Trump may be sued for violating Emoluments Clause, district judge says

WASHINGTON—U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia Emmet Sullivan refused the Trump administration’s motion to dismiss a Democratic lawmaker-initiated lawsuit claiming that America’s first billionaire president violated the Constitution’s rarely cited Foreign Emoluments Clause. The lawsuit alleges that President … Continue reading Trump may be sued for violating Emoluments Clause, district judge says

Rent-a-child services thriving at the border: A child is a get-out-of-detention-free card to some

Mindful of the leftist-led uproar over family separations at the border, immigration scammers are now taking advantage of American good will by “renting” children for cash to illegal aliens crossing the border to help them obtain quick release by the … Continue reading Rent-a-child services thriving at the border: A child is a get-out-of-detention-free card to some

TVA can be sued when it acts like a business, Supreme Court rules

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of a man injured in a boating accident, finding that the Knoxville-based Tennessee Valley Authority is not immune from lawsuits, as the federal government had claimed. The April 29 judicial opinion came in a case called Thacker v. Tennessee Valley Authority. Gary Thacker and his wife filed suit against the authority for negligence after he and another man, Anthony Szozda, navigating a boat on the Tennessee River were struck while crews tried to raise a partially submerged power line. Szozda was killed. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals threw out Thacker’s lawsuit, finding the TVA, which … Continue reading TVA can be sued when it acts like a business, Supreme Court rules

Florida’s crackdown on sanctuary cities begins: Pending legislation would punish jurisdictions that harbor illegal aliens

Florida appears poised to join a righteous law-and-order backlash against so-called sanctuary cities that shield and harbor illegal aliens in defiance of the nation’s immigration laws, after a pro-immigration enforcement bill passed the state’s House of Representatives. The Sunshine State … Continue reading Florida’s crackdown on sanctuary cities begins: Pending legislation would punish jurisdictions that harbor illegal aliens

Bernie wants the Boston Marathon bomber to vote: And is promptly denounced by, of all people, Cher

Democrat 2020 presidential primary frontrunner Sen. Bernie Sanders seemed hellbent on ending his candidacy early this week when he endorsed giving still-imprisoned rapists, terrorists, and murderers under sentence of death like Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev the right to vote. … Continue reading Bernie wants the Boston Marathon bomber to vote: And is promptly denounced by, of all people, Cher

Criminal intent irrelevant in illegal alien gun prosecutions, Supreme Court hears

WASHINGTON—A lawyer for the U.S. government told several skeptical Supreme Court justices that a defendant doesn’t have to be aware of his immigration status in order to be convicted of a federal firearms crime. The case involves Hamid Mohamed Ahmed Ali Rehaif of the United Arab Emirates, whose student visa expired in 2015 after the Florida Institute of Technology dismissed him for poor academic performance. The government claims that in January 2015, the school notified Rehaif by email that his visa was soon to expire. His visa was terminated on Feb. 23, 2015. No evidence was adduced at trial showing … Continue reading Criminal intent irrelevant in illegal alien gun prosecutions, Supreme Court hears

Supreme Court justices seem to split on adding citizenship question to census

WASHINGTON—Supreme Court justices split on ideological grounds on April 23 during high-stakes oral arguments about the legality of the Trump administration’s decision to ask individuals responding to the 2020 Census whether they are U.S. citizens. The results from the once-a-decade … Continue reading Supreme Court justices seem to split on adding citizenship question to census

Appeals Court denies Trump administration’s attempt to invalidate California sanctuary laws

A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld the better part of three so-called sanctuary laws interfering with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts to uphold federal immigration laws in the state of California. The … Continue reading Appeals Court denies Trump administration’s attempt to invalidate California sanctuary laws

No free ride for asylum seekers who enter U.S. illegally: Trump administration tries to rein in an out-of-control system

Attorney General William Barr overturned a Bush-era policy by finding that asylum-seekers who enter the United States illegally are no longer eligible for release while their claims are processed. The move is part of the Trump administration’s effort to reform … Continue reading No free ride for asylum seekers who enter U.S. illegally: Trump administration tries to rein in an out-of-control system

National Popular Vote movement seeks to make Electoral College obsolete

WASHINGTON—A proposal to guarantee that the winner of the national popular vote in future presidential elections becomes president of the United States—without going through the effort of amending the U.S. Constitution—now has 70 percent of the state-level support its backers … Continue reading National Popular Vote movement seeks to make Electoral College obsolete

Supreme Court hears case on when states can tax trust beneficiaries

WASHINGTON—North Carolina’s solicitor general told the Supreme Court that his state is entitled to tax residents who are beneficiaries of trusts created outside the state, even if they haven’t received payments from the trust. How the Supreme Court rules in the case, known as North Carolina Department of Revenue v. Kimberly Rice Kaestner 1992 Family Trust, might have an impact on the nation’s trust industry, which generates more than $120 billion in earnings every year. Many lawyers have difficulty mastering the law of trusts, which is considered to be extraordinarily complex. To be helpful, in its petition to the court … Continue reading Supreme Court hears case on when states can tax trust beneficiaries

Oil rig worker off California coast argues before Supreme Court for higher pay

WASHINGTON—A lawyer for an offshore oil rig employee who worked on the federally administered Outer Continental Shelf outside the three-mile U.S. jurisdictional limit told a skeptical Supreme Court on April 16 that federal law requires that California employment law be … Continue reading Oil rig worker off California coast argues before Supreme Court for higher pay