Federal Government

Homeless veterans bill would ensure legal services are available ‘when they are needed most,’ ABA says

ABA President Bob Carlson urged the Senate’s Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on Tuesday to support bipartisan legislation that would implement new strategies for removing barriers that prevent homeless veterans from receiving vital benefits, services and treatment. In a letter sent to committee Chair Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Ranking Member Jon…

May 23, 2019 11:50 AM CDT

Another judge rules against Trump in subpoena battle; this time fight is over bank records

President Donald Trump has lost a subpoena fight in federal court for the second time this week. In the latest loss for Trump, a federal judge refused Wednesday to block a subpoena for his records from Deutsche Bank and Capital One Financial Corp., report the New York Times, the Wall…

May 23, 2019 10:20 AM CDT

Multistate suit challenges federal ‘conscience’ rule over health care refusals on religious grounds

The state of New York is leading a coalition of 23 state and local governments in a lawsuit challenging a federal “conscience” rule that expands the ability of businesses and individuals to refuse to provide medical services on religious or moral grounds. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, says the final rule,…

May 22, 2019 3:47 PM CDT

Mueller materials will be released to House committee, its chairman announces

The U.S. Department of Justice has agreed to produce material redacted from the Mueller report along with underlying evidence to the House Intelligence Committee. The committee chairman, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California, announced the deal Wednesday, the Washington Post reports. Schiff said the DOJ will release 12 categories of…

May 22, 2019 9:15 AM CDT

Judge refuses to block subpoena for Trump’s accounting records

A federal judge has refused to block a subpoena from the House Committee on Oversight and Reform for eight years of financial records from the accounting firm for President Donald Trump. Trump filed a lawsuit against Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., chairman of the House committee, last month. U.S. District Judge…

May 21, 2019 9:15 AM CDT

Founder of online abortion-pill service says she won’t turn anyone away, despite FDA warning

A Dutch doctor who founded an online abortion-pill service called AID Access is striking a defiant tone after the Food and Drug Administration sent her a warning letter telling her to “immediately cease” introducing the drugs into the United States. Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, founder of Aid Access, said in a…

May 17, 2019 2:19 PM CDT

4th Circuit rules rescission of DACA was arbitrary and capricious

A second federal appeals court has rejected the federal government’s rescission of a program that defers deportation for immigrants brought to the country illegally as minors. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Richmond, Virginia, ruled 2-1 Friday that the 2017 rescission of the program was arbitrary and capricious,…

May 17, 2019 1:18 PM CDT

Trump pardons former business associate who wrote complimentary book about him

President Donald Trump has issued pardons to a former Republican legislator who backed prison reform and a former business associate who praised him in a book last year. The former business associate is Conrad Black, who was sentenced to 6½ years in prison in 2007 for embezzling millions of dollars…

May 16, 2019 1:07 PM CDT

FDA lacks jurisdiction to regulate lethal injection drugs, Justice Department argues

The Food and Drug Administration has no jurisdiction to regulate drugs and devices used in executions, according to a legal opinion by the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel. Articles intended for use in capital punishment aren’t covered by the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, according to the…

May 15, 2019 1:35 PM CDT

Trump lawyer argues Congress can’t seek president’s financial records for law enforcement purpose

President Donald Trump’s lawyer told a federal judge Tuesday that Congress has no authority to seek Trump’s financial records because it wants them for a law enforcement purpose rather than for its legislative work. Lawyer William S. Consovoy went so far as to argue that Congress couldn’t investigate the president…

May 15, 2019 11:36 AM CDT

Lawyer charged in marriage-fraud scheme operating in US and Vietnam

A Texas lawyer is among nearly a hundred people charged in an alleged marriage-fraud scheme that was intended to help immigrants gain admission to the United States. Pearland, Texas, lawyer Trang Le Nguyen, also known as Nguyen Le Thien Trang, has been charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud, mail…

May 15, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Under newly introduced federal bill, public defenders would get same pay as prosecutors

U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris of California, a former prosecutor and Democratic 2020 presidential contender, has introduced a bill that would eventually require pay parity for public defenders and prosecutors. The legislation, introduced Wednesday, creates a $250 million grant program for public defense that requires entities receiving funds to establish workload…

May 10, 2019 7:30 AM CDT

House panel recommends contempt for Barr after Trump asserts privilege; is constitutional crisis ahead?

Updated: The House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to recommend that Attorney General William Barr be held in contempt for refusing to comply with a subpoena for the unredacted Mueller report and the underlying documents.

May 8, 2019 3:30 PM CDT

White House tells Congress it’s not entitled to documents from former counsel McGahn

White House counsel Pat Cipollone told the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that documents subpoenaed from his predecessor, Don McGahn, are protected from disclosure.

May 7, 2019 1:26 PM CDT

Ruling in law firm’s case, 9th Circuit upholds structure of US consumer agency

Another federal appeals court has upheld the constitutionality of the structure of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau—this time in an appeal by a law firm challenging a civil investigative demand by the agency. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at San Francisco ruled Monday in an appeal by…

May 7, 2019 10:44 AM CDT