All Law & Courts
Trump targets Big Law. Why that matters to the rest of us.America has a bedrock legal principle: Every defendant has the right to a lawyer, and every lawyer has the right to pick whom they represent. Is this principle in danger?
First LookWisconsin attorney general asks state Supreme Court to halt Musk paymentsWisconsin's attorney general asked the state Supreme Court to block Elon Musk from handing out checks to voters amid a tightly contested election.
The ExplainerSo, how do you know if a country is in a constitutional crisis?The U.S. Constitution divides power among three branches 鈥� executive, congressional, and judicial. Presidents have sometimes tried to claim more power, as President Trump is doing now. But when does it become a crisis?
鈥楳ove fast and break things鈥�? Judges are telling Trump to put them back together.As President Trump implements his agenda at lightning speed, courts see mixed results as they demand that some actions be rolled back until lawsuits are heard.
Columbia protester arrest ignites free speech tug-of-warThe Trump administration says deportation can be a tool to combat antisemitism and terrorism. Critics see violations of free speech and immigrant rights.
Threats to judges mount, challenging independence, norms, and rule of lawWith threats against and violence toward judges doubling in recent years, the rule of law now feels more vulnerable to intimidation than ever.聽
First LookSupreme Court orders Trump to release $2 billion in foreign aid paymentsThe Supreme Court left in place a lower court鈥檚 decision to pause the Trump administration鈥檚 spending freeze. The administration had appealed U.S. District Judge Amir Ali鈥檚 deadline to give the federal government until Feb. 26 to pay out $2 billion in aid.
Mexico faces US gunmakers in Supreme Court, saying they fuel cartel crimeDo U.S. arms manufacturers bear responsibility for the guns fueling cartel violence in Mexico? Mexico is arguing that case before the Supreme Court.
Trump has reduced US safeguards against corruption and white-collar crimePresident Trump is scaling back enforcement efforts against white-collar crimes. Could that become an invitation to corruption and tax evasion?
First LookSupreme Court halts Trump attempt to fire head of whistleblower office 鈥� for nowThe unsigned order keeping on job the head of the federal agency that protects government whistleblowers is the court鈥檚 first word on President Donald Trump鈥檚 agenda.聽
Uproar over Mayor Adams deepens concern about Justice Dept. politicization under TrumpThe Justice Department鈥檚 effort to dismiss an indictment against New York鈥檚 mayor is igniting charges that U.S. courts are increasingly politicized.
The Supreme Court has helped presidential power expand. Trump may test its limits.The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed presidential power to steadily expand in recent decades. Now the court may review Trump administration efforts to expand executive branch authority.
As judges say 鈥榮top,鈥� the question is whether Trump will complyCongress and the courts are a check on presidential power. But what if the executive branch, charged with enforcing laws and rulings, doesn鈥檛 heed them?
But is it legal? Musk鈥檚 DOGE is stripping agencies before judges can rule.F鈥媟om accessing computers to halting spending and firing workers, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are testing the legal limits of executive branch power.
Trump pledges FBI reform, but big purge of agents could backfirePossible widespread firings of FBI鈥� agents are raising concerns about 鈥媡he agency鈥檚 ability to keep the public safe and to be politically independent.
Trump鈥檚 order ending birthright citizenship could upend 150 years of lawPresident Trump鈥檚 order curtailing birthright citizenship faces lawsuits over the 14th Amendment. This may be prelude to other efforts to end it.
Do Biden鈥檚 preemptive pardons offer a safety valve or set bad precedent?Joe Biden鈥檚 eleventh-hour preemptive pardons for his family and Trump critics are raising further questions about the use of presidential pardons.
First LookBiden says Equal Rights Amendment should be considered ratifiedPresident Joe Biden聽says the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered a ratified addition to the Constitution. The national archivist disagrees.
As Trump cases end, what next for presidents and the law?Two years ago, a former American president faced four criminal trials. Three of them didn鈥檛 happen. The fourth gave no penalty. Was justice served?
Outside the DC jail, where Jan. 6 rage and devotion live onParticipants in the vigils argue there has been a miscarriage of justice that they hope will be righted when President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
