Latest News
Todd Blanche Defends His Independence as Senate Examines Attorney General Nomination
The nomination of Todd Blanche to become U.S. attorney general remains in serious doubt in the last days before a final confirmation vote in the Senate.
Senate Republicans hold a majority but several of them admit to wavering in their support for Blanche, who is now the acting attorney general.
They express concern that his loyalty to President Donald Trump would eclipse his duty as attorney general to administer justice even-handedly.
Blanche sought last week during his confirmation hearing to convince the Senate Judiciary Committee that he wants to keep the Justice Department independent of partisan influences, adding that he’s not “a yes man" for Trump.
He was asked by lawmakers repeatedly about his relationship with the president, first as his defense attorney and more recently as a top Justice Department official. He was second in command until his predecessor was fired by the president in April.
New York Times Tries to Quash Subpoenas of Reporters Over Air Force One Story
The New York Times is awaiting a ruling on its motion to quash Justice Department subpoenas against four of its reporters who reported on security concerns over the new Air Force One.
They used undisclosed Defense Department sources of information.
The Justice Department wants them to testify before a grand jury while also revealing their sources for the news story. The newspaper’s attorneys filed a motion last week to quash the subpoenas.
They are joined by news organizations in the Washington, D.C., area in calling the subpoenas an assault on the freedom of the press.
The New York Times reported that the Boeing 747-8 aircraft Qatar gave the United States in May lacks defensive capabilities of the older Air Force One.
Judge Accuses Trump of Self-Dealing in Multi-Billion Dollar Lawsuit Against IRS
A federal judge blasted President Donald Trump last week for the $10 billion lawsuit he filed against the Internal Revenue Service in January.
She accused Trump of illegal self-dealing and trying to manipulate the judicial system.
She also referred his attorneys for disciplinary proceedings that could lead to fines or disbarment against them.
Trump sued the IRS for an invasion of privacy after one of its contractors leaked his tax returns to the news media.
The IRS settled with him for $1.8 billion but Trump later abandoned the settlement amid public and congressional criticism.
Legal Briefs
Supreme Court Justices Request More Funding for Personal Security
Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett made an appeal to Congress last week for a security funding boost to protect themselves, their families, and the rest of the federal judiciary.
They said a rise in threats has disrupted their daily routines.
Barrett told about the time she had to explain to her family why she needed a bulletproof vest after the 2022 leak of the decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
"I didn't expect that performing this service was going to put me in the position of explaining to my children what a bulletproof vest was and why I had to wear one," Barrett said at a joint hearing of the House and Senate appropriations subcommittees.
Kagan said the Supreme Court Police force predicts a 38 percent increase in threats against the court this year, which follows a 25 percent spike last year.
She cautioned that the threats could infringe on the Constitution’s separation of powers if judges are too intimidated to perform their assigned duties.
Their testimony coincides with the Supreme Court’s $228 million budget request for the upcoming fiscal year, or a 10 percent increase from previous funding levels. The court seeks an additional $14.6 million to expand protective services for the justices.
If approved, the funding would allow the Supreme Court Police to assign an additional six agents to each justice's security detail. They currently range from four to eight personnel.
D.C. in Brief
Delay in Court Ruling Takes D.C. Minimum Wage Issue Off the Ballot
Until this week, a proposal to raise Washington, D.C.’s minimum wage to $25 per hour and eliminate the tipped wage was headed for a vote in next November’s election.
A legal challenge means voters will need to wait at least until next year.
One Fair Wage, the group behind Initiative 87, blamed the delay on local bar owner John Guggenmos. He filed a lawsuit arguing the Board of Elections botched the verification procedure for the ballot measure and used misleading language.
It used the phrase "living wage" instead of "minimum wage." The current minimum wage is $18.40 per hour.
A D.C. Superior Court judge recently dismissed the bar owner’s lawsuit and cleared the initiative for a vote … but it was too late.
With only days left to collect the required thousands of signatures for a ballot measure, One Fair Wage gave up. It is now developing a strategy for a special election next year.
"The opposition did what they always do every single time, which is they filed some frivolous charges about the Board of Elections process to try to delay us being on the ballot," said Saru Jayaraman, president of One Fair Wage.
Representatives of the local business community expressed a far different opinion.
Andrew Kline, the attorney representing Guggenmos and an associate of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, said restaurants and other businesses could be badly hurt if voters approve higher minimum wages.
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