Executive Branch

DC Circuit blocks accused 9/11 plotter’s plea after US balks

A federal court has blocked Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, from entering a plea deal Friday, granting an 11th-hour Biden administration request and ensuring the case continues into the incoming Trump administration.

Jan 10, 2025 10:45 AM CST

11th Circuit allows release of Trump Jan. 6 special counsel report

A federal appellate court has cleared the way for the Justice Department to publicly release special counsel Jack Smith’s report on Donald Trump’s efforts to undo the results of the 2020 election, although the timing of that release remains unclear.

Jan 9, 2025 8:55 PM CST

In 5-4 vote, Supreme Court refuses to delay Trump’s hush money sentencing

A closely divided Supreme Court refused to delay Donald Trump’s sentencing in his hush money case, clearing the way for the president-elect to face judgment in a New York courtroom on Friday and to be formally classified as a felon before he returns to the White House.

Jan 9, 2025 8:45 PM CST

Supreme Court considers putting TikTok on the chopping block

The clock is ticking for TikTok in the United States. Later this week, however, the social media application and some of its content creators still have time to make their case to the U.S. Supreme Court against a federal statute that threatens to banish TikTok on Jan. 19.

Jan 8, 2025 1:50 PM CST

Pentagon’s 9/11 plea deals can proceed, appeals court rules

The U.S. government’s controversial plea deals with three men accused of orchestrating the 9/11 terrorist attacks may proceed, a Defense Department appeals court has ruled, after the Biden administration sought to thwart an agreement that would spare the lives of those who have admitted guilt in the deadliest crime perpetrated on American soil.

Jan 2, 2025 3:10 PM CST

$5M verdict against Trump for defamation and sexual abuse upheld by NY appeals court

A federal appeals court Monday upheld a $5 million New York civil trial jury verdict that found Donald Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll.

Jan 2, 2025 3:00 PM CST

Trump’s election sparks fight over judicial retirements, new judgeships

It is rare in the federal court system for judges to retract declarations of senior status, a form of semi-retirement that creates a vacancy on the court. Legal experts see the judges’ actions as part of the broader political jockeying over a federal court system whose judges have lifetime appointments and whose rulings can shape policy over multiple administrations.

Dec 24, 2024 10:30 AM CST

Biden commutes 37 of 40 federal death sentences before Trump takes office

President Joe Biden on Monday is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 prisoners on federal death row to life without parole, taking the unprecedented step ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, whose incoming administration is widely expected to restart executions.

Dec 23, 2024 9:25 AM CST

Fani Willis disqualified from Trump election case by Georgia appellate court

A Georgia appellate court overturned a judge’s ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis to remain in charge of the criminal racketeering case against Donald Trump—a decision that could doom the high-profile prosecution.

Dec 19, 2024 9:38 AM CST

Congress has passed a bill to add more US judges; will Biden veto it?

A bill that would create dozens of new federal judgeships across the country received final approval in Congress on Thursday morning, setting up a likely veto from President Joe Biden even as his administration pushes to confirm his final nominees to fill existing judicial vacancies.

Dec 12, 2024 3:12 PM CST

Justice Department IG seeks new protections on seizing communications of lawmakers, journalists

The Justice Department during Donald Trump’s first presidential term used concerning and surreptitious tactics to obtain communications from members of Congress, their staffers and news reporters as prosecutors investigated public leaks of sensitive government information, according to a report released Tuesday by the Justice Department’s inspector general.

Dec 10, 2024 1:15 PM CST

DC Circuit blocks accused 9/11 plotter’s plea after US balks

11th Circuit allows release of Trump Jan. 6 special counsel report

In 5-4 vote, Supreme Court refuses to delay Trump’s hush money sentencing

Supreme Court considers putting TikTok on the chopping block

Pentagon’s 9/11 plea deals can proceed, appeals court rules

$5M verdict against Trump for defamation and sexual abuse upheld by NY appeals court

Trump’s election sparks fight over judicial retirements, new judgeships

Biden commutes 37 of 40 federal death sentences before Trump takes office

Fani Willis disqualified from Trump election case by Georgia appellate court

Congress has passed a bill to add more US judges; will Biden veto it?

Justice Department IG seeks new protections on seizing communications of lawmakers, journalists

What laws could Trump invoke to fast track deportations?

Biden should pardon Trump, as well as Trump’s enemies, says Watergate figure John Dean

County can’t prevent chartered deportation flights at airport, 9th Circuit rules

Must Hunter Biden’s indictment be dismissed after presidential pardon? Special counsel doesn’t think so

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