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
What Former Attorney General Barr Told House Investigators About Trump and Jeffrey Epstein
President Donald Trump never provided views or instructions relating to the prosecution of the criminal case against convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, former Attorney General William Barr told House investigators Monday. Barr was the second attorney general during Trump’s first term. He and other former attorneys general and two former FBI directors were subpoenaed by… -
opinion
The Truth About the DC Crime Rate
Those complaining about President Donald Trump’s Washington, D.C., crime crackdown claim that crime isn’t as bad as it seems. Even more unbelievably, they claim that violent crime in our nation’s capital is at a 30-year low. In other words, they’re saying: Don’t believe your lying eyes. Crime isn’t as bad as it seems. But a… -
opinion
4 Cases to Watch in Next Supreme Court Session
On Oct. 6, just a few short months from now, the Supreme Court marshal will utter the traditional “Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!”—marking the start of yet another Supreme Court term. The court’s last term, which ended in June, featured hot-button topics ranging from nationwide injunctions to parental rights to religious liberty, and it delivered no shortage… -
news
Charges With Cincinnati Attack Bring Mixed Results, Reactions
Cincinnati’s crime problem is being put under the microscope after a violent attack last month, and now its bond policies are being scrutinized. In late July, a violent attack took place in Cincinnati, with the local response receiving considerable scrutiny and criticism, including at the national level. While several suspects have been arrested and charged, the… -
opinion
Trump Sees Himself as DC’s Top Lawman
WASHINGTON—In 2024, candidate Donald Trump pledged to “take over the horribly run capital of our nation in Washington, D.C., and clean it up, renovate it, and rebuild our capital city so that it’s no longer a nightmare of murder and crime.” On Aug. 11, President Trump announced he would federalize the district’s Metropolitan Police Department… -
opinion
The Silent Majority Is Applauding
The silent majority in Washington, D.C., and across our nation is applauding. Even one crime is one crime too many. On Aug. 11, President Donald Trump, invoking Section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act passed by the United States Congress, declared a “crime emergency in the District of Columbia” and ordered the… -
opinion
Trump’s Efforts Could Sharply Reduce DC Crime
When 10 juveniles brutally attacked former Department of Government Efficiency whiz kid Edward Coristine—nicknamed “Big Balls”—in an attempted carjacking that left him bloodied, Washington, D.C.’s violent crime rate exploded into a political flashpoint. President Donald Trump’s decision to federalize the Washington police and bring in FBI agents and the National Guard to fight crime has upset… -
opinion
Why Do Democrats Hate Black People in DC?
Crime on the streets of Washington, D.C., has become practically apocalyptic, to the point that President Donald Trump has been forced to take control of the city’s law enforcement operations and deploy National Guard troops to return order. “This is liberation day in D.C., and we’re going to take our capital back,” Trump declared. And,… -
news
Illegal Alien Hit With Federal Charges for Sexual Exploitation of Minor
An illegal alien has been indicted by a grand jury in Ohio for disturbing sex crimes against a minor. Victor Juarez, a 26-year-old Mexican national, is accused of sexually exploiting a 12-year-old girl, including creating videos of such exploitation. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, Juarez allegedly created videos… -
news
DC Sandwich Attack Suspect Charged With Felony
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced that she would pursue felony charges against a suspect who allegedly threw a sandwich at a federal agent in a viral video recorded in Washington. On Sunday, video was released on social media of a man outside a Subway sandwich restaurant accosting U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in the… -
opinion
It’s Even the Building: Why DC Prosecutors Can’t Do Their Jobs
For years, I’ve (Cully Stimson) been writing, speaking, and even testifying before Congress on D.C.’s problems and how to fix them. Now, national leaders are finally shining a spotlight on the ever-present and persistent crime problem in our nation’s capital. But while they work to fix D.C.’s dysfunctional system, they should also build a permanent… -
news
How Many Abortion Clinics Have Closed Because of Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’
A provision in President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” has caused more than 30 Planned Parenthoods to close—with more closures on the horizon. In the bill, House Republicans removed Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, the largest provider of abortions in the country. The effort had been supported by dozens of pro-life legislators from around the country. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life… -
opinion
One Big, Beautiful Win for the West
President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act delivers major victories to rural America and the West. As the chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, featuring 95 U.S. representatives, and the chair of the Senate Western Caucus, featuring 29 senators west of the Mississippi, we understand that a stronger West means a stronger America. “One… -
opinion
Conservative Justices Wrestle With Distinction Between Presidential and Bureaucratic Authority
Justice Brett Kavanaugh may seem like part of the Supreme Court’s conservative wing—but in reality, he sits very near its center. In June, he joined a six-justice majority, including the three liberals, to uphold a federal telecoms project known as the Universal Service Program against a challenge that it operated as a tax imposed by… -
opinion
‘What Gives Trump the Right …?’
Can the president really temporarily federalize the Washington, D.C., police force in an effort to reduce the rampant crime occurring in the city? Is that actually legal? President Donald Trump has sent Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and hundreds of National Guard troops into Washington to “pursue and arrest every violent criminal in the district… -
opinion
Gender Ideology Loses in Court Yet Again
Like abortion zealots in the past, gender warriors today are trying to use the courts to force on the American people a dangerous agenda that neither they nor their elected representatives want. So far, at least, they are striking out. More than half the states have enacted laws banning medical interventions such as puberty blockers,… -
news
Trump to Build on DC Police Takeover Next Month, Leavitt Says
President Donald Trump will work with Congress next month to build on his decision to federalize the Washington, D.C., police. Before Trump invoked the Home Rule Act to federalize the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department, he floated using Congress to revoke the 1970s-era law that delegated authority over the nation’s capital to local officials. “The… -
news
DC Federalization Fallout: Democrats Spar With Trump
When President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he would be federalizing the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department and sending in the National Guard to combat crime in the nation’s capital, it prompted perhaps predictable denunciations from elected Democrats. “The administration’s actions are unprecedented, unnecessary, and unlawful. There is no crime emergency in the District… -
news
GOP Gives Left-Wing Programs a Lifeline, Defying Trump’s Budget Cuts
House Republicans defied many of the White House’s requests for cuts to programs that don’t align with the president’s “America First” agenda. In May, the Office of Management and Budget submitted its fiscal year 2026 Discretionary Budget Request, asking Congress to cut funding to programs accused of wasting taxpayer dollars pushing left-wing ideology abroad. While… -
news
Over a Dozen Federal Agencies Team Up to Increase Presence in DC
President Donald Trump is cleaning up the nation’s capital, cracking down on violent crime and removing homeless people from the city. “The Homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY. We will give you places to stay, but FAR from the Capital,” Trump said in a Truth Social post Sunday morning. “The Criminals, you don’t have to…