They Face $1 Million in Fines—for Someone Else's Code Violations
Humboldt County, California's sketchy code enforcement scheme piles ruinous fines on innocent people and sets them up to lose.
Federal Courts
Trump's Tariff Chaos Crushes Board Game Makers: 'The U.S. Is Our Least Trustworthy Trading Partner'
The Supreme Court will hear a case next week challenging the legality of President Donald Trump's "emergency" tariffs.
Trump's Move To Replace 12 ICE Directors Could Mean More Aggressive and Unconstitutional Immigration Enforcement
To fill the roles, the Trump administration is turning to agents from Customs and Border Protection, the agency that has led aggressive immigration enforcement operations in Los Angeles and Chicago.
Man Accused of Soliciting Teen Girl Walks Because of Federal Overreach
The DOJ tried to claim jurisdiction because he drove on a road.
Trump, an Avowed Second Amendment Champion, Defends a Gun Ban With 'No Historical Justification'
His administration is urging the Supreme Court to uphold a prosecution for violating a federal law that bars illegal drug users from owning firearms.
Federal Immigration Agents Accused of Tear-Gassing Peaceful Protestors, Pointing Gun at Veterans in Chicago
The actions would violate a federal order imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Sara L. Ellis to limit the use of nonlethal weapons and other crowd control tactics.
The 6th Circuit Upholds a School's Sweatshirt Censorship Because 'Let's Go Brandon' Is 'Plainly Vulgar'
That understanding of a familiar anti-Biden slogan hinges on the political message it communicates.
9th Circuit Court Upholds Trump's Deployment of National Guard in Portland
The decision “erodes core constitutional principles, including sovereign States’ control over their States’ militias and the people’s First Amendment rights,” Judge Susan P. Graber warned in her dissent.
SCOTUS Will Consider the Constitutionality of the Federal Ban on Gun Possession by Illegal Drug Users
The law applies to millions of Americans who pose no plausible threat to public safety, including cannabis consumers in states that have legalized marijuana.
Federal Judge in Chicago Demands Body Cams for Immigration Agents Amid Brutality Claims
U.S. District Court Judge Sara L. Ellis is “profoundly concerned” about the continued clashing between protestors and federal agents despite her temporary restraining order issued last week.
Woman Acquitted of Assaulting FBI Agent After 3 Grand Juries Declined To Indict
Grand juries have declined to indict numerous times when Trump's prosecutors have brought excessive charges.
Trump's DOJ Indicts John Bolton for Leaking Classified Information
The former Trump administration official is facing a maximum of 180 years in prison.
Texas City Council Approves $500,000 Payment to Former Member Who Said Her Advocacy Led to a Bogus Arrest
The settlement, which followed Sylvia Gonzalez's victory at the Supreme Court, also includes remedial First Amendment training for city officials.
The NRA Supports SCOTUS Petitioners Who Lost Their Gun Rights Because of Nonviolent Offenses
The cases give the justices a chance to address a constitutionally dubious policy that disarms peaceful Americans.
This Indiana City Doesn't Have To Pay an Innocent Mom $16,000 After Police Wrecked Her Home, Court Rules
Law enforcement launched 30 tear gas canisters into Amy Hadley's home, smashed windows, ransacked furniture, destroyed security cameras, and more. The government gave her nothing.
Trump Won't Invoke the Insurrection Act—As Long As He Can Use the National Guard However He Wants
If the courts try to enforce legal limits on the president's military deployments, he can resort to an alarmingly broad statute that gives him more discretion.
Trump's Case Against Letitia James Looks a Lot Like the Case She Brought Against Him
The case is the second in two weeks, with little legal merit, filed by a neophyte prosecutor against a Trump opponent
Civil Rights Group Sues ICE for Withholding Records of the Agency's Detention Expansion Plans in Virginia
Lawyers at America's largest civil liberties group say the agency’s lack of transparency violates federal disclosure requirements.
Why a Trump Appointee Ruled That His National Guard Deployment in Portland Was Illegal
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut concluded that the president's description of "War ravaged Portland" was "simply untethered to the facts."
SCOTUS Will Consider a Challenge to Hawaii's Default Rule Against Guns on Private Property Open to the Public
The law is one of several attempts to override the right to bear arms by making it impractical to exercise.
Reagan-Appointed Judge Slams Trump's Crackdown on Pro-Palestinian Students
Judge William Young wrote a book-length order attacking “the problem this President has with the First Amendment.”
ICE Arrested a U.S. Citizen—Twice—During Alabama Construction Site Raids. Now He's Suing.
“I got arrested twice for being a Latino working in construction,” says Leo Garcia Venegas, the lead plaintiff in a new lawsuit filed by the Institute for Justice challenging warrantless ICE raids on construction sites.
Trump's Public Comments Could Further Complicate the Shaky Case Against James Comey
By demanding that the Justice Department punish the former FBI director for wronging him, the president provided evidence to support a claim of selective or vindictive prosecution.
James Comey Indicted in a Case Prosecutors Don't Seem Excited About
There is ample evidence to suspect prosecutors are just doing President Trump's dirty work rather than following the facts of the case.
The 9th Circuit Overturns a Man's Conviction for Holding a Shotgun on the Sidewalk in Front of His House
The decision, which hinges on an exception to the Gun-Free School Zones Act, does not say whether that law is consistent with the Second Amendment.
How a Fight Over Voter Data Could Reshape American Elections
Lawsuits against Oregon and Maine test how far the federal government can go in demanding access to voter information.
Trump Has a Habit of Asserting Broad, Unreviewable Authority
Whether he is waging the drug war, imposing tariffs, deporting alleged gang members, or fighting crime, the president thinks he can do "anything I want to do."
Florida Applies for Federal Reimbursement for 'Alligator Alcatraz' Costs Despite Court Warning
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis promised that the federal government would reimburse the state for the costs of "Alligator Alcatraz," but doing so would make the detention facility subject to environmental reviews Florida ignored.
The Trump Administration's Half-Baked Plan To Disarm Transgender People Is Legally Bankrupt
Such a gun ban is not authorized by statute or allowed by the Second Amendment.
Trump's Tariffs Face a Major 'Major Questions' Problem at the Supreme Court
The same legal theory that tripped up Joe Biden's student loan scheme could also sink Donald Trump's tariffs.
Florida Deputies Jailed Her for 3 Days Even Though She Was Obviously Not the Suspect Described in a Warrant
A federal judge cleared the way for Jennifer Heath Box's lawsuit against the cops who misidentified her as a fugitive, despite a "mountain of evidence" that they had the wrong woman.
The Proposed Ban on Gun Possession by Transgender People Would Be Neither Legal Nor Constitutional
The Justice Department reportedly is considering a regulation aimed at disarming "mentally ill individuals suffering from gender dysphoria."
The 5th Circuit Rejects Trump's Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act
The appeals court blocked the removal of alleged Venezuelan gang members under that law "because we find no invasion or predatory incursion."
The Gun-Free School Zones Act Is Doubly Dubious
The federal law relies on a risible reading of the Commerce Clause to restrict a constitutional right.
The Rationale for the Federal Circuit's 'Radical Left' Tariff Decision Is Fundamentally Conservative
Donald Trump's claim that the appeals court ruled against him for partisan or ideological reasons is hard to take seriously.
Not So Fast, ICE
Plus: Rogue sheriffs, Trump life coaching, Trump family cryptocurrency, and more…
The Federal Circuit's Tariff Ruling Highlights the Audacity of Trump's Power Grab
Seven judges agreed that the president's assertion of unlimited authority to tax imports is illegal and unconstitutional.
Federal Appeals Court Says Trump's Tariffs Are Unlawful, Allows Them To Remain in Place
Trump went "beyond the authority delegated to the President," the court ruled, but it vacated an injunction that could have provided immediate tariff relief to American businesses.
The 10th Circuit Agrees That Prosecuting Cannabis Consumers for Gun Possession May Be Unconstitutional
The appeals court rejected most of the arguments in favor of that policy, saying "the government must show non-intoxicated marijuana users pose a risk of future danger."
Compensation for Legal Fees Is a Critical Protection Against Civil Forfeiture Abuses
A recent federal appeals court decision underlines the importance of that safeguard.
The 11th Circuit Revives a Constitutional Challenge to the Federal Law That Disarms Medical Marijuana Patients
The appeals court concluded that the government had failed to show that policy is consistent with "this Nation's historical tradition of firearm regulation."
Judge Orders Alligator Alcatraz To Wind Down Operations Within 60 Days
A federal district court judge granted environmentalist groups’ request for a preliminary injunction.
9 Years Ago, Marco Rubio Explained Why Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order Is Unconstitutional
The 2016 brief defended the understanding of the 14th Amendment that the president wants to overturn.
Court Kills California's One-Gun-a-Month Law
There’s no historical precedent for trying to ration constitutionally protected rights.
The Government Sent '20 Police Officers' With Riot Gear To Rearrest D.C. Sandwich Thrower, Says Attorney
A video by the White House corroborates that account, calling into question just how serious the president is about actually addressing crime.
After Another Delay, Trump's China Tariffs Look Even Less Like a Legitimate 'Emergency'
The words national emergency are not a magic spell that presidents can utter to unlock unlimited legislative powers for themselves.
They Fled Socialism and Came to the U.S. Legally. Now the Trump Administration Is Trying To Deport Them.
For years, the president has rightly railed against those oppressive regimes. So why is his administration targeting their victims?
A First Amendment Lawsuit Highlights the Chilling Impact of Speech-Based Deportation on Student Journalists
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression is seeking an injunction that would protect noncitizens at The Stanford Daily from arrest and removal because of their published work.
