Federal Government

Trump University settles fraud suits for $25M; New York AG calls deal ‘a stunning reversal’

Trump University has agreed to pay $25 million to settle lawsuits claiming its real estate investment seminars defrauded students who paid $1,500 to $35,000 for classes. New York Attorney General announced the settlement Friday. Schneiderman called the deal “a stunning reversal by Donald Trump and a major victory for the…

Nov 18, 2016 2:57 PM CST

Is Ted Cruz being considered for attorney general? He met with Trump on Tuesday

Is U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz being considered for attorney general in Donald Trump’s administration? Cruz wouldn’t say after a meeting with Trump on Tuesday, but one published report indicated he was under consideration. An anonymous source said to be familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News that the Republican senator…

Nov 16, 2016 10:37 AM CST

Sotomayor on Trump’s election: ‘We can’t afford to despair’

Justice Sonia Sotomayor said at a community forum on Tuesday that the nation can’t afford for a president to fail and those who opposed Donald Trump’s election can’t afford to despair. Sotomayor commented in response to a question about whether she felt apprehensive about Donald Trump’s presidential victory, report the…

Nov 16, 2016 8:59 AM CST

What can past presidential history teach us about today? (podcast)

The law is not Dallas attorney Talmage Boston's only love. "I have had a lifelong fascination with the presidency since I was 7 years old, and in recent years have become increasingly fascinated with it, given that so many of our top historians and non-fiction writers are devoting themselves to writing presidential biographies or studying the presidencies of different leaders over the years," Boston says.

Nov 16, 2016 8:30 AM CST

Retired justice’s civics learning game helps students learn about winning the White House

Students playing a video game called Win the White House try to amass more than 300 electoral votes, raise money for campaign events, stay on message and avoid mudslinging.

Nov 16, 2016 8:00 AM CST

Ginsburg still insists ‘eight is not a good number’

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg criticized Donald Trump this summer, but she is nonetheless ready for him to fill the Supreme Court vacancy created by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. On Monday, Ginsburg repeated a phrase she used when President Obama had nominated Merrick Garland to fill the vacancy, report…

Nov 15, 2016 9:11 AM CST

Who will Trump pick from his ‘heartland’ SCOTUS justice list? FantasySCOTUS launches contest with 22

Who will Donald Trump pick as his nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia? He already has a list of 21 potential nominees, all of them conservative. But they represent a break from recent tradition, the New York Times reports in a Sidebar column…

Nov 15, 2016 7:45 AM CST

Mary Jo White to step down as SEC chair, opening door to dismantling of Dodd-Frank

Mary Jo White is leaving her job as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Nov 14, 2016 5:28 PM CST

Court dockets will shrink as Donald Trump rescinds Obama administration actions

Lawsuits stemming from executive actions and legal interpretations by the Obama administration are likely to be removed from the U.S. Supreme Court docket and lower federal courts as a result of a shift in policies when Donald Trump takes office. Likely changes will affect cases involving immigration, the Affordable Care…

Nov 14, 2016 8:00 AM CST

Reporters could bolster First Amendment with libel cases against Trump, libel defense lawyer says

First Amendment lawyer Floyd Abrams urged other media lawyers on Wednesday to consider going on the offensive to shore up the First Amendment, possibly by bringing libel cases against Donald Trump. The Hollywood Reporter reported on Abrams’ remarks and followed up with an interview. Abrams told the publication that Trump…

Nov 11, 2016 7:00 AM CST

52 Obama judicial nominees are awaiting confirmation; do any stand a chance?

Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland isn’t the only judicial hopeful whose confirmation hopes may be dashed by Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election. There are 52 pending federal court nominees, and the conventional wisdom says most are unlikely to win confirmation, Law.com reports. Twenty-three of the 52 nominees had…

Nov 10, 2016 2:09 PM CST

Trump campaign manager doesn’t rule out a Clinton prosecution; is an advance pardon possible?

Donald Trump’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway on Wednesday refused to rule out the prosecution of Hillary Clinton for using a private server to send emails, though Conway did say the president-elect is seeking to unify the country. Will there be a prosecution? And could President Obama pardon Clinton in advance…

Nov 9, 2016 2:55 PM CST

Trump’s win could put ‘legal industry on steroids,’ consultant says

The legal industry stands to benefit when Donald Trump takes office. That's the conclusion of legal consultant Peter Zeughauser.

Nov 9, 2016 1:15 PM CST

ACLU: Trump will face its ‘full firepower’ if he doesn’t reverse course on unconstitutional plans

The American Civil Liberties Union is calling on Donald Trump to reverse course on campaign promises the group deems un-American and unconstitutional. In a press release, the ACLU urges Trump to “reconsider and change course” on several campaign promises. They include pledges to remove 11 million immigrants living here illegally,…

Nov 9, 2016 9:35 AM CST

Does president’s pardon authority extend to a self-pardon?

The FBI’s new look at emails that could have a link to Hillary Clinton had some observers playing out this what-if scenario: What if Hillary Clinton were indicted and elected? Could she pardon herself? Could President Barack Obama pardon her before leaving office? FBI director James Comey told Congress on…

Nov 7, 2016 8:00 AM CST