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
US Judge Blocks Trump’s Mail-In Voting Executive Order
BOSTON, June 25 (Reuters)—A federal judge in Boston on Thursday blocked implementation of U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order aiming to tighten rules for mail-in voting, preventing it from taking effect ahead of November elections that will decide control of Congress. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani sided with a coalition of Democrat-led states that argued… -
news
Supreme Court Rules on Temporary Protected Status for Syrians, Haitians
The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with the Trump administration in its removal of Temporary Protected Status for Syrian and Haitian immigrants, denying immigrants’ claims that they are entitled to court orders postponing the removal of protections during litigation. The ruling likely opens them up to deportation proceedings. The case concerned a Department of Homeland… -
news
SCOTUS Shoots Down Requiring Permission to Carry Handgun in Public Accommodations
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that a Hawaii law banning licensed permit holders from carrying concealed handguns in public accommodations, without the property owner’s authorization, violates the Second and 14th Amendments. Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority in the case of Wolford v. Lopez. The ruling applies to private property open to the public,… -
news
Ohio Family Group Celebrates Ruling on Social Media Age Verification Law
The Center for Christian Virtue is celebrating last week’s decision by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that allows an Ohio law on age verification and parental consent for those under 16 using social media to go into effect. Ohio’s Parental Notification by Social Media Operators Act, signed into law in 2023, was supposed… -
news
‘Never Residents’ Can Vote in Nebraska Elections. This Lawsuit Could Change That.
The state of Nebraska allows U.S. citizens who have never lived in the state and who currently reside overseas to vote in its elections, prompting a lawsuit from the Republican National Committee. The RNC is joined in the lawsuit by two Nebraska voters, Jack Riggins and Pamela Dingman, who filed the complaint in Lancaster County… -
opinion
Supreme Court Rules CBP Does Not Need Clear and Convincing Evidence to Find Alien Inadmissible
Today, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in Blanche v. Lau that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) can decline to admit a lawful permanent resident (LPR) into the U.S. based on an ongoing criminal proceeding; a CBP agent is not required to have clear and convincing evidence that the alien committed the crime. When Muk… -
news
‘We 100% Got People Killed’: Biden’s DOJ, DEA Knowingly Allowed Hundreds of Thousands of Fentanyl Pills Into US for Intel Gathering
Starting under the Biden administration, the Drug Enforcement Administration allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills into New Mexico because Justice Department prosecutors wanted to bring a bigger criminal case against traffickers, The Associated Press first reported. The AP cited three current and former DEA agents as well as government records showing that, between 2023… -
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…. -
news
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
news
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…. -
news
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… -
analysis
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,… -
news
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… -
news
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…. -
news
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… -
news
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…