All Law & Courts
First LookWisconsin attorney general asks state Supreme Court to halt Musk paymentsWisconsin's attorney general asked the state Supreme Court to block Elon Musk from handing out checks to voters amid a tightly contested election.
The ExplainerSo, how do you know if a country is in a constitutional crisis?The U.S. Constitution divides power among three branches – executive, congressional, and judicial. Presidents have sometimes tried to claim more power, as President Trump is doing now. But when does it become a crisis?
‘Move fast and break things’? Judges are telling Trump to put them back together.As President Trump implements his agenda at lightning speed, courts see mixed results as they demand that some actions be rolled back until lawsuits are heard.
Columbia protester arrest ignites free speech tug-of-warThe Trump administration says deportation can be a tool to combat antisemitism and terrorism. Critics see violations of free speech and immigrant rights.
Threats to judges mount, challenging independence, norms, and rule of lawWith threats against and violence toward judges doubling in recent years, the rule of law now feels more vulnerable to intimidation than ever.
First LookSupreme Court orders Trump to release $2 billion in foreign aid paymentsThe Supreme Court left in place a lower court’s decision to pause the Trump administration’s spending freeze. The administration had appealed U.S. District Judge Amir Ali’s deadline to give the federal government until Feb. 26 to pay out $2 billion in aid.
Mexico faces US gunmakers in Supreme Court, saying they fuel cartel crimeDo U.S. arms manufacturers bear responsibility for the guns fueling cartel violence in Mexico? Mexico is arguing that case before the Supreme Court.
Trump has reduced US safeguards against corruption and white-collar crimePresident Trump is scaling back enforcement efforts against white-collar crimes. Could that become an invitation to corruption and tax evasion?
First LookSupreme Court halts Trump attempt to fire head of whistleblower office – for nowThe unsigned order keeping on job the head of the federal agency that protects government whistleblowers is the court’s first word on President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Uproar over Mayor Adams deepens concern about Justice Dept. politicization under TrumpThe Justice Department’s effort to dismiss an indictment against New York’s mayor is igniting charges that U.S. courts are increasingly politicized.
The Supreme Court has helped presidential power expand. Trump may test its limits.The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed presidential power to steadily expand in recent decades. Now the court may review Trump administration efforts to expand executive branch authority.
As judges say ‘stop,’ the question is whether Trump will complyCongress and the courts are a check on presidential power. But what if the executive branch, charged with enforcing laws and rulings, doesn’t heed them?
But is it legal? Musk’s DOGE is stripping agencies before judges can rule.From accessing computers to halting spending and firing workers, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are testing the legal limits of executive branch power.
Trump pledges FBI reform, but big purge of agents could backfirePossible widespread firings of FBI agents are raising concerns about the agency’s ability to keep the public safe and to be politically independent.
Trump’s order ending birthright citizenship could upend 150 years of lawPresident Trump’s order curtailing birthright citizenship faces lawsuits over the 14th Amendment. This may be prelude to other efforts to end it.
Do Biden’s preemptive pardons offer a safety valve or set bad precedent?Joe Biden’s eleventh-hour preemptive pardons for his family and Trump critics are raising further questions about the use of presidential pardons.
First LookBiden says Equal Rights Amendment should be considered ratifiedPresident Joe Biden says the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered a ratified addition to the Constitution. The national archivist disagrees.
As Trump cases end, what next for presidents and the law?Two years ago, a former American president faced four criminal trials. Three of them didn’t happen. The fourth gave no penalty. Was justice served?
Outside the DC jail, where Jan. 6 rage and devotion live onParticipants in the vigils argue there has been a miscarriage of justice that they hope will be righted when President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
First LookDOJ concludes Tulsa Race Massacre was horrific. But there’s no one left to prosecute.The more than 120-page report released on Jan. 10 outlined the scope and impact of the attack that left as many as 300 people dead. Investigators found federal reports written just days after it happened, in 1921, but no evidence prosecutors evaluated them.
