Federal Government

Trump’s cabinet has fewer lawyers than in past administrations

The number of lawyers in President Donald Trump’s cabinet trails that of the past four presidents. There are just two lawyers in current cabinet positions: Vice President Mike Pence and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the Wall Street Journal reports. Another lawyer, Florida International University law dean R. Alexander Acosta, is…

Mar 3, 2017 11:25 AM CST

This justice attended Obama’s speeches but skipped Trump’s

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg skipped President Donald Trump’s congressional address on Tuesday, a turnabout from the Obama years when she attended (and sometimes nodded off). Five justices attended the speech: Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Anthony M. Kennedy, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. The…

Mar 1, 2017 10:10 AM CST

Can Trump triumph in the Supreme Court? Presidents’ rates of winning cases have been declining

It’s only a matter of time before President Donald J. Trump’s administration puts its stamp on the federal government’s cases in the U.S. Supreme Court. But can it top the relatively low batting average that President Barack Obama’s administration recorded over the last eight years?

Mar 1, 2017 3:40 AM CST

9th Circuit denies US request to stay travel ban appeal

A federal appeals court on Monday refused to halt an appeal that considers a temporary travel ban imposed by President Donald Trump. The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the government’s motion to halt the appeal and extended the briefing schedule by a week, report Reuters and…

Feb 27, 2017 2:26 PM CST

ACLU hires digital experts from Bernie Sanders campaign to launch grassroots mobilization website

The American Civil Liberties Union has launched a new website to mobilize grassroots resistance to policies that it views as a threat to civil rights and civil liberties. The website is called PeoplePower.org, the ACLU announced in a press release and a blog post on Feb. 24. Fast Company has…

Feb 27, 2017 11:42 AM CST

Did White House exclusion of press violate First Amendment? Norman Siegel says suit should be filed

Lawyers and First Amendment advocates joined a New York congresswoman on Saturday in blasting President Donald Trump’s exclusions of some news organizations from a White House press briefing the previous day. Democratic U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney held a news conference with the experts outside the headquarters of the New York…

Feb 27, 2017 8:31 AM CST

Law profs seek ethics probe of lawyer Kellyanne Conway; ‘Bowling Green Massacre’ statement is cited

Fifteen law professors who teach legal ethics courses are seeking an ethics investigation of lawyer Kellyanne Conway for promoting Ivanka Trump’s merchandise and making alleged inaccurate statements, including references to the “Bowling Green Massacre.” The law professors made the request in a letter to the Office of Disciplinary Counsel in…

Feb 24, 2017 9:50 AM CST

Deportation priorities will expand to include those convicted of even minor crimes

The federal government will expand an Obama administration policy that prioritized deportations by focusing on those who commit serious crimes, according to guidance memos released on Tuesday by the Department of Homeland Security. Now, according to an immigration-enforcement memo (PDF), priorities have been expanded to remove those who commit any…

Feb 21, 2017 11:52 AM CST

ABA president ‘staunchly supports’ the LSC, said to be on a hit list of programs that could be cut

ABA President Linda A. Klein of Atlanta has issued a statement saying the association “staunchly supports a robust Legal Services Corporation to assure access to justice for all."

Klein issued the statement Monday. On Friday, the New York Times reported that the LSC is on a draft “hit list” of programs that could be cut to lower domestic spending.

Feb 21, 2017 9:30 AM CST

Trump immigration policies draw rapid legal-tech response

In December, as Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration approached, a friend and former boss gave New York resident Leslie Martinez an intriguing offer.

Feb 17, 2017 11:00 AM CST

ICE detention of immigrant protected by deferred-deportation program violates due process, suit says

A law-abiding immigrant protected by former President Obama’s deferred deportation program should be released from immigration custody, according to a petition for habeas corpus. Agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Daniel Ramirez Medina, 23, on Friday, even though he has not committed a crime and is authorized to…

Feb 15, 2017 11:31 AM CST

Trump may get the chance to appoint a greater share of judges than any new president in 40 years

President Trump could get a chance to appoint a greater share of federal judges than any first-term president in the last 40 years, according to an analysis of vacant judgeships and likely retirements. Trump’s power to shape the courts in the first term largely stems from “a growing number of…

Feb 14, 2017 11:29 AM CST

Will Trump assert executive privilege in travel ban trials? Seattle judge lets case proceed

Citing President Donald Trump’s “see you in court” tweet, a federal judge in Seattle on Monday allowed a challenge to the president’s temporary travel ban to proceed in his court without delay. The decision by U.S. District Judge James Robart sets the stage for a new conflict between the branches…

Feb 14, 2017 10:09 AM CST

Trump’s promised regulatory reform is already well underway

President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have undertaken a dramatic rollback of governmental regulations that could be a sign of things to come. According to a Monday article in the Washington Post, both Trump and congressional Republicans have utilized a number of executive and legislative maneuvers to undo or delay…

Feb 13, 2017 2:24 PM CST

White House may draft new immigration order after 9th Cir. ruling, but will case be heard en banc?

Updated: On Friday, President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he’s considering a “brand new order” on immigration, the Associated Press reported. While he said he expected his administration to ultimately win its case on the original order, drafting a new one with “very little” changes is…

Feb 10, 2017 6:01 PM CST