Afternoon Briefs: Judge orders sweep for undelivered ballots; Chamber of Commerce worries US is ignoring injunction
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Judge orders postal sweep for undelivered ballots
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan of Washington, D.C., has ordered the U.S. Postal Service to sweep 12 key postal districts for undelivered ballots and immediately send them out for delivery. Sullivan issued the order after the Postal Service disclosed that about 300,000 ballots had not yet been scanned for delivery. (New York attorney general press release, the New York Times, the Hill)
Chamber of Commerce concerned US is flouting visa injunction
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and technology companies said in an October motion that they are “gravely concerned” that the U.S. Department of State is not complying with a judge’s injunction allowing the processing of certain work visas. The groups said the visa requests are falling in an “administrative black hole.” (Law360)
Consumer Reports blasts new CFPB rules
Consumer Reports is blasting new rules issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that allow debt collectors to send unlimited texts, emails and social media direct messages to debtors. The rules also fail to require substantiation of a debt before collection attempts. (Consumer Reports press release)
Federal judge vacates public charge rule
U.S. District Judge Gary Feinerman of Chicago on Monday vacated the Trump administration’s public charge rule after holding that it is arbitrary and capricious. The rule made it easier for the government to deny green cards to immigrants who receive or are likely to receive public assistance. Feinerman said his decision applied nationwide because he was ruling on the merits under the Administrative Procedure Act. If the case reaches the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Amy Coney Barrett would likely recuse herself. She was in the dissent when the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Chicago upheld a preliminary injunction in the case. (The New York Times, Law360, Bloomberg Law, Feinerman’s decision)
