A newsletter by Reuters and Westlaw |
|
|
Trump administration asks Boston judge to toss states’ challenge to election order |
The Trump administration today will urge Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Casper in Boston to toss a lawsuit by 19 Democratic-led states challenging the president’s executive order overhauling federal elections. The order requires proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and bars states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day. Here’s what to know: |
|
|
-
In June, Casper issued a preliminary injunction, siding with the states’ argument that Trump lacked the authority to impose new voting rules. Read the order.
-
The lawsuit is one of several nationwide challenging Trump’s March 25 executive order, issued after he repeatedly cast doubt on election integrity and falsely claimed his 2020 loss to Joe Biden was due to widespread fraud.
-
While parts of Trump's order had already been blocked in April by a judge in Washington, Casper's ruling went further as she concluded the states had established key pieces of the president's order were likely unlawful and unconstitutional. Read more about the blocked order.
- "The Constitution does not grant the president any specific powers over elections," Casper wrote. The “text of the Election Day statutes require only that all votes are cast by Election Day, not that they are received by that date."
-
She ruled that states allowing mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day may continue counting them and barred the DOJ from pursuing enforcement actions against states that do not comply with Trump’s order.
- While affirming that only U.S. citizens may vote in federal elections, Casper noted that Congress—not the president—sets election requirements, and has never mandated documentary proof of citizenship.
-
The White House said it will keep fighting for election integrity and that it is confident it will ultimately prevail.
| -
U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy in Boston will consider whether to strike down a new Trump administration policy that would sharply cut federal research funding provided to universities by the U.S. Department of Defense. Murphy has already blocked the policy from taking effect at the behest of 12 schools, including MIT and Johns Hopkins University, as well as the Association of American Universities and two other academic trade groups. Read the TRO.
-
U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose in Providence, Rhode Island, will consider whether to extend an earlier order and issue an injunction blocking the Trump administration from imposing conditions on the ability of housing and domestic violence prevention groups to obtain grant funding from the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development for programs it deems to support DEI or promote "gender ideology."
- A coalition of Democratic state attorneys general will urge U.S. District Judge William Young in Boston to declare that the Trump administration's decision to suspend leasing and permitting of new wind projects is unlawful. Read the complaint.
-
The U.S. Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing to consider President Trump's nominee to the Federal Reserve Board, Stephen Miran. The hearing comes as Trump is trying to exert more direct control over the board, including with the unprecedented firing of Fed Governor Lisa Cook.
-
Nintendo will ask the Federal Circuit to uphold a decision that its Switch Joy-Con controllers do not infringe two patents owned by video game peripheral maker Gamevice. Gamevice has asked the appeals court to overturn a California federal judge's ruling that Nintendo's controllers work differently than Gamevice's patented controller technology.
- The man accused of gunning down two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington in May in what authorities have called an anti-Israel hate crime is set to enter a plea to the charges. The suspect, Elias Rodriguez, is scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in Washington.
|
Court calendars are subject to last-minute docket changes. |
|
|
-
Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee appeared unfazed by the fact that Jennifer Mascott has never practiced in Delaware's courts, and yet has been nominated by President Trump to replace a judge from that state on the 3rd Circuit. Read more.
-
Eudia, the maker of an AI-powered platform for corporate legal teams, said it launched "AI-augmented" law firm, Eudia Counsel, under loosened law firm ownership rules in Arizona. Read more.
-
Moves: Mayer Brown added former DOJ attorney Leif Overvold to its Supreme Court and appellate practice … Seward & Kissel added partner Lindsay Ditlow as co-head of the employment practice from McDermott Will & Schulte … Rated funds partner Lindsay Trapp joined Kirkland & Ellis from Dechert … Appellate partner Yaira Dubin joined Sullivan & Cromwell from the DOJ’s Office of the Solicitor General.
|
|
|
"The emergence of GenAI changed the course of this case."
|
—U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, ruling largely in favor of Google. Mehta permitted the company to retain its Chrome browser while mandating it share data with rivals to open up competition in online search. The decision was a nod to regulators' efforts to level the playing field for companies who have invested billions to boost their AI business. Read more.
|
|
|
|
