A federal appeals court judge, Jeffrey Sutton, dismissed a judicial misconduct complaint the United States Department of Justice filed against James Boasberg, ruling that the department failed to provide sufficient evidence to substantiate allegations that he made improper remarks about Donald Trump during a closed-door meeting of the Judicial Conference of the United States. The …
In this column, Anita Chabria profiles James Cook, an Oakland civil rights lawyer who has been spending months in Minneapolis helping people swept up in a federal crackdown—protesters, immigrants, and even U.S. citizens—often pro bono. The piece argues that while street clashes dominate headlines, the quieter legal battle over detentions, due process, and government transparency …
A federal judge in Minneapolis sharply criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for repeatedly failing to follow court orders in lawsuits filed by people arrested during the Donald Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz said the government has not complied with nearly 100 court orders since January 1 across dozens of …
In Lafayette, police and state/federal partners announced the arrests of five suspects tied to the Jan. 18, 2026 shooting of Steven Meyer and his wife, Kimberly Meyer, who were both wounded but are expected to fully recover. Investigators say the attack was targeted at the judiciary and linked to an alleged plot to derail an …
The United States has been named the focus of the 2026 International Day of the Endangered Lawyer, marking it as a country where the rule of law is under threat due to political intimidation of lawyers and judges. An international coalition of legal groups selected the US—previously seen as a global model of judicial independence—because …
A PBS NewsHour segment examines how President Trump’s second-term policies are placing unprecedented strain on the U.S. judicial system. Constitutional law professor Steve Vladeck argues that recent executive actions—especially on immigration enforcement, including proposed warrantless home entries—push beyond established constitutional limits and conflict with Fourth Amendment protections. Federal courts have acted as a key check …
This piece examines how large U.S. law firms have responded to political pressure from the Trump administration, especially efforts to punish firms representing government critics. While some firms settled or retreated from controversial litigation, others have recently stepped up to defend civil rights, sanctuary cities, academic institutions, and government accountability. The author is skeptical that …
Levesque, C., DeWaard, J., Chan, L., McKenzie, M. G., Tsuchiya, K., Toles, O., … Boyle, E. H. (2023). Crimmigrating Narratives: Examining Third-Party Observations of US Detained Immigration Court. Law & Social Inquiry, 48(2), 407–436. doi:10.1017/lsi.2022.16 Crimmigrating Narratives: Examining Third-Party Observations of US Detained Immigration Court examines how U.S. immigration courts criminalize non-citizens through what the authors call …
In this Bloomberg Law commentary (Jan. 5, 2026), attorney Abbe David Lowell argues that authoritarian-leaning leaders often target lawyers first because lawyers are essential to protecting rights and checking executive power. He reframes Shakespeare’s “let’s kill all the lawyers” as a warning: eliminating lawyers makes it easier to undermine democracy. Lowell says President Donald Trump’s …
In early 2026, the legal fight over President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting major U.S. law firms is moving into a new phase. The orders sought to restrict lawyers’ security clearances and encouraged federal agencies to scrutinize government contracts connected to firms’ clients, citing firms’ political ties or high-profile adversarial hires. Four firms—Perkins Coie, …