Jan 29 Watch 4:03 How the ACLU challenged Trump’s immigration order By PBS News Hour A federal judge on Saturday issued a stay to halt portions of President Trump's executive order banning entry to the U.S. for people from seven countries. The order prevents the government from deporting people that are detained at U.S. airports. Continue watching
Jan 22 Trump hotel is ground zero for conflict-of-interest concerns By Julie Bykowicz, Associated Press Trump's lease with the federal government to develop and operate a hotel inside the historic Old Post Office building expressly prohibits any elected official from benefiting from the property. Continue reading
Nov 18 Watch 7:23 Sessions known for tough stance on immigration — and failed judgeship By PBS News Hour For attorney general, President-elect Donald Trump selected an early supporter: the junior senator from Alabama, Jeff Sessions. Sessions has served as a U.S. attorney and Alabama’s attorney general, but he was denied a federal judgeship in 1986 based on controversial… Continue watching
Jul 01 Judge strikes down Mississippi’s anti-LGBTQ law By Laura Santhanam A federal judge struck Mississippi's law that would have allowed business and government employees to deny service to LGBTQ people based on religious beliefs. Continue reading
Jun 28 Supreme Court leans left in term unsettled by Scalia’s death By Mark Sherman, Associated Press Justice Antonin Scalia's sudden death transformed the Supreme Court's term, shifted power to its liberal wing and started a transition that will be greatly affected by who wins the presidency. Continue reading
Nov 13 Changing Guantanamo prison’s ZIP code isn’t a fix, critics argue By Deb Riechmann, Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's quest to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, perhaps by moving some detainees to the United States, has fostered an unusual alliance between his congressional critics and liberal-leaning advocacy groups that say changing the detention… Continue reading
Aug 11 Advocates against solitary confinement see hope in Justice Kennedy’s comments By Sam Hananel, Associated Press WASHINGTON — Prison reform advocates who have spent years campaigning against solitary confinement are counting on a powerful new ally in their quest to end the practice — Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. Continue reading
May 31 Surveillance powers will lapse without Senate action By Associated Press Hours from a midnight deadline for contested anti-terror measures to expire, no solution was in sight as the Senate convened an extraordinary Sunday session to hash out a way forward. Intelligence officials warned the result would amount to a win… Continue reading
Mar 21 Judge: U.S. must release photos of detainee abuse in Iraq, Afghanistan By Elisabeth Ponsot A federal judge ruled on Friday that the government must release photographs that depict abuse of detainees by American military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. Continue reading
Mar 16 ACLU sues federal government for records of U.S. drone killings By Ken Dilanian, Associated Press The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the federal government, seeking to force a response to its request for documents about drone missile strikes against terror suspects. Continue reading