Latest News
Federal Judge Again Blocks Trump’s Redevelopment of Historic D.C. Golf Course
A federal judge last week issued an order extending restrictions on the Trump administration’s redevelopment of Washington, D.C.’s historic East Potomac Golf Links.
The preliminary injunction bars further tree removal and requires advance notice before government contractors make potentially irreversible changes to the public park while a lawsuit challenging the project continues.
The order represents a significant setback for President Donald Trump’s plans to transform the century-old public golf facility into a championship course.
It is one of several legal confrontations he faces as unofficial “builder-in-chief” for large projects in Washington. Others are a ballroom on the East Wing of the White House and a triumphal arch near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery.
Trump says he will proceed with the golf course redevelopment despite the injunction.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico Expand Lawsuit Over White House Press Access
The news outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico are trying to boost their lawsuit that challenges their exclusion from the White House Oval Office and Air Force One.
They added arguments last week to an amended complaint that says they are being subjected to viewpoint discrimination through restrictions that violate First Amendment press freedom protections.
Their amended complaint expands the news organizations’ challenge to President Donald Trump’s September decision to bar them from the White House.
The dispute is increasingly testing the extent political officials can legally discriminate against specific news organizations.
The news organizations argue that the restrictions are retaliatory because of reporting the president and his administration have criticized.
Grand Jury Declines to Indict Witness Who Said Trump Contributed to Jan. 6 Capitol Attack
A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., last week declined to indict former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson over allegations that she lied to Congress.
Hutchinson testified in 2022 that President Donald Trump might have aggravated the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 as he claimed former President Joe Biden’s presidential victory was fraudulent.
The Justice Department’s failed attempt to prosecute her is contributing to claims that Trump is using criminal charges to seek revenge against his critics rather than to enforce laws.
Hutchinson was not officially identified as the subject of the grand jury but unidentified sources affiliated with the investigation revealed her name to the Associated Press and other media outlets.
A Justice Department attorney informed U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui during a court proceeding Tuesday about the grand jury’s decision not to indict Hutchinson.
Legal Briefs
Fourth Circuit to Rule on Challenge to Virginia’s Restrictions on Social Media for Minors
A federal appeals court seems poised after a hearing last week to override a Virginia law that limits children under 16 years old to one hour per day on social media platforms.
One of the judges said the law has a “big brother atmosphere” to it. He also said he was likely to support a district court injunction against enforcement of the law.
The Richmond-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit heard arguments in the case of NetChoice v. Jay Jones. It challenges Virginia Senate Bill 854, which took effect Jan. 1.
Virginia is one of 21 states that have enacted laws regulating minors' access to social media. The Fourth Circuit’s decision is likely to affect the laws of all or most of the others.
Virginia’s law could allow children to use social media for more than one hour per day but only if their parents provide verifiable consent to extend the time.
NetChoice, a trade association representing major technology companies, claims the law violates First Amendment rights to free speech by too much government interference.
During the hearing, Judge Harvie Wilkinson questioned whether the parental consent requirement improperly intrudes into family relationships. He said it might be “an impermissible invasion of a family relationship and an intrusion into the very heart of a home.”
Virginia Solicitor General Tillman Breckenridge argued that the restrictions are justified by concerns about children's exposure to social media and its effects on developing brains. He said the law protects children from potentially addictive features of social media.
D.C. in Brief
Federal Judge Investigates Seizure of Travelers' Phones and Laptops at Dulles Airport
A U.S. District Court judge in Alexandria, Va., last week ordered federal officials to account for what happened to four electronic devices seized from a married couple at Washington Dulles International Airport.
The couple, Muhammad Numaan Imam, a psychiatric nurse practitioner, and his wife, Khadijah Mansoor, had their two iPhones and two laptops confiscated Oct. 16 while they returned from a trip to Turkey.
Imam refused to provide his phone's passcode. He explained that the phone contained confidential patient information.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel said they seized the devices because Imam’s refusal to give them the passcodes prevented officers from conducting what they described as a border search.
A Customs supervisor reportedly warned the married couple they could surrender access the “easy way or the hard way.” The agency later returned all four electronic devices.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ordered sworn statements from Customs personnel who handled the devices. They must explain whether they unlocked the devices, searched them or extracted information.
She also raised concerns about possible access to confidential medical information. Brinkema’s order required an accounting of how the devices were treated and any information obtained.
She also questioned the justification for taking the wife's devices.
The case raises Fourth Amendment questions about digital privacy, confidential medical records and the circumstances under which federal agents can search information on electronic devices.
The case is Imam v. Mullin, No. 1:26-cv-03499 (E.D. Va. filed Oct. 20, 2026).
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