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
Supreme Court to Hear Arguments in More Illegal Immigration, Religious Freedom Cases
The Supreme Court announced Thursday it will consider a case on the detention of illegal immigrants, as well as a case touching on religious liberty. In the case of Rhoney v. Barbosa da Cunha, justices will decide whether federal law requires the detention of illegal aliens pending their removal proceedings. The Trump administration targets illegal… -
opinion
What Could the Supreme Court Say About the Ten Commandments in Schools?
The U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to decide an issue that could be one of the most watched of the coming court term. In February, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit lifted the injunction against a Louisiana law requiring a Ten Commandments display in public school classrooms. In April, the same… -
news
‘Creating a One-Party System’: Conservatives Warn of Consequences and Need to Counter Left’s Weaponization of Legal System
Conservatives are pushing back against the Left’s effort to discipline lawyers for the clients they represent, in what is being called “barfare,” with threats of disbarment or other actions. During a conference Wednesday near Capitol Hill on the topic, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., praised the effort to fight back. “We need smart people who have… -
opinion
Jack Smith’s Media Dragnet Gets a Pass From Legacy Press
One of the biggest government attacks on free press occurred under a presidential administration and the legacy media have collectively shrugged. Why? Because it was carried out by a Democrat administration and not President Donald Trump. It’s that simple. On Tuesday, former special counsel Jack Smith—who served under former President Joe Biden—testified before the Senate… -
news
Federal Judge Asks Pro-Transgender Lawyer About Double Standard on Cosmetic Surgery
A man who identifies as a woman sued Aetna for refusing to cover his transgender facial surgery, claiming discrimination, even though Aetna says it would not cover cosmetic procedures for a woman who suffers distress from not looking feminine enough. A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit heard oral… -
news
Jack Smith Scooped Up Reporters’ Phone Data in Trump Probe: ‘Massive First Amendment Breach’
Conservative media outlets pushed back after revelations that former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigators obtained communications from nearly 50 journalists at more than a dozen media outlets on both the right and the left. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, revealed the information Tuesday. The Senate Judiciary Committee previously exposed that Smith and the Justice… -
news
Supreme Court Move Could Have Major Consequences for Trump Deportation Policy
The Supreme Court lifted the injunction against deporting illegal immigrants to a country other than their country of origin, known as sending them to a “third country,” and announced it will hear a case on the Trump administration’s policy. The case, D.V.D. v. Department of Homeland Security, is about whether the government can deport illegal… -
news
Ten Commandments, Deportations, and Gun Rights: Supreme Court Choosing America’s Next Legal Battles
The Ten Commandments, the deep state, detention of illegal immigrants, and more Second Amendment questions could be on the Supreme Court’s docket early next year, as justices gather this week to determine what cases make the cut. Justices first met Monday for what is called a “long conference” to sift through cases submitted over the… -
news
Trans Organization’s ‘Unreliable’ Standards Don’t Justify Prison Medical Interventions, DOJ Tells Supreme Court
The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow the Bureau of Prisons to restrict sex-rejecting procedures for federal inmates, citing an exhaustive bureau report rejecting the recommendations of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health as “unreliable” and based on “insufficient evidence.” Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the Supreme Court to lift… -
news
Alito Steps Aside in Supreme Court Climate Showdown After Left-Wing Groups Question His Energy Investments
Justice Samuel Alito has recused himself from an environmental case set to be argued on Monday before the Supreme Court, months after left-leaning groups accused him of a potential conflict. In the case of Suncor Energy Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County, the question before the court involves the use of state tort laws… -
news
High Court Rejects Missouri Congressional Map in Blow to GOP House Hopes
The Supreme Court rejected a mid-decade congressional redistricting map in Missouri amid the continuing gerrymandering wars in the lead-up to the 2026 midterms. In a setback for Republicans, Missouri will have to use the map drawn in 2022 and used in the 2022 and 2024 elections. The maps could have a major impact on who… -
opinion
The Supreme Court Should Slam the Door on Climate Lawfare
Climate change will soon arrive before the U.S. Supreme Court, and with it the progressive Left’s most ambitious effort yet to impose Green New Deal socialism on an unwilling public. Dozens of blue states and affluent hippie towns are demanding tens of billions of dollars from U.S. energy companies for alleged climate harms. These audacious lawsuits,… -
breaking
Supreme Court Hands Trump Major Victory in Drive to Combat Noncitizen Voting
The Supreme Court on Friday allowed the Department of Homeland Security to continue its citizenship verification program. In a 6-3 shadow docket ruling in the case of DHS v. League of Women Voters, the justices allowed the Trump administration to expand the program that allows states to use Social Security records and other information to… -
exclusive
Tim Scott Seeks to Shut Down Birth Tourism Pipeline
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., is introducing legislation to end commercial birth tourism in the United States, a move that could cut off a pipeline that foreign nationals use to gain citizenship for their children. After President Donald Trump’s attempt to end birth tourism was struck down by the Supreme Court, Scott… -
news
In Legacy Media Win, Trump-Appointed Judge Sides With CNN, MS NOW, and Politico to Temporarily Reinstate White House Passes
A Trump-appointed judge imposed a temporary restraining order on the White House to restore press credentials for reporters at CNN, MS NOW, and Politico in an order Thursday morning. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly of the District of Columbia found that President Donald Trump’s administration likely violated the due process rights of the reporters largely… -
news
Jack Smith Team Knew Spying on Congress ‘Might Be Unconstitutional’ but ‘Forged Ahead’: House Report
Former special counsel Jack Smith and the Biden administration’s Department of Justice violated the DOJ’s policies with respect to separation of powers, according to a House report released Wednesday. Smith, appointed in 2022 by Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Donald Trump, expanded his investigation into members of Congress who communicated with then-first-term President Trump… -
analysis
These Supreme Court Cases Could Reshape Gun Rights, Elections, and Parental Rights
The Supreme Court will hear arguments this fall in cases involving the First Amendment, the Second Amendment, parental rights, and election integrity. Here are five key cases to watch. 1. Another Test for the Second Amendment On Dec. 2, justices will consider whether state and local governments can ban semiautomatic rifles such as the AR-15… -
news
Former Mail Carrier Accused of Dumping Hundreds of Mail-In Ballots Ahead of Primary
The Justice Department unsealed an indictment against a former U.S. Postal Service worker accusing him of tossing about 300 mail-in ballots into a dumpster ahead of the June Utah primary. Damon Matai Seei, 34, of Payson, Utah, was indicted by a federal grand jury on Sept. 16. The indictment was sealed. He was arrested and… -
opinion
A 6-Pack, an Airplane, and Excessive Fines
Imagine a judge imposing a million-dollar fine for jaywalking. Or suppose a shoplifter stole a tube of toothpaste from CVS and was ordered to pay $10,000. Those punishments would strike nearly everyone as outrageous—not because the offenses are imaginary, but because the penalties would be wildly disproportionate to them. The Eighth Amendment’s excessive fines clause… -
news
Jack Smith Deputy Reveals New Details on Seizure of Rep. Scott Perry’s Phone
Newly released interview transcripts with members of former special counsel Jack Smith’s team shed new light on the taking of the cell phone of Rep. Scott Perry, a Pennsylvania Republican, in 2022. The House Judiciary Committee released the interview transcripts of five prosecutors from the Smith team. J.P. Cooney, who served as deputy special counsel…