President Joe Biden’s administration said on Dec. 20 that it is withdrawing efforts to implement two student loan forgiveness plans. Two filings to The Federal Register described the Department of Education’s decision to withdraw the efforts. Undersecretary of the Department of Education James Kvaal also notified a federal court of the changes on Dec. 20. […]
Senate Democrats proposed a constitutional amendment on Dec. 16 that would abolish the Electoral College and ensure the country’s presidential elections were determined by the popular vote. “It is time to retire this 18th-century invention that disenfranchises millions of Americans,” Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said in a press release. He and Sens. Brian […]
Social media platform TikTok is asking the Supreme Court to temporarily block a law requiring its parent company, ByteDance, to divest the platform by Jan. 19, 2025, or cease operations in the United States. The Dec. 16 filing came after the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected TikTok’s attempt […]
The Republican-led House of Representatives approved a bill on Dec. 12 to expand the number of seats in the federal judiciary. The bill, known as the Judicial Understaffing Delays Getting Emergencies Solved (JUDGES) Act of 2024, would add 66 district court judgeships nationwide. Under the bill, the additions would occur incrementally, with the last wave […]
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office is seeking to maintain the verdicts and indictment of President-elect Donald Trump’s falsified business records case. Bragg filed the request to New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan on Dec. 9 after Trump submitted a motion to dismiss last week. Trump had argued that both the verdicts and the […]
The Supreme Court is hearing oral argument on Dec. 10 over a federal agency’s decision to approve a Utah rail project that the state has said will boost economic opportunity in the region. The project, known as the Uinta Basin Railway, would connect the northwestern region of the state to the national railway through a […]
A federal judge has rejected a plea deal between Boeing and the Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of the department’s ongoing case over two fatal plane crashes. In a Dec. 5 order, Texas Judge Reed O’Connor expressed concern about provisions related to compliance with diversity and anti-fraud efforts, as well as the court’s role […]
President-elect Donald Trump’s attorneys asked the Georgia Court of Appeals on Dec. 4 to dismiss his election interference case, arguing it lacks jurisdiction due to presidential immunity. Addressing the jurisdictional issue, Trump’s attorneys said that sitting presidents are immune from prosecution and that the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution protects against state judges and […]
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Dec. 4 over Tennessee’s ban on gender-altering procedures for minors, teeing up a potentially game-changing decision for precedent on this issue. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) attorney Chase Strangio and U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar asked the court to remand or send Tennessee’s law back to a lower […]
President-elect Donald Trump has filed a motion requesting that New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan dismiss his New York criminal case and verdicts against him. “Wrongly continuing proceedings in this failed lawfare case disrupts President Trump’s transition efforts and his preparations to wield the full Article II executive power authorized by the Constitution pursuant […]
District of Columbia Judge Tanya Chutkan dismissed the election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 25, bringing an end to a highly contentious prosecution and raising questions about whether the charges could once again surface. Chutkan’s dismissal was entered “without prejudice,” which means the charges can hypothetically be brought against Trump at a […]
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit has granted special counsel Jack Smith’s request to dismiss part of an appeal in his classified documents case against President-elect Donald Trump. Smith had sought an appeal of Florida Judge Aileen Cannon’s decision in July to dismiss his prosecution. Judge Cannon argued that his appointment as […]
New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan has delayed indefinitely sentencing in President-elect Donald Trump’s business records case, raising questions about the future of the prosecution and whether sentencing will take place. Sentencing was initially scheduled for July but was postponed until Nov. 26. In an order on Nov. 22, Merchan said that he was […]
President-elect Donald Trump’s attorneys argued on Nov. 19 that New York Justice Juan Merchan should dismiss the ongoing case against their client, arguing that doing so was required by federal law and the U.S. Constitution. “Immediate dismissal of this case is mandated by the federal Constitution, the Presidential Transition Act of 1963, and the interests […]
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has agreed to postpone sentencing for President-elect Donald Trump in his business records case. A Nov. 19 letter to New York Justice Juan Merchan showed Bragg stating that his office believed “further proceedings before this Court should be adjourned to permit litigation” surrounding Trump’s motion to dismiss. Sentencing was […]
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ordered counties within the state not to count undated mail-in ballots after multiple counties said they would. The order came on Nov. 18 as the commonwealth began a recount process in the race for U.S. Senate. Both Decision Desk HQ and The Associated Press called the race for Republican Dave […]
The Georgia Court of Appeals has canceled a scheduled oral argument over prosecutor Fani Willis’s continued participation in the election case against President-elect Donald Trump and various codefendants. “The oral argument scheduled to take place on December 5, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. is hereby canceled until further order of this Court,” the brief order on […]
WASHINGTON—President-Elect Donald Trump on Nov. 14 announced three figures to help lead the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), including his attorney Todd Blanche for deputy attorney general. Trump also announced his selection of Dean John Sauer as U.S. Solicitor General, and attorney Emil Bove for principal associate deputy attorney general. Blanche defended Trump in his […]
President-elect Donald Trump said on Nov. 14 that he is nominating former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman Jay Clayton to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. “Jay is going to be a strong Fighter for the Truth as we, Make America Great Again,” Trump said in a post […]
WASHINGTON—House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced during a Nov. 13 press conference that Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) had resigned his seat in the House of Representatives after being nominated by President-elect Donald Trump as attorney general. Though he’ll likely face a tough fight to be confirmed by the Senate, Johnson said that Gaetz resigned his […]
