NEW: Docs unsealed tonight show the official reasoning DHS sent to the State Dept. recommending that Mahmoud Khalil, Rumeysa Ozturk, Mohsen Mahdawi, Badar Khan Suri and Yunseo Chung be deported. Marco Rubio signed off, despite warnings by DHS that their findings looked like protected speech.

"More than two weeks after she was shot and killed by a federal immigration agent, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death of Renee Good was a homicide." www.startribune.com/hennepin-cou...

#BREAKING: Federal jury finds Chicago man NOT GUILTY of offering $10K for the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino. The trial of Juan Espinoza Martinez was the first to result from “Operation Midway Blitz”: chicago.suntimes.com/live/closing...

Anyone seen a copy of Trump's lawsuit against JPMorgan?

New: Another judge has rejected a DOJ subpoena served on a hospital providing gender-affirming care, calling it a "pretext" to end the practice. "The Government seeks to fulfill its policy agenda through compliance born of fear," Judge Julie Rubin in Maryland wrote. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

Judge Kato Crews of Colorado denied a noncitizen's habeas petition, finding the man has been validly detained since August. However, Crews asked the government to "strive for more," as the length of detention could be approaching a constitutional violation:

Several medical organizations have asked a judge to declare the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's decision this month to narrow the list of vaccines recommended for children unlawful, calling the move "egregious, reckless, and dangerous." @nateraymond.bsky.social reut.rs/4jRbWBQ

"Dan McFadden, an ACLU lawyer, said Riley's email 'puts us in really uncharted territory, really at a precipice of a crisis in the rule of law, for the executive branch to refuse to recognize the validity of the declaration from an Article III court declaring what the law is.'"

"Ms. Halligan has no legal basis to represent to this Court that she holds the position," Novak wrote. "And any such representation going forward can only be described as a false statement made in direct defiance of valid court orders." www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

"There is no real question that licensure, and the consequent oversight, of sports wagering operations in the state serves both public health and safety, and the Commonwealth's financial interest," Judge Barry-Smith wrote. www.reuters.com/world/kalshi...

"It's sort of an act of, I don't know, defiance might be the word, or maybe she's getting pressure from her higher-ups in the Department of Justice," Judge Saris said of the top immigration judge telling colleagues to not follow a court ruling requiring bond hearings. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

"It's sort of an act of, I don't know, defiance might be the word, or maybe she's getting pressure from her higher-ups in the Department of Justice," Judge Saris said of the top immigration judge telling colleagues to not follow a court ruling requiring bond hearings. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

A man who was charged with a felony for allegedly shining a laser pointer at Trump's helicopter was acquitted in 35 minutes

Judge Kacsmaryk rejects challenge by West Texas A&M University's LGBQT club to drag show ban, saying the First Amendment doesn't protect "self-expression in all forms, and certainly not the libertine 'expressive conduct' absolutism envisioned" by the group. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

"There may be ample suspicion to stop cars, and even arrest drivers, engaged in dangerous conduct while following immigration enforcement officers, but that does not justify stops of cars not breaking the law," Judge Menendez wrote. www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...

“To me, my X-Men!” “Professor Xavier is a jerk!” “No more mutants.” “I want you to bamf me.”

New: A federal judge gave the Trump administration three weeks to "rectify the mistake" it made by deporting a college student to Honduras in violation of a court order, and he recommended it issue her a student visa. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

New: A federal judge gave the Trump administration three weeks to "rectify the mistake" it made by deporting a college student to Honduras in violation of a court order, and he recommended it issue her a student visa. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

NEWS: A federal judge found that ICE had repeatedly retaliated against peaceful protesters in unconstitutional ways — and barred agents involved in Minnesota's "Operation Metro Surge" from using similar tactics and force. w/ @joshgerstein @hassankanu www.politico.com/news/2026/01...

New: The nation's chief immigration judge told her colleagues this week that they are not bound by a federal court ruling that declared the Trump administration cannot place thousands of people in mandatory detention without an opportunity to be released on bond. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

Some insider 10th Circuit news: For the first time in 12 years, district judges will sit on oral argument panels alongside the appellate judges next week. Every judge who wanted to & was available got called up to Denver. It used to be commonplace until 2013: www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/01/16/1...

JUST IN: 3-judge panel appointed for Trump admin suit against Minnesota over DEI hiring practices: 8th Cir Judge Ray Gruender (GWBush), USDJ Patrick Schlitz (GWBush/MN), USDJ Price Marshall (Obama/EDAR). 3-judge due to unusual AG certification Earlier: www.courthousenews.com/doj-sues-min...

New: The nation's chief immigration judge told her colleagues this week that they are not bound by a federal court ruling that declared the Trump administration cannot place thousands of people in mandatory detention without an opportunity to be released on bond. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

New: A federal judge in Virginia cleared Dominion Energy to resume work on its offshore wind project in the state, the third legal blow this week to Trump's anti-wind energy agenda. www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...

A federal judge has denied a request for a preliminary injunction by five college football players seeking to play a fifth season this fall.

JUST IN: Trump bought between $250K-$500K in Victoria's Secret bonds last month. Doc: www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/u...

"The centralization of this information by the federal government would have a chilling effect on voter registration," Judge David Carter wrote. www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...

Reagan-appointed Judge Young today: "It's fairly clear that this president believes, as an authoritarian, that when he speaks, everyone, everyone in Article II is going to toe the line absolutely." www.reuters.com/world/us-jud...

Today, Judge Gordon Gallagher in Colorado told ICE it can't continue to force a noncitizen to wear an ankle monitor when the immigration judge who granted bond didn't impose that as a condition. "Fundamental fairness and compliance with the rule of law mandate this result," he wrote.

The remedy probably won't help anybody already facing deportation. However, if this is appealed up to the 1st Circuit, it would probably set the stage for the circuit reversing any adverse ruling against Ozturk and Mahdawi as their cases are pending in Massachusetts immigration court.

Reagan-appointed Judge Young today: "It's fairly clear that this president believes, as an authoritarian, that when he speaks, everyone, everyone in Article II is going to toe the line absolutely." www.reuters.com/world/us-jud...

After listening to Colorado’s Court of Appeals consider Tina Peters’s challenge to her convictions, the plausible outcome seems to be reducing one felony conviction to a misdemeanor and ordering a resentencing — but otherwise upholding the convictions: www.coloradopolitics.com/2026/01/14/i...

LAST opinion: Bost v. IL Board of Elections - a federal candidate for elections has standing to challenge state rule that allows ballots to be counted after election day No tariffs etc www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...

No tariffs ruling from the Supreme Court today!

The Supreme Court's second opinion (also not tariffs) is Case v. Montana, which unanimously holds that police officers may enter a home without a warrant if they have an “objectively reasonable basis for believing” that someone inside needs emergency assistance. www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25p...

Trump's administration in a court filing said it is reversing course on firing nearly every employee at a 1960s-era agency within DOJ known as "America's peacemaker" that is tasked with quelling racial and ethnic tensions in U.S. communities. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

Breaking WaPo: The FBI executed a search warrant this morning at a Post reporter's home as part of an investigation into a government contractor accused of illegally retaining classified materials. 
It's highly unusual and aggressive for law enforcement to conduct a search on a reporter's home.

Trump's administration in a court filing said it is reversing course on firing nearly every employee at a 1960s-era agency within DOJ known as "America's peacemaker" that is tasked with quelling racial and ethnic tensions in U.S. communities. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

DOJ just published a redacted version of the OLC memo justifying the Administration’s campaign/attacks in Venezuela and capture of Maduro:

A prosecutor asked Senator Lindsey Graham before a Georgia grand jury whether President Trump cheated at golf. "Some people say you may outdrive him, but you’re not going to outdrive his caddy," Graham replied. "It is what it is." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/u...

New: A federal judge today recommended the Trump administration issue a student visa to a college student who was deported in violation of a court order to Honduras after being arrested at Boston's airport while trying to visit family for Thanksgiving. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

New: 12 Democratic state AGs sued to block the Trump administration from withholding billions of dollars in funding from them, hospitals and universities unless they comply with new conditions they say would force them to discriminate against transgender people. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

New: US court security, public defenders to receive funding boost in spending bill - www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

Update: The TRO was just issued. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

The federal government Friday agreed to pay $125,000 after a judge found a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent liable for civil assault for pointing a gun at a hotel maintenance man who came to the agent’s room to unclog a toilet.

Under court order, Trump administration to fund beleaguered consumer financial watchdog reut.rs/3Z43bdR

New: Judge Talwani in Boston says she is going to issue a temporary restraining order preventing the Trump administration from next week terminating the parole status of 10,000 to 12,000 migrants from seven Latin American nations.

Judge Chun is the third federal judge to block large portions of Trump’s March 25 executive order purporting to overhaul election procedures and punish states that don’t comply. www.politico.com/news/2026/01...

I seem to recall this happening less than a year ago: www.reuters.com/business/fin...

JUST IN: Fed judge in Seattle strikes down several provisions in Trump executive order on election integrity. Judge John Chun (Biden) says the Constitution assigns the president no role in election administration. Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...