Category: Judiciary

Judge Rejects Trump’s Effort to Dismiss First E. Jean Carroll Defamation Lawsuit

Former President Donald Trump’s effort to dismiss one of the two lawsuits filed against him by writer E. Jean Carroll was rejected by a federal judge on June 29. Trump had attempted to have the court dismiss a lawsuit filed by Carroll in 2019 accusing the then-president of defaming her when he denied having raped her in a…


DOJ Argues Florida Law Restricting Chinese Land Ownership Violates Constitution

The Department of Justice on Tuesday challenged a Florida law that bars Chinese citizens from owning land, asserting it violates federal housing law and the 14th Amendment. The department filed a statement of interest (pdf) in a case challenging the provision, arguing the Florida law restricting Chinese land ownership by U.S. military installations and major…


Judge Orders Texas Department of Public Safety to Release Uvalde School Shooting Documents

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) must soon begin releasing public records related to law enforcement’s response to the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, a district court judge in Austin ruled on June 29. Judge Daniella Deseta Lyttle agreed with a request made by a string of media outlets, including CNN, CBS,…


Supreme Court’s Affirmative Action Ruling Draws Celebration and Criticism

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to strike down race-based admissions policies at U.S. colleges—known as affirmative action policies—was met with celebration as well as disappointment and defiance. Prior to Thursday’s decision, the Supreme Court had allowed colleges to weigh an applicant’s race when making admissions decisions. In the 1978 case Regents of the University of…


Sheriff’s Deputy Who Failed to Act During Parkland Massacre Acquitted on All Charges

A former Florida sheriff’s deputy, charged with felony child neglect and additional counts for failing to act during the 2018 massacre at a Parkland, Florida, high school, has been acquitted of all charges. Scot Peterson, a 60-year-old school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. On Feb. 14, 2018, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, a former…


Sheriff’s Deputy Who Failed to Act During Parkland Shooting Acquitted on All Charges

A former Florida sheriff’s deputy, charged with felony child neglect and additional counts for failing to act during the 2018 massacre at a Parkland, Florida, high school, has been acquitted of all charges. Scot Peterson, a 60-year-old school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. On Feb. 14, 2018, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, a former…


Feds Accuse 3 Investors of Insider Trading Linked to Trump Media SPAC Deal

The Justice Department has accused three Florida men of insider trading in Digital World Acquisition Corp (DWAC) based on confidential information obtained before the special purpose acquisition company publicly announced plans to merge with former President Donald Trump’s social media company. Michael Shvartsman, his brother Gerald Shvartsman, and Bruce Garelick made over $22 million in…


Republicans Laud, Democrats Lament Supreme Court Affirmative Action Ruling

Politicians from both sides of the political aisle spoke out regarding the Supreme Court’s historic June 29 Affirmative Action ruling with support and condemnation. The decision struck down the use of racially based admission policies in the United States, ending the so-called affirmative action in higher education. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) sent a tweet saying he…


ANALYSIS: Colleges Likely to Seek Workarounds in Aftermath of Ban on Affirmative Action

The admissions process at many American colleges and universities may be dramatically altered after the June 29 Supreme Court ruling that overturns the practice of broadly applying racial considerations in the selection of incoming students. The 6–3 ruling in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College upends the longstanding practice…


‘This Is Not a Normal Court’: Biden Reacts to Supreme Court’s Decision

President Joe Biden on Thursday responded to the Supreme Court’s decision to effectively end affirmative action in college admissions, criticizing the court for breaking with decades of precedent. “I strongly disagree with the court’s decision because affirmative action is so misunderstood,” Biden said at the White House before departing for New York. “Many people wrongly…