Legal News
Reports on lawmaking, constitutional issues, and court cases. The Daily Signal combines news reporting with conservative commentary and legal analysis.
-
- News
Even Amid Lawsuit, Democrat AG Won’t Swear Off Using Far-Left ‘Hate Map’ That Allegedly Inspired Terrorist Attack
Michigan’s Democrat attorney general cited the Southern Poverty Law Center’s “hate map” when announcing a “hate-crimes unit” in 2019, and after one of the conservative groups on the map sued, the AG’s office won’t say whether it will refuse to cite the SPLC in the future. The American Freedom Law Center, a Judeo-Christian public interest…Tyler O’Neil -
- News
Supreme Court Backs Police Immunity in Protest Case
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that a Vermont police officer is entitled to qualified immunity after a protester at the state Capitol sued him for an injury in a case that stretches back more than a decade. Qualified immunity protects law enforcement officers from litigation if they are acting in the line of duty,…Fred Lucas -
- News
Justices Skeptical of Counting Late-Arriving Ballots
The Supreme Court’s conservative justices on Monday seemed particularly skeptical of arguments by the state of Mississippi that mail-in ballots arriving after Election Day should still be counted. Mississippi counts ballots that arrive up to five days after Election Day. At least 17 states and the District of Columbia count ballots that arrive late, with…Fred Lucas -
- News
Madness on the Hill: Lawmakers Share March Madness Brackets
As if Capitol Hill needed any more madness, the NCAA backetball tournament is upon us. While lawmakers consider the SAVE America Act, seek an end to the Department of Homeland Security shut down, and consider more war funding, they’re keeping one eye on March Madness. Possibly the most notable win so far in the tournament was…Virginia Grace McKinnon -
- News
9-0: Supreme Court Sides With Street Preacher’s Right to Sue Over City’s Speech Restriction
The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision on Friday, allowed a Christian pastor to proceed with his lawsuit against a Mississippi city’s law restricting where he could preach. In the case of Olivier v. City of Brandon, Justice Elena Kagan, a Barack Obama appointee, wrote for the court in the case involving free speech and religious…Fred Lucas -
- News
‘Very Personal’: GOP Pushing for Dalilah’s Law Vote on House Floor Soon
At 5 years old, Dalilah Coleman suffered life-altering injuries at the hands of a reckless illegal immigrant truck driver. The illegal immigrant driver’s 18-wheeler blew a stop sign, crashed into the Coleman family’s car, and left Dalilah, now 7 years old, with permanent brain damage. Tragic stories like Dalilah’s have become an all-too-common occurrence, and it’s kicked Republicans…Virginia Grace McKinnon -
- News
Immigrant Restaurant Owners Targeted After Serving Free Meals to Law Enforcement
When “ICE Out” protests spread across Arizona in recent months, one restaurant found itself at the center of the ICE storm. At Sammy’s Mexican Grill, owners Jorge and Betty Rivas—immigrants who have lived the American dream—chose to stay open and continue their five-year tradition of serving free meals to all law enforcement officers. The Rivas’…Reagan Campbell -
- News
Fairfax County Leaders Push Back as Lawmakers Advance Tysons Casino Bill
Virginia lawmakers recently passed a bill that would make Fairfax County, outside Washington, D.C., eligible to host a casino—a move county leaders say undermines local decision-making. The bill was first introduced in 2023 by state Sen. Dave Marsden, D-Fairfax, and has since been supported by state Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax. After years of debate and repeated stalling, lawmakers pushed the…Reagan Campbell -
- News
EXCLUSIVE: Lawmakers Mull Push to Strip Democratic Socialists of America of Nonprofit Status
Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., put it succinctly to The Daily Signal when he said, “Communists are going to [be] communist.” Fine is one of several lawmakers on the federal and state level considering an effort to strip the Democratic Socialists of America of its tax-exempt nonprofit status after the DSA announced last week that it…Pedro Rodriguez -
- News
Will Congress Help States Challenge SCOTUS Ruling That Gives Illegal Immigrants Massive Benefits?
A House subcommittee is exploring ways to challenge a 1982 Supreme Court ruling that radically expanded illegal aliens’ access to state benefits. In Plyler v. Doe, the Supreme Court struck down a Texas law that barred illegal immigrant children from enrolling in public schools and argued these illegal immigrants were entitled to that benefit, and…Pedro Rodriguez -
- News
Democrat-Passed Law May Have Allowed Shooter to Enter Old Dominion Undetected
A shooting on Old Dominion University’s campus has left Americans asking how someone who pled guilty to helping ISIS was able to enroll at an American university. The unsettling answer is that Virginia Democrats passed a law forbidding public colleges from asking applicants about their criminal history. Republicans in Washington are now looking to take…Virginia Grace McKinnon -
- News
Could SCOTUS Rule to Hold Those Who Hire Illegal Immigrant Truck Drivers Accountable?
As President Donald Trump and Congress look to hold illegal immigrant truckers accountable, a future United States Supreme Court decision could modify a federal law that could allow victims of commercial vehicle crashes to hold those responsible for hiring the driver behind the crash accountable. The ruling, which is expected before June, could overturn a…Pedro Rodriguez -
- News
SCOTUS Order on California Law to ‘Keep Secrets From Parents’ a Positive Sign for Parental Rights, Heritage Scholar Says
Is a recent ruling from the Supreme Court “a sign of good things to come” for parents? Corey DeAngelis, The Heritage Foundation’s new research fellow at the Center for Education Policy, believes so. On Monday, the Supreme Court temporarily prevented the state of California from blocking school policies that would require telling parents if their…Jenna Lee -
- Opinion
Supreme Court Ruling Is Welcome News for Immigration Judges
Imagine that you’re one of the 520 or so immigration judges trying to slog through the estimated 3.3 million pending immigration cases, many of which are asylum cases. Unlike other judges, you don’t have contempt authority to hold attorneys accountable. And most denial of asylum decisions you make get appealed to the Board of Immigration…Cully Stimson -
- News
After Supreme Court Ruling, Tariff Refund Battle Just Beginning
The Trump administration will pay interest on refunds for global tariffs if ordered to do so, according to a court filing on Wednesday. U.S. officials have not committed to full refunds on the money collected from tariffs, as President Donald Trump has said he would find other laws to continue his tariffs. However, litigation and negotiations…Fred Lucas -
- News
EXCLUSIVE: Congress Eyes New ‘Dalilah’s Law’ Proposal to Ban Illegal Immigrants From Trucking
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Two Indiana Republicans introduced an effort to force states to reform the commercial driving licensing process and bar commercial driver’s licenses, or CDLs for short, from falling into the hands of illegal immigrants. Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., introduced her version of “Dalilah’s Law” in the House on Wednesday. The legislation is…Pedro Rodriguez -
- News
Ohio’s Abortion Amendment Used to Block Fetal Remains Law
Ohio’s pro-abortion Reproductive Freedom Amendment, passed in 2023, has now been used to block a state law requiring the humane burial or cremation of aborted children. Last week, Ohio’s 1st District Court of Appeals upheld a ruling against Ohio’s SB 27, which mandated fetal remains be buried or cremated. The appeals court concluded “that the…Rebecca Downs -
- News
‘WATERSHED MOMENT’: Supreme Court Rules on Gender Secrecy Policies
The Supreme Court Monday vindicated parental rights, upholding an injunction against California’s gender secrecy policy, which mandated that school staff hide a student’s claimed transgender identity from parents unless the student expressly consented to reveal it. “This is a watershed moment for parental rights in America,” Paul Jonna, special counsel at the Thomas More Society,…Tyler O’Neil -
- Opinion
Supreme Court Explains Contours of Sixth Amendment’s Right to Counsel in Villarreal v. Texas
The Sixth Amendment has long guaranteed a criminal defendant the right “to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.” But what does that right entail in practice—particularly when a defendant takes the witness stand in his own defense? And by taking the witness stand, what limitations, if any, exist with respect to his right…Zack Smith -
- News
Justices Invoke Founders’ Drinking Habits in Weighing Gun Ban for Drug Users
Most justices appeared skeptical of a federal law banning gun possession for illegal drug users and addicts during Supreme Court arguments Monday. Intermingling gun rights and the war on drugs, the case has put the ACLU and the National Rifle Association on the same side, while President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is defending the existing…Fred Lucas