A federal appeals court on Friday held that the Trump Administration cannot deny funds to Philadelphia because of its status as a “sanctuary city.” In September 2017 Philadelphia was denied funds from Byrn JAG, a federal grant used to fund criminal justice programs. The fund distributes over $80 million in awards each year, and since [...]
The US Supreme Court agreed Friday to hear a challenge to the Trump Administration’s citizenship question on the 2020 census. Arguments are set for the second week of April. A district court previously enjoined the Secretary of Commerce from including the question due to a violation of Administrative Procedure Act §701. The lower court said that, [...]
The US Senate passed the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act of 2019 on a voice vote Thursday, which would make lynching a federal hate crime. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) introduced the bill the same day it was passed. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Tim Scott (R-SC) co-sponsored the bill. The Senate had unanimously passed a similar bill in December, but [...]
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday published an action plan to reduce manmade Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) from drinking water. The action plan lays out various short term and long term actions and proposals, including increased research and efforts to clean-up and prevent future contamination. One of the priorities for the EPA [...]
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) brought a lawsuit on Thursday against US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on behalf of two women who were detained in Montana after a Border Patrol officer heard them speaking Spanish. Ana Suda and Martha Hernandez, both US citizens, were in line to buy groceries at a convenience store [...]
The US Senate on Thursday confirmed William Barr as Attorney General, replacing acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker. Barr previously served as Attorney General under President George H.W. Bush from 1991 to 1993 and has since practiced in the private sector. Barr’s confirmation fills a position that has been vacant since President Donald Trump’s first Attorney [...]
US President Donald Trump on Friday announced a state of emergency to obtain $8 billion for a border wall between the US and Mexico. A significant amount of the funds are expected to be taken from the Department of Defense budget, but Trump was not firm regarding funding or spending plans. The declaration was couched in [...]
A group of human rights organizations filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday challenging its policy requiring Central American migrants to return to Mexico to wait for their asylum requests to be processed. The Migrant Protection Protocols sought to reduce the amount of families seeking asylum in the US. The American Civil [...]
The US House of Representatives passed HJRes 37 on Wednesday calling for the withdrawal of US Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen. The resolution states that only Congress has the authority to declare war. Congress has not made any declarations of war against the Houthis in the Republic of Yemen, who are the [...]
The American Bar Association issued Formal Opinion 485 Thursday, which states that judges who perform marriages as a “mandatory obligation of judicial office may not decline to perform marriages of same-sex couples.” The opinion comes after the 2015 Supreme Court decision, which held that states are not allowed to refuse “to license marriages between individuals [...]
