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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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… -
exclusive
‘WICKED PRESUMPTION’: Social Worker Sues Over School Transgender Policy Requiring ‘a Conspiracy to Lie to Parents’
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—An Albuquerque social worker is speaking out after suing to block a school district policy, alleging that it violates her First Amendment rights by forcing her to lie to parents about their students’ gender identities. “I’m a social worker. My job is to support … emotional development, mental health, decision-making processes… -
opinion
Putting Law Schools Back on Track
The U.S. Department of Education says the country’s largest legal association shouldn’t be allowed to accredit law schools. A long track record of ideological bias and a cozy relationship between an accrediting committee and the American Bar Association proves that public officials are correct in their judgment. Even with major changes to the ABA, law… -
news
‘Kid Gloves’ vs. ‘Public Spectacle’? Newly Released FBI Photos Fuel Biden-Trump Double Standard Claims in Doc Probes
The Oversight Project on Monday released photographic evidence from the FBI’s search of former President Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, and the Penn Biden Center in connection with the investigation of his alleged mishandling of classified documents. The watchdog organization contends the photos confirm Biden got the “kid-glove treatment” from the Justice Department while… -
news
‘Evil Lawfare Needs to End’: Oversight Project Unveils New Firm to Combat Government Weaponization
The Oversight Project is ramping up its fight against government weaponization. The Washington-based watchdog is launching a law firm to defend targets of politicized lawfare and investigate investigators conducting seemingly meritless probes across the executive and legislative branches at the federal and state levels. The firm will also aim at the state bar association level… -
news
Watchdog Exposes Hidden Academic Pipeline Behind Left-Wing Election Litigation
Left-leaning law schools are directly affecting elections, according to a new study by a legal watchdog group. The Public Interest Legal Foundation released a new report Thursday titled “Dangerous Imbalance: Why Law Schools Graduate an Army of Activist Election Lawyers.” The report focuses on the disparity in election law course offerings and the overwhelming number… -
news
Parents Give NC School District 15 Days to Protect Religious Freedom or Face Lawsuit
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A group of parents has given a North Carolina school district 15 days to provide religious accommodations related to a transgender teacher or face a lawsuit, according to a demand letter obtained by the Daily Signal. Thomas More Society attorneys argue that recent Supreme Court precedents require the Wake County Public… -
news
Ballot Harvesting Concerns in Nursing Homes Spur New Push to Protect Vulnerable Seniors
As the Trump administration seeks to crack down on potential voter fraud in nursing homes, an election watchdog group is providing additional information to long-term care facilities, citing several past criminal cases involving political operatives and staff who took advantage of vulnerable elderly residents. A Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services memo from late July… -
news
Kappa Kappa Gamma Violated Its Own Rules to Admit Men Into the Sorority: Lawsuit
Kappa Kappa Gamma alumnae are suing the national sorority for changing its own rules to allow men to join, and a circuit court heard the case Monday. “When Kappa tells you, we promise you a sisterhood of women, and a man shows up, that is the opposite. It is breaking the contract,” Allie Coghan, one… -
news
Trump Slams Supreme Court Mail-In Voting Decision
President Donald Trump slammed the Supreme Court for rejecting his bid to restrict mail-in ballots before the midterm elections. “Republicans just got another bad decision from the United States Supreme Court, one that the Court System took forever to give, and then blamed it, in part, on no time left to implement a solution to our totally… -
news
FBI Agent Compared Musk’s DOGE Effort to Clinton Email Scandal to Justify Probe, Records Reveal
A former FBI agent attempted to launch an investigation into Elon Musk when the billionaire was leading the Department of Government Efficiency’s cost-cutting efforts. The former special agent compared Musk’s use of X to promote DOGE (which the agent still referred to in an email as Twitter) as being similar to former Secretary of State… -
news
BREAKING: Supreme Court Rules on Trump Mail-In Ballot Rules
The Supreme Court blocked President Donald Trump’s mail-in ballot rules to go into effect Monday, upholding a federal judge’s preliminary injunction blocking them. “The government is unlikely to succeed on the merits of its challenge to the district court’s preliminary injunction,” the court ruled in an unsigned order. The court ruled that “the equitable factors… -
news
‘People Could Die’: Mamdani Sounds Alarm as Cities Sue Trump Administration Over Immigrant Welfare Benefits
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Monday he was leading a coalition of cities suing over the Trump administration’s effort to block welfare benefits for certain immigrants. Other plaintiffs suing the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York are… -
news
Trump-Appointed Judge Blocks USPS Mail-Ballot Rule in Major Election Case
A Donald Trump-appointed judge blocked the mail-in ballot rule issued by the U.S. Postal Service last month, asserting the USPS likely exceeded its authority. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols of the District of Columbia issued an opinion late Sunday night that found the Postal Service rule would “exceed any conception of the outer bounds” of…