Legal News
Reports on lawmaking, constitutional issues, and court cases. The Daily Signal combines news reporting with conservative commentary and legal analysis.
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news
Court Strikes Down Obama Judge’s Ruling—Again
A federal appeals court sided with the Trump administration Tuesday, clearing the way for it to continue terminating $16 billion in “climate” grants to nonprofits to reportedly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A split panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for D.C. ruled 2-1 to overturn U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan’s order that… -
opinion
The Little Sisters’ Fight for Freedom Continues in the Courts
They say that no good deed goes unpunished. There’s even a song called “No Good Deed” in a hit Broadway musical. If anyone ever had a reason to say that, it would be the Little Sisters of the Poor. Free exercise of religion may be a fundamental right in America, but they’ve been fighting for… -
news
Judge Bans Trump From Using National Guard to Enforce Law in California
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that President Donald Trump acted unlawfully in sending the National Guard into California to counter violent Los Angeles protests. In a decision published early Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer, a former Watergate prosecutor, said Trump and his administration violated an 1878 law that limits military involvement in domestic… -
news
Here’s How Trump’s Judicial Nominees Are Stacking Up So Far
DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—President Donald Trump’s second-term judicial nominees share similar qualities with his first-term picks, though a limited number of vacancies mean his impact remains an open question. Trump began this term with just 40 vacancies to fill, less than half of the open seats as he inherited starting in his first term. Confirming 234 judges to the… -
news
US Attorney Pirro Slams Obama for Knocking Trump’s Crackdown on Urban Crime
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro pushed back against former President Barack Obama on “Fox News Sunday” for attacking President Donald Trump‘s crackdown on Washington, D.C.’s crime crisis. “President Obama to come out and make a comment on Chicago, a city that is his city that has been one of the most… -
opinion
The Dangerous Myth of Juvenile Criminal Ingenues
An epidemic of juvenile violent crimes endures. Why? The law presumes juveniles are intellectually and psychologically too immature to appreciate the wrongfulness of their violent ways and deserve leniency. But to borrow from Mr. Bumble in “Oliver Twist,” “If the law supposes that, the law is a ass—a idiot.” Violent juveniles have what Justice Oliver… -
news
Men Are Standing Up and Suing for Their Unborn Babies
The Wall Street Journal recently described husbands, boyfriends, and male ex-partners as “an unlikely new ally” in the pro-life movement’s fight against abortion providers. But as conservatives argue, this characterization misrepresents the long-standing involvement of men in the pro-life cause, framing their participation as both surprising and novel when, in reality, men have consistently advocated for the… -
news
Another Cakes Case at the Court?
Cakes could be set to make another Supreme Court appearance: On Tuesday, a Christian baker asked the court to decide whether the First Amendment protects her refusal to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding. This is similar to the 2017 case Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado, in which the court held that the First Amendment… -
opinion
Yes, President Trump Has the Authority to Fire Lisa Cook
On Monday, President Donald Trump moved to fire Lisa Cook, a Joe Biden-nominated member of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. He moved to fire Cook for “cause,” and that cause is clear enough: According to William Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Cook allegedly committed mortgage fraud by lying about her principal… -
news
Federal Judge Orders University to Let Pro-Palestinian Activists Back on Campus
A federal judge ordered the University of Pittsburgh Thursday to let a pro-Palestinian activist group back on campus. U.S. District Court Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan instructed the school to lift its suspension of Students for Justice in Palestine at the university, saying the rules the school based the suspension on likely violated the First Amendment…. -
news
Comprehensive Crime Bill ‘a Very Real Possibility,’ House Speaker Says
In a Friday media blitz, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson confirmed that the “comprehensive crime bill” that President Donald Trump proposed earlier this week is in the works. “It is a very real possibility,” said Johnson, R-La., on Fox News. On Wednesday, Trump wrote on social media that “Speaker Mike Johnson and [Senate Majority] Leader… -
news
LGBTQ Groups Ask Court to Uphold Conversion Therapy Ban
A group of LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations asked the Supreme Court Tuesday to uphold a Colorado law that bans conversion therapy for minors. In a “friend of the court” brief, the organizations said Colorado’s law “promotes supportive parent-child relationships.” According to the groups, conversion therapy “divides youth from their families and promotes parental rejection of LGBTQ… -
news
Fox News Publishes Its First Novel, a Crime Thriller by Trey Gowdy
Fox News contributor and former Rep. Trey Gowdy launched his new crime thriller on Tuesday, marking the first novel published by Fox News Books. “I want people to know what it’s like to be a homicide prosecutor. I did it for 20 years, and if you are interested in homicide crime from start until the… -
news
Court Rules on Whether It Can Decide ‘Truth or Falsity’ of Religious Belief
A federal appeals court Tuesday threw out a class-action lawsuit against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ruling the suit violated church autonomy. The lawsuit was brought by three former members of the church, who accused it of intentionally misrepresenting its religious history and fraudulently using tithes. However, a three-judge panel of the… -
news
DC Mayor Concedes Trump Takeover Has Reduced Crime
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a press conference on Wednesday that the federal surge in the nation’s capital is helping reduce crime. “We know that we have had fewer gun crimes, fewer homicides, and we have experienced an extreme reduction in carjackings,” Bowser declared at a conference dubbed “Situational Update Federal Surge.” “This is… -
news
Trump Administration Teases New Plan to Keep Non-English-Speaking Truck Drivers Off Roads
After an illegal immigrant truck driver killed three in a Florida traffic crash, the Trump administration plans to crack down on trucking companies that hire non-English speakers, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told The Daily Signal. Harjinder Singh, the illegal immigrant charged in the killing of three people in an Aug. 12 car crash on the… -
news
DOJ Files Emergency Appeal, Seeks to Halt Foreign Aid Funding
The Trump administration filed an emergency appeal late Tuesday asking the Supreme Court to let it continue withholding foreign aid. The Justice Department, which filed the appeal, asked the court to reach a decision by Sept. 2 due to “additional irreparable harms the government would incur past that point.” This appeal follows a lower court… -
news
Trump Announces ‘Comprehensive Crime Bill’
President Donald Trump announced work on a “Comprehensive Crime Bill” shortly after midnight Wednesday morning, as polls show the popularity of tough-on-crime policy. “Speaker Mike Johnson, and Leader John Thune, are working with me, and other Republicans, on a Comprehensive Crime Bill,” Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth Social. “It’s what our Country… -
news
‘This Is Lawfare’: AGs Draw Attention to Leftist Group Training Judges to Push Climate Alarmism
Twenty-three Republican state attorneys general sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, demanding the EPA investigate funding for the Environmental Law Institute, which the AGs said attempts to “rig the courts” against American energy. The EPA confirmed receipt and reiterated Zeldin’s dedication to cutting down on wasteful spending from the previous administration…. -
news
If You Harm Kids, You Will Answer, Attorneys General Say
A group of 44 state and territory attorneys general sent a letter Monday warning artificial intelligence companies of the consequences of exploiting kids online. The letter, sent to 13 major tech and AI companies, including Google and Meta, points to recent examples of AI chatbots engaging in inappropriate conversations with kids online. Among examples cited…