Latest News
Special Grand Jury Convened in D.C. by U.S. Attorney Pirro
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro is overseeing a rare special grand jury in Washington, D.C., with an apparent goal of indicting a high-level government official.
Special grand juries are mostly commonly reserved for pursuing politically sensitive investigations.
The special grand jury became publicly known last week in a Washington Post report based on three confidential government sources.
The investigation is being overseen by Steven Vandervelden, a senior prosecutor and close ally of Pirro.
The U.S. attorney’s office has declined to comment on the matter or to disclose what the grand jury has been asked to investigate.
D.C. Judge Orders Kennedy Center to Pay Musician’s $250,000 Legal Fees
A Washington, D.C., judge last week ordered the Kennedy Center to pay $250,000 to a jazz musician who the performing arts center sued after he canceled a Christmas Eve concert to protest the addition of President Donald Trump's name to the building.
The judge said musician Chuck Redd was a victim of political retaliation.
He was one of several performers who canceled concerts after Trump's name was added to the Kennedy Center. Redd was the only one the performing arts center sued.
“When I saw the name change on the Kennedy Center website and then hours later on the building, I chose to cancel our concert,” Redd said at the time.
Former Kennedy Center President Richard Grenell then wrote Redd a letter saying, “This is your official notice that we will seek $1 million in damages from you for this political stunt.”
Health and Human Services Publishes Proposals for Greater Food Safety
U.S. health officials appear to be giving new business to food industry attorney advisors with proposed rules announced last week that would require food processing companies to notify regulators before they could put new ingredients or additives into their products.
The proposal seeks to close what food safety advocates call a loophole they say has allowed thousands of ingredients into foods before being checked for safety.
Under one part of the proposed rules, food manufacturers would need to notify the Food and Drug Administration of any dyes, preservatives, sweeteners and emulsifiers they use.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to reduce the amount of additives in the American diet under his Make America Healthy Again agenda.
In addition, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it has developed a first-time definition of ultra-processed foods. The agency did not publicly release the definition, saying it is being reviewed by the Trump administration.
Legal Briefs
Woman Faces Felony Vandalism Charges After World War II Memorial Defaced
A Kentucky woman is facing two felony charges after vandalism last week of the World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Soap was poured into a fountain and graffiti was spray-painted on the monument.
The U.S. Attorney’s office said Melissa L. Farris, 41, would be prosecuted in federal court.
The vandalism was discovered Aug. 13 by visitors who found the fountains overflowing with soapy bubbles. The words “Clean hands dirty $” were painted in red and green on part of the memorial.
Park Police cordoned off the area while they assessed the damage. The paint was cleaned off with a pressure sprayer.
Farris, of Elizabethtown, Ky., is accused of using spray paint to deface the memorial and posting video of the act on social media. In one video, a woman identified as Farris is seen removing spray paint cans from a bag and painting the monument before saying she intended to remain at the site to be arrested.
She was arrested after witnesses photographed the vandalism and sent the images to Park Police.
According to an arrest warrant, a Park Police officer recognized Farris from a previous arrest on Aug. 10 for allegedly camping unlawfully on federal property a few blocks from the memorial. She subsequently posted another video saying she was turning herself in.
Prosecutors said Farris faces charges of depredation against property of the United States and destruction of veterans' memorials. Each offense carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
D.C. in Brief
ANC Commissioner Sues D.C. Over Crime Solvers Reward Program
A Fairlawn Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner is suing the District of Columbia after the Metropolitan Police Department allegedly failed to pay him rewards for information that helped lead to convictions in two serious criminal cases.
The lawsuit filed by Tom Donohue in D.C. Superior Court says the city's Crime Solvers program operates without adequate transparency or oversight.
He seeks $30,000 in rewards he says he is owed, as well as information about how the department determines the amounts paid to tipsters.
Donohue's lawsuit centers on video evidence from two investigations.
In the first, he provided police with surveillance footage related to the 2020 death of bicyclist David Farewell in a hit-and-run in Southeast Washington. Donohue contends that the footage was important to the investigation and that he was told he qualified for a $25,000 Crime Solvers reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Instead, Donohue received $5,000, according to the lawsuit.
The case ultimately resulted in the defendant, Eric Beasley, pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter after a jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on a first-degree murder charge. Beasley was sentenced in September 2024 to eight years in prison.
Donohue also provided surveillance video in an investigation into a series of armed robberies in the Fairlawn neighborhood in 2023.
According to the lawsuit, his video helped investigators determine that an 18-year-old man initially arrested in the case was not responsible.
Letters to the Editor
The Legal Forum welcomes letters to the editor at tramstack@gmail.com, which will be published here.
We Could Use Your Help
Thousands of DC residents need a lawyer, but can’t afford one. They could be illegally evicted from their homes, lose custody of their children, experience domestic violence, and more, all because they lack legal representation.
You could make a difference. By making a donation to the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, you will provide free, high-quality, zealous legal representation to low-income DC residents.
Your support could prevent homelessness, domestic violence, hunger, or family separation. In fact, if just 10 people who see this ad give $28 to Legal Aid, it will be enough to staff an experienced attorney at the courthouse for a day.
That way, DC residents like Keith King (pictured above) can get the legal representation they need to win their cases. As Mr. King put it, if it wasn’t for his Legal Aid lawyer, “I would have been homeless again.”
Here is the link to the Legal Aid website for donations: https://www.legalaiddc.org/donate-to-legal-aid/
For more information, contact Rob Pergament at Legal Aid at rpergament@legalaiddc.org
Power the Civil Rights Work of Our Time
Each day members of our community are experiencing wage theft, the effects of gentrification, discriminatory policing, collateral consequences, marginalization in schools, and barriers to public accommodations.
We fight alongside people facing the effects of gentrification like Amira Moore. Our work empowers the people and communities who need it most, “We can do more than we think. There’s a path to equity, we just have to step to it.” –Ms. Moore
For more than 50 years, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee has been on the frontlines of the fight for civil rights in our community. We deploy the best legal talent, we tackle the tough cases, we fight, and we win.
Our work is as important today as it has ever been. Through your support, you can play a role in creating justice for thousands of marginalized members of our community. Together, we will dismantle injustice and pursue lasting change.
Join us! Donate & subscribe: https://www.washlaw.org/support-us
Volunteer with us: https://www.washlaw.org/get-involved/
For more information, contact Gregg Kelley at gregg_kelley@washlaw.org
About Us
The Legal Forum is a nonprofit news service for the Washington area's legal community that also offers attorney job listings as well as amicus briefs and grant information for charitable organizations. If you have questions, please Contact Us