Federal Government

5 recommendations as Biden works to dismantle discriminatory immigration policies

Since ascending to the Oval Office, President Joe Biden has issued executive orders, memorandums and actions to address the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration agenda. For instance, on his first day in office, Biden rescinded former President Donald Trump’s notorious Muslim and African bans, which restricted travel to the U.S. from predominantly Muslim-majority and African countries.

Apr 19, 2021 9:41 AM CDT

Judge rules retirement accounts of former BigLaw lawyer can be tapped for $10.4M restitution order

A federal judge in New York City has ruled against a former income partner with Katten Muchin Rosenman in the federal government’s bid to garnish his retirement accounts to help pay a $10.4 million restitution order.

Apr 19, 2021 9:32 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: DOJ civil rights nominee defends letter; lawyer charged in triple murder

DOJ civil rights nominee defends satirical letter Kristen Clarke, the president of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, defended her past statements and writings Wednesday during a hearing on her nomination to lead the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. Republicans are troubled by a 1994 letter…

Apr 15, 2021 4:42 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Supreme Court rules for religion; Ramsey Clark dies at 93

SCOTUS blocks restrictions on religious meetings at homes during pandemic The U.S. Supreme Court blocked California’s restrictions on religious meetings at homes during the COVID-19 crisis in a 5-4 vote Friday night. The state limits gatherings in homes to three households, including religious gatherings. The high court’s per curiam majority…

Apr 12, 2021 4:10 PM CDT

If Biden approves loan forgiveness, what could it mean for law school debt?

People with law school loans could benefit if President Joe Biden authorizes a plan to forgive all or a portion of student debt, but it could exclude those who owe private lenders and impose limits based on income, experts say.

Apr 12, 2021 11:25 AM CDT

Law profs abound on Biden’s new commission to study changing the Supreme Court

Law professors make up the bulk of the members on President Joe Biden’s newly created Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, tasked with studying proposals to reform the high court.

Apr 9, 2021 3:15 PM CDT

Woman is eligible for asylum because domestic abusers persecuted her for feminist opinions, 9th Circuit says

A woman who was persecuted by domestic abusers because of a feminist political opinion is eligible for asylum in the United States, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.

Apr 6, 2021 2:47 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Final 4 justices named in SCOTUSblog brackets; law firms open Northern California offices

SCOTUSblog releases final 4 justices SCOTUSblog readers have narrowed down the list of justices in the running for the greatest U.S. Supreme Court justice of all time. The March Madness-style tournament began with a “Supreme 16” and has been culled to these justices: John Marshall vs. Antonin Scalia and Earl…

Apr 5, 2021 2:54 PM CDT

Biden’s first judicial picks include DC Circuit nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, said to be SCOTUS contender

President Joe Biden announced 11 judicial nominees Tuesday, including three Black women nominated for federal appeals courts.

Mar 30, 2021 9:56 AM CDT

How quickly can Biden deliver on policing reform?

President Joe Biden promised criminal justice reforms but has had to balance competing interests between progressives and moderates as he finalizes his Cabinet.

Mar 29, 2021 10:18 AM CDT

Georgia governor signs bill overhauling state’s elections

Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed sweeping voting restrictions into law on Thursday, just months after a Democrat won the presidential election in the state for the first time in nearly 30 years.

Mar 26, 2021 10:59 AM CDT

In ‘The Watergate Girl,’ Jill Wine-Banks gives an inside look at the special prosecution team that brought down Nixon

Jill Wine-Banks was barely 30 when she became an assistant Watergate special prosecutor investigating President Richard M. Nixon. In The Watergate Girl: My Fight for Truth and Justice Against a Criminal President, Wine-Banks (who was then known as Jill Wine Volner) shares her experience battling political obstruction, courtroom legal wrangling and the era's sexism.

Mar 24, 2021 9:18 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Multistate suit challenges coronavirus relief provision; Crowell combines with boutique

Lawsuit challenges tax provision in COVID-19 relief bill Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has filed a lawsuit challenging a tax provision in the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. The provision gives federal aid to states and local jurisdictions but says the money can’t be used to offset tax cuts. Yost…

Mar 18, 2021 4:33 PM CDT

Biden DOJ outpaces Trump DOJ for reversing US position in pending Supreme Court cases

The Biden administration’s Department of Justice has changed positions in at least five cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, putting it on track to outpace reversals during the first full Supreme Court term under former President Donald Trump.

Mar 18, 2021 11:04 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Senator airs suspicions of ‘fake’ Kavanaugh probe; prosecutors sue senior living chain

Senator wants to know whether FBI probe of Kavanaugh was ‘fake’ U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland should help facilitate Senate oversight into whether the FBI conducted a “politically constrained and perhaps fake FBI investigation” of then-U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh, according to a senator’s letter. Democratic U.S.…

Mar 16, 2021 4:21 PM CDT