the rule of law.”

Oct 1, 2026 10:16 AM CDT

DOJ enlisting military attorneys as prosecutors in California and NY

The Justice Department is planning to enlist military attorneys as temporary prosecutors to help with increased federal law enforcement efforts in Manhattan, Los Angeles and Sacramento.

Sep 28, 2026 11:00 AM CDT

Are drag shows protected by First Amendment? 5th Circuit weighs in

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New Orleans is weighing in on Texas A&M University’s ban on drag shows.

Sep 24, 2026 12:08 PM CDT

UCLA chancellor criticized by law profs for responding to controversial 9/11 symposium

The UCLA chancellor is facing criticism from some law professors for voicing his concern that the law school hosted a 9/11 event featuring the lawyer of a terrorist mastermind.

Sep 23, 2026 10:01 AM CDT

9th Circuit overturns state order to house transgender women in women’s prisons

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco on Thursday overturned a preliminary injunction that would have sent more than 100 transgender women convicted of felonies from Oregon men’s prisons to women’s facilities.

Sep 22, 2026 2:32 PM CDT

New ProBAR hotline receives over 150 calls in first month

Since the launch of its emergency hotline in August, ProBAR has fielded more than 150 calls to the new Detention Orientation & Resources for Youth (DORY) hotline, which supports detained unaccompanied immigrant children who lack legal status and who face removal from the U.S. without access to legal services.

Sep 18, 2026 2:38 PM CDT

Former judge who helped man avoid ICE keeps law license

A former Wisconsin judge who was convicted of obstructing federal agents after helping a Mexican man evade U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will not have her law license suspended, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

Sep 17, 2026 10:32 AM CDT

Sorority sisters ask 10th Circuit to revive challenge to definition of ‘women’

A group of sorority sisters asked the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Denver on Monday to revive its challenge to Kappa Kappa Gamma’s definition of “women” that currently allows transgender students identifying as women to join.

Sep 15, 2026 10:20 AM CDT

UC Berkeley Law discriminated in admissions, DOJ says

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the Department of Education is accusing the University of California at Berkeley School of Law of discriminating against white and Asian applicants while prioritizing Black applicants.

Sep 10, 2026 2:52 PM CDT

Catholic groups sue state over new assisted-suicide law

The state of Illinois is being sued over a new law that would allow medically assisted suicide, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Sep 9, 2026 10:46 AM CDT

Florida Bar rejects judges’ ethics complaint over DHS lawyer’s social media posts

The Florida Bar has rejected an ethics complaint filed by 128 retired federal and state judges against the general counsel of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Sep 3, 2026 10:09 AM CDT

Lawyer ‘broke out of the closet’ after partner berated him; LGBTQ+ groups are now his clients

Anthony Sbardellati had an epiphany as a BigLaw first-year associate. He was working on a trial team, taking depositions and writing motions. A firm rainmaker summoned him into his office regarding a brief the 26-year-old had written.

Sep 1, 2026 11:31 AM CDT

Judge mentions Dolly Parton’s ‘voluptuous’ look in comment about drag ban

A Texas federal judge invoked singer and actress Dolly Parton on the day that she died to again block a law viewed as a ban on drag performances for being too expansive, noting that the entertainer and philanthropist’s signature “big hair, flamboyant clothes and breast exposure” might have violated the law.

Aug 26, 2026 11:37 AM CDT

What is the future of unaccompanied children representation after federal funding loss?

The ABA Commission on Immigration has been part of the national legal network that serves unaccompanied children for 20 years—initially through ProBAR, which is based in Harlingen, Texas, and later through its Children’s Immigration Law Academy in Houston and Immigration Justice Project in San Diego.

Aug 25, 2026 11:17 AM CDT