Federal Government

Chemerinsky: The stakes are enormous for immigrants in upcoming DACA cases

On Nov. 12, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a trio of cases involving whether President Donald Trump acted impermissibly in rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Oct 31, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

DC Circuit stays judge’s order requiring release of Mueller grand jury documents to Congress

A federal appeals court has stayed a judge’s order requiring the release of grand jury materials from the special counsel probe to Congress.

Oct 30, 2019 11:27 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Indiana AG defends his law license; Secret Service asked rapper Eminem about lyrics

Indiana AG testifies his touching at party wasn’t ‘lewd’ Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill testified last week in an ethics hearing that he is “a fun guy” who likely made physical contact with women at a bar in March 2018. But none of the touching was done “in a lewd…

Oct 28, 2019 4:28 PM CDT

Immigration office’s new structure may have adverse impacts, ABA president says

The proposed reorganization of the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review could adversely impact noncitizens’ access to legal information and services and the administrative review of immigration decisions, ABA President Judy Perry Martinez wrote in a letter Friday.

Oct 28, 2019 2:46 PM CDT

Scores of inspectors general criticize DOJ response to Ukraine whistleblower

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz is among about 70 federal inspectors general who are criticizing the department’s conclusion that the Ukraine whistleblower complaint did not need to be turned over to Congress.

Oct 28, 2019 1:17 PM CDT

Judge orders DOJ to turn over Mueller grand jury information for impeachment probe

The chief federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled Friday that the House Judiciary Committee is entitled to see grand jury materials related to former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Oct 25, 2019 4:22 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: DOJ opens criminal review of Russia probe; DeVos held in contempt

Department of Justice reportedly opens criminal inquiry into origins of Russia probe The U.S. Department of Justice’s review of the origins of the Russia probe has shifted from an administrative review to a criminal inquiry, according to two anonymous sources who spoke with the New York Times. According to the…

Oct 25, 2019 2:19 PM CDT

Federal judge vacates $16M settlement after parties claim press release violated secrecy provision

A federal judge in Chicago has tossed a $16 million settlement between Kraft Foods Group Inc. and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission after Kraft Foods claimed that the CFTC’s public statements about the deal violated its confidentiality provision.

Oct 25, 2019 12:39 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: NYC bar calls for Barr’s Ukraine recusal; law school renamed after donor

U.S. attorney general should recuse himself in Ukraine matters, bar group says The New York City Bar Association is calling on Attorney General William Barr to recuse himself from any Justice Department review of Ukraine-related issues in which he was allegedly involved. If Barr refuses to recuse in the future,…

Oct 24, 2019 4:44 PM CDT

Small claims program for copyright violations? ABA-supported legislation passes US House

The House of Representatives approved earlier this week a measure that would establish a copyright small claims program in the U.S. Copyright Office to address some of the violations of copyright and intellectual property.

Oct 24, 2019 12:25 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Trump couldn’t be prosecuted even if he shot someone, lawyer argues; Kellogg’s to pay $20M

Sitting president can’t be prosecuted even if he shot someone, Trump lawyer argues A sitting president couldn’t be investigated and prosecuted by New York authorities even if he shot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue, according to William Consovoy, President Donald Trump’s private lawyer. The lawyer made the “temporary…

Oct 23, 2019 4:47 PM CDT

SCOTUS to review constitutionality of financial watchdog agency

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Friday to decide whether the single-director structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau violates the separation of powers.

Oct 21, 2019 12:01 PM CDT

Parents of Matthew Shepard use DOJ speech to criticize Barr’s stance on gender identity protections

The parents of Matthew Shepard, a college student murdered because he was gay, criticized the Justice Department’s stance on LGBTQ workplace protections on Wednesday in a speech delivered at an event commemorating a hate-crime law named after their son.

Oct 17, 2019 10:39 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: FBI probes slaying of US lawyer overseas; liberal group’s SCOTUS short list released

FBI to aid probe into slaying of US lawyer in Micronesia The FBI is aiding the investigation into the Monday shooting death of U.S. lawyer Rachelle Bergeron, who was acting attorney general of Yap State in the Pacific nation of Micronesia. A friend, Amos Collins, said he doesn’t know who…

Oct 16, 2019 4:11 PM CDT

4th Circuit to reconsider claim that Trump is violating the emoluments clause

A federal appeals court on Tuesday agreed to an en banc rehearing in a suit claiming President Donald Trump is violating the Constitution’s ban on presidents accepting emoluments from foreign states. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Richmond, Virginia, had tossed the constitutional challenge in July. The unanimous…

Oct 15, 2019 5:15 PM CDT