A federal district court ruled on Dec. 23 that President Donald Trump has legal authority to raise the fee for H-1B visas for employees in specialty occupations to $100,000. Before the change, the fee was between $2,000 and $5,000, depending … Continue reading Federal judge upholds Trump’s $100,000 fee for H-1B visas
The U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 23 ruled that President Donald Trump may not deploy National Guard troops to Chicago to protect federal immigration agents for the time being. “At this preliminary stage, the government has failed to identify a … Continue reading Supreme Court blocks Trump’s deployment of National Guard to Chicago
The U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 22 temporarily halted a lower court ruling requiring the company that owns the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to change its health insurance coverage for unionized employees. Justice Samuel Alito issued an administrative stay of a U.S. … Continue reading Supreme Court temporarily blocks ruling against Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in labor dispute
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to take up a challenge to a federal marijuana law filed by licensed marijuana dealers in Massachusetts. The court’s decision not to hear Canna Provisions Inc. v. Bondi took the form of an unsigned … Continue reading Supreme Court won’t hear challenge to federal marijuana law
The U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 19 allowed a lawsuit brought by immigration judges challenging a Biden-era policy that prevents them from speaking publicly about their jobs to move forward in the lower courts. On Dec. 5, Chief Justice John … Continue reading Supreme Court revives immigration judges’ free speech lawsuit
A federal appeals court blocked Michigan’s 2023 ban on counseling for minors that aims to dissuade patients from pursuing a so-called gender transition, declaring it violates the First Amendment rights of therapists. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of … Continue reading Sixth Circuit blocks Michigan’s conversion therapy ban on free speech grounds
Ghislaine Maxwell asked a federal court on Dec. 17 to set aside her sex trafficking convictions and 20-year prison sentence, citing “newly discovered evidence.” Maxwell was an associate of the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in … Continue reading Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell asks court to overturn her convictions
A federal district judge on Dec. 17 allowed the ongoing ballroom construction project at the White House to continue, turning away a preservation organization’s request to halt it, at least for the time being. The litigation is still underway, and … Continue reading Federal judge won’t block White House ballroom construction
A federal judge on Dec. 17 issued an order temporarily halting the Trump administration’s efforts to prevent members of Congress from making unannounced oversight-related visits to detention facilities run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Judge Jia Cobb of … Continue reading Judge blocks ICE policy requiring advance notice for congressional visits at detention centers
A federal appeals court on Dec. 17 allowed President Donald Trump’s use of District of Columbia National Guard troops in the nation’s capital to continue while an appeal of a lower court order blocking the deployment plays out. Trump has … Continue reading Appeals court allows Trump’s National Guard deployment in DC, for now
Florida executed a man on Dec. 18 who was convicted of killing a man and his girlfriend during a home invasion 38 years ago, after the U.S. Supreme Court denied a reprieve earlier in the day. The condemned man, Frank Athen Walls, had filed an emergency application with the court days earlier, arguing that he was intellectually disabled and that lower courts failed to properly consider his condition. Authorities pronounced Walls, 58, dead at 6:11 p.m. after he received a lethal injection at Florida State Prison near Starke, Florida. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed his death warrant on Nov. … Continue reading Florida executes man claiming intellectual disability after Supreme Court denies reprieve
Maryland will form a commission to study the possibility of providing reparations for slavery after the state’s legislature reversed Gov. Wes Moore’s veto of enabling legislation on Dec. 16. Slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865 with the … Continue reading Maryland legislature overrides governor’s veto of reparations commission
A federal district court in Los Angeles kicked off a multi-day hearing Dec. 15 over California’s new congressional map that state voters approved in a referendum last month. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit on Nov. 13 … Continue reading Court hearing over challenge to California redistricting begins
The Supreme Court on Dec. 15 ordered a federal appeals court to reconsider its ruling denying attorney’s fees to a white man who succeeded in blocking a Biden-era debt-relief program he alleged was racially discriminatory. The court’s decision in Holman v. Rollins took the form of an unsigned order that was issued without comment. No justices dissented. No oral argument was held in the case. The petitioner, Robert Holman, previously won a preliminary injunction halting the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) debt-relief program that he argued discriminated on the basis of race. The respondent is USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins. The … Continue reading Supreme Court vacates appeals court ruling over race-based USDA program
The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and federal agencies on Dec. 12 over the ballroom construction project at the White House. Construction on the project, which involves demolishing part of the executive mansion … Continue reading National Trust sues Trump admin over White House ballroom project
The U.S. Supreme Court has turned away a Tennessee woman’s appeal of her state rejecting a personalized license plate for her car. The court rejected the petition in Gilliam v. Gerregano on Dec. 8 in an unsigned order without comment. … Continue reading Supreme Court won’t hear free speech case over vanity plate
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up the case of a Christian baker in California who was prosecuted for declining to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex marriage celebration. The nation’s highest court turned away the petition without … Continue reading Supreme Court won’t hear appeal of Christian baker who declined to make a same-sex wedding cake
The U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 12 declined to block a lower court order directing that a Japanese citizen with U.S. permanent resident status be extradited to Japan to face charges of vandalizing religious buildings. Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied the … Continue reading Supreme Court won’t halt extradition of Japanese man accused of vandalizing religious sites
President Donald Trump said on Dec. 11 that he is pardoning Tina Peters, a former Colorado county clerk convicted of election machine tampering in the aftermath of the disputed 2020 election. The presidential pardon of the Republican former officeholder appears … Continue reading Trump says he is pardoning former Colorado County Clerk Tina Peters
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana courts must reconsider the case of a man who was denied access to a physical therapy clinic’s pool because he has human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The Supreme Court issued a brief, unsigned opinion … Continue reading Supreme Court sends HIV patient therapy case back to Louisiana Court of Appeal