Civil Rights

Florida law with ‘Goldilocks’ approach to banning minors at drag shows is overbroad, 11th Circuit says

A Florida law that bans admission of minors to live performances depicting “lewd conduct” is likely unconstitutional because it provides only “vague guidance” on prohibited conduct, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Atlanta ruled Tuesday.

May 16, 2025 9:18 AM CDT

Supreme Court grapples with nationwide orders blocking birthright citizenship ban

The Supreme Court appeared divided Thursday about whether to scale back nationwide orders that have blocked President Donald Trump’s ban on birthright citizenship, in a case with implications for judicial power and what it means to be an American.

May 15, 2025 1:36 PM CDT

Book detailing 5 fights for democracy is among 2025 Silver Gavel Award winners

A new book about assaults on democracy by past American presidents is among the recipients of this year’s Silver Gavel Awards for Media and the Arts. The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend It, written by Brown University professor Corey Brettschneider, took home the top prize in the books category.

May 14, 2025 11:00 AM CDT

Court’s religious training order for attorneys ‘plainly exceeded remedial bounds,’ 5th Circuit says

A federal appeals court ruled last week that a federal judge erred when he required lawyers for Southwest Airlines to attend “religious liberty training” for failing to comply with a court order.

May 12, 2025 12:45 PM CDT

ABA objects to proposed changes in Public Service Loan Forgiveness program

The ABA opposes the Trump administration’s proposed changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, which the association says is “a vital tool for ensuring that the public receives critical public services.”

May 12, 2025 9:00 AM CDT

ICE moves detainees to Texas facility where judge declined to halt deportations

As the Trump administration battles to use a wartime law to speed deportations of alleged gang members, it has moved dozens of detained Venezuelans to the one court district in the nation where a federal judge for now has declined to stand in its way.

May 9, 2025 3:09 PM CDT

Federal judge orders release of detained Tufts student Rümeysa Öztürk

A federal judge ordered the government to release a Tufts University graduate student who was grabbed off the street in late March and detained for co-writing an opinion piece in a student newspaper criticizing the war in Gaza.

May 9, 2025 2:45 PM CDT

NC justice can be sworn in after 6-month court battle over top court seat

A Republican who narrowly lost a North Carolina Supreme Court election ended his challenge to the results Wednesday, clearing the way for the Democratic incumbent to be sworn in six months after she won the race.

May 7, 2025 4:45 PM CDT

Supreme Court allows ban on transgender troops to take effect

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to enforce a ban on transgender troops while a legal challenge continues.

May 6, 2025 3:14 PM CDT

Migrants’ temporary legal status remains intact after 1st Circuit denies Trump administration’s stay request

Migrants granted temporary legal status to remain in the United States through a humanitarian parole program during the Biden administration can’t be kicked out of the country immediately, a federal appeals court decided Monday.

May 6, 2025 9:25 AM CDT

Boutique law firm is talent pipeline for conservative lawyers

A boutique law firm in Washington, D.C., is advancing conservative causes by filing legal challenges to liberal policies, such as corporate diversity programs, environmental regulations and job protections for transgender people.

May 1, 2025 2:08 PM CDT

Wisconsin judge suspended over charges she helped migrant evade arrest

The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended a county judge from performing her duties after she was charged with helping a migrant from Mexico briefly evade arrest.

Apr 30, 2025 10:46 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: Cases before SCOTUS challenge injunctions against executive orders to end birthright citizenship

Although oral arguments in the U.S. Supreme Court usually end in April, on May 15, the Supreme Court will hear its first case—the consolidation of three cases—on the merits challenging a Trump administration policy: whether federal district courts erred in granting nationwide injunctions against President Donald Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship in the United States.

Apr 30, 2025 9:56 AM CDT

Civil rights lawyers leave en masse as Justice Dept. mission shifts

The new head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is dramatically reshaping the office to propel President Donald Trump’s social agenda, prompting the departure of about half of the division’s lawyers in recent weeks.

Apr 29, 2025 1:30 PM CDT

Harvard Law Review investigated for alleged ‘spoils system’ that uses race in article selection

The federal government has opened an investigation into the Harvard Law Review “based on reports of race-based discrimination permeating the operations of the journal,” according to an April 28 press release from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Apr 29, 2025 12:13 PM CDT