Administrative Law

Federal officials consider changing hurdle for student borrowers hoping to erase debt in bankruptcy

The U.S. Department of Education will review whether there is a need to change the way “undue hardship” is evaluated in bankruptcy for student borrowers seeking to erase their loans. The announcement is an indication that the Trump administration is considering making it easier for students to discharge their loans,…

Feb 21, 2018 12:47 PM CST

Did some agencies violate the Antideficiency Act by staying open during the shutdown?

Some legal experts are questioning whether the government violated the Antideficiency Act by keeping some parks open and some agencies operating during the three-day government shutdown that ended on Monday. Among those questioning those decisions was Elaine Kamarck, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, Bloomberg Politics reports.…

Jan 23, 2018 10:02 AM CST

Supreme Court accepts case on endangered frog that tests reach of federal law

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider a case involving an endangered frog and regulations affecting private property.

Jan 23, 2018 8:30 AM CST

Health-care workers with moral or religious objections have support of new HHS division

The Department of Health and Human Services has a new division to help protect health-care workers with moral or religious objections to providing certain types of care. The agency’s website gives examples of the types of procedures that could spur objections: abortions, sterilization and assisted suicide, the Washington Post reports.…

Jan 18, 2018 11:09 AM CST

22 attorneys general file petition to block FCC decision repealing net neutrality

Twenty-one states and the District of Columbia have taken the first step in a bid to block the repeal of net neutrality rules. The 22 jurisdictions filed a petition for review on Tuesday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, according to a press release…

Jan 16, 2018 3:19 PM CST

Supreme Court accepts cases on appointment of SEC judges, retailer sales taxes, redistricting

The U.S. Supreme Court granted review in 12 cases Friday, including a challenge to the appointment process for administrative law judges at the Securities and Exchange Commission. At issue in the SEC case, Lucia v. SEC, is whether the judges are “inferior officers” under the appointments clause, rather than mere…

Jan 16, 2018 7:30 AM CST

Judge blocks DACA rescission; White House calls decision ‘outrageous’

A federal judge in San Francisco has issued a nationwide injunction that temporarily blocks the phase-out of a program protecting immigrants brought to the country illegally as minors.

Jan 10, 2018 9:07 AM CST

Manafort sues DOJ and special counsel who indicted him, says Mueller was given improper authority

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort claims in a lawsuit that the order appointing special counsel Robert Mueller improperly gave Mueller the power to investigate matters that are “unmoored” to an investigation of links between the Russian government and the presidential campaign. According to the suit filed on Wednesday, an…

Jan 3, 2018 3:43 PM CST

Supreme Court says judge ruled on DACA document turnover too soon

The U.S. Supreme Court said Wednesday that a federal judge ruled too soon when he ordered document disclosure in lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s decision to wind down a program protecting immigrants brought to the country illegally as minors.

Dec 21, 2017 8:47 AM CST

FCC repeals net neutrality rules; at least 2 state AGs plan to challenge

At least two state attorneys general announced they will join a multistate lawsuit challenging Thursday's decision by the Federal Communications Commission to repeal net neutrality rules requiring internet providers to provide equal access to apps and websites.

Dec 14, 2017 1:43 PM CST

US asks Supreme Court to block order requiring production of documents on DACA wind-down

The U.S. Justice Department on Friday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block a federal judge’s order to turn over additional documents regarding the government’s wind-down of a program protecting immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.

Dec 4, 2017 8:00 AM CST

Congress overturns consumer bureau rule limiting mandatory arbitration in bank contracts

Vice President Mike Pence cast a tie-breaker vote in the Senate on Tuesday to overturn a rule to limit mandatory arbitration clauses in contracts between consumers and financial institutions.

Oct 25, 2017 8:52 AM CDT

Sessions criticizes ‘fake’ asylum claims, reportedly seeks numeric goals for immigration judges

Updated: Immigration judges are raising concerns about a reported proposal by the U.S. Justice Department to evaluate their performance based on numeric standards.

Oct 16, 2017 8:00 AM CDT

EPA chief announces rule to repeal Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan

Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt announced Monday that he will repeal the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan through a proposed rule that will be published in the Federal Register. Pruitt told coal miners that “the war on coal is over” and he will begin efforts to withdraw the Clean…

Oct 10, 2017 12:18 PM CDT

More employers can exclude birth control coverage under ACA based on moral or religious grounds

More employers can exempt themselves from providing contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act as a result of new regulations issued on Friday that accommodate moral as well as religious objections.

Oct 6, 2017 11:59 AM CDT