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
In Immigration Win for Trump, Supreme Court Decides on Green Card Case
The Supreme Court held Tuesday that immigration law doesn’t require the government to have clear and convincing evidence that a green card holder has committed a crime before deeming him an applicant for admission. The case involved removal proceedings against an immigrant legally residing in the United States who was charged with selling counterfeit products…. -
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Supreme Court Weighs in on 2 Cases Involving Religious Freedom
The Supreme Court on Tuesday decided on two religious freedom cases, in a pair of 6-3 rulings. In a victory for tech giant Cisco, the Supreme Court held Tuesday that a company or entity cannot be held liable for aiding and abetting a violation of an anti-torture law. Members of China’s Falun Gong movement claimed… -
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Supreme Court Determines ExxonMobil Can Sue Communist Cuba for Confiscated Property
In a case involving oil giant ExxonMobil, the Supreme Court held that a federal law granting the right to sue a foreign country over confiscated property overrides sovereign immunity. The court ruled 6-3, splitting along ideological lines. Justice Brett Kavanaugh authored the majority opinion. ExxonMobil is seeking more than $1 billion in compensation for oil… -
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Judge Who Donated to Immigrant Legal Aid Group Blocks DOJ Immigration Probe of Walz, Ellison
A federal judge in Minnesota, who has donated to an immigrant legal aid group, quashed several federal grand jury subpoenas of documents from Gov. Tim Walz and the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul over compliance with immigration enforcement. In a 29-page opinion issued Monday, Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz of the District of… -
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Taxpayer Dollars Backed Parts of Coalition Suing Over Trump Immigration Enforcement
A coalition of litigation groups, at least two of which have been backed by taxpayer dollars, is targeting the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement in court. The two leading organizations are Democracy Forward, chaired by Democratic lawyer Marc Elias, and UnidosUS, a Hispanic left-of-center group that has reportedly received millions in government funding in previous years…. -
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Florida Concealed Carry Law Violates Second Amendment, Court Rules
A Florida law disqualifying 18- to 20-year-olds from legal concealed carry violated the Second Amendment, a Florida appeals court ruled Wednesday. “Eighteen- to 20-year-olds can defend the country without restriction but can only utilize their Second Amendment right to self-defense with severe restrictions,” the three-judge panel stated in its opinion. Police arrested 18-year-old Jaylen Tyrus… -
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Ohio Group Demands Action on Mail-Order Abortion Pills: ‘This Is About Law and Order’
As scrutiny surrounds the abortion pill, the Center for Christian Virtue is calling on U.S. attorneys in Ohio to use federal law to take action against mail-order distribution. Aaron Baer, president of the organization, cited the Comstock Act in his letters to Dominick Gerace, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and David Toepfer,… -
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Link to Fani Willis Leads to Federal Judge Recusal in Georgia Voter Rolls Case
A federal judge who attended a political event of a prosecutor who once pursued charges against then-former President Donald Trump recused herself from a case in which the Justice Department is seeking Georgia voter registration data. U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross of the Northern District of Georgia granted the Justice Department’s motion to step aside… -
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Supreme Court Rebuffs Challenge to New York Law Allowing Suits Against Gun Industry
June 15 (Reuters)—The U.S. Supreme Court turned away on Monday a gun industry challenge to a New York law that permits lawsuits against gunmakers, wholesalers, and dealers for endangering people’s safety through sales of firearms and ammunition. The justices declined to hear an appeal by an industry trade group, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, of… -
Federal Loophole Allows for Election Day Shortcut in Minnesota—but Legal Challenge Could Be Coming
A government watchdog group is threatening Minnesota with a lawsuit over its practice of allowing registered voters to “vouch” for potential voters who cannot provide proof of residency. Minnesota allows voters to register on Election Day and forgo proof of residency if another registered voter will affirm their eligibility to vote at a polling place…. -
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DOJ Defends Election Fraud Probes in California as Legal Battle Over Voter Rolls Intensifies
The Justice Department defended its authority to ensure “fair” elections in California after it launched multiple election fraud investigations coupled with litigation over voter registration. California has long been known for liberal practices such as ballot harvesting, with a universal mail-in voting system that allows ballots to arrive a week after Election Day, and no… -
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US Attorney Pirro Opening Probe of ‘Debanking’ by America’s Biggest Financial Institutions
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro of the District of Columbia launched an investigation into alleged politicized “debanking” of conservative and other disfavored groups by the nation’s largest banks, The Wall Street Journal reported. Among the banks being scrutinized are JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo, the Journal reported. In August, President Donald Trump signed… -
analysis
‘TIP OF THE ICEBERG’: Ohio Reveals the Depth of America’s Fraud Crisis
Minnesota’s welfare schemes exposed the scale of taxpayer fraud, California’s hospice scandal showed the problem was not isolated, and now Ohio’s Medicaid problem reveals how deep fraud may run. During my appearance Monday on Fox News with Jon Scott, I argued that the fraud uncovered so far in several states is only the tip of… -
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What to Know About the Obama-Appointed Judge Who Struck Down Trump’s H-1B Visa Policy
An Obama-appointed judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration policy requiring a $100,000 fee from employers that seek H‑1B visas, or visas for skilled foreign workers. U.S. District Judge Leo T. Sorokin of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a 42-page opinion, stating that the fee is an unlawful tax as… -
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Obama-Appointed Judge With Deep Democrat Ties Overturns Trump Immigration Rules
A federal judge who had previously made about $500,000 in campaign contributions to Democrats vacated Trump administration immigration policies that halted asylum processing and froze immigration benefits based on nationality. The judge, U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of the District of Rhode Island, is a Barack Obama appointee. The case was based on… -
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John Bolton Expected to Plead Guilty in Classified Documents Case
John Bolton, who served in high-ranking national security and diplomatic positions under both Presidents Donald Trump and George W. Bush, is expected to plead guilty on federal charges of retaining classified information, according to reports. CNN first reported that Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, would plead guilty to one count of illegal retention of… -
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SCOTUS Delivers 8-1 Blow to AT&T, Verizon in $100M FCC Case
The Supreme Court on Thursday sided 8-1 with the Federal Communications Commission against two telecom giants over a combined $100 million in fines. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority. The lone dissenter was Justice Clarence Thomas. Telecom companies AT&T and Verizon claimed the FCC violated their rights to a jury trial by issuing… -
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DOJ Says ‘Discriminatory and Obstructionist Policies’ in These Blue States Endanger ICE Agents
Four blue states are putting federal agents in danger in an effort to hinder immigration enforcement, a Justice Department action contends. On Monday, days after a Justice Department lawsuit, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat, ordered state agencies to continue denying undercover license plates to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. This marks one of the… -
analysis
Cooke: Transparency Should Not Be Sacrificed in Charlie Kirk Court Proceedings
Mehek Cooke, the Daily Signal’s senior national security and legal analyst, argued that transparency must remain a central priority in the Charlie Kirk assassination case, following a ruling by a Utah judge that an upcoming hearing in the case must remain open to the public. Judge Tony Graf ruled Monday that the upcoming preliminary hearing… -
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Court Blocks Trump Transgender Military Ban as Driven by ‘Animus’
A split federal appeals panel ruled that War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s policy banning transgender military service is unconstitutional. The 2-1 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Monday marks a temporary setback for the Pentagon’s policy. If the policy had gone into effect, it would have affected transgender…