logo
Trump's DOJ Goes ‘Judge Shopping' in Texas

Trump's DOJ Goes ‘Judge Shopping' in Texas

Your otherwise fine editorial 'A Legal Ambush Against Dreamers' (June 17) neglects to mention a key feature of the lawsuit the Justice Department filed against Texas to obtain a settlement invalidating the in-state tuition benefit for undocumented immigrants: where the suit was filed.
Even though the Texas government, as well as its flagship public university, is headquartered in Austin, the U.S. brought suit in Wichita Falls, the 43rd-largest city in Texas and home to only one of the state's 234 institutions of higher education. To my mind, the only plausible explanation for filing there is that cases in the Wichita Falls Division of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas have a 100% chance of being assigned to Judge Reed O'Connor—who reportedly signed off on the parties' 'settlement' within six hours of the suit being filed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump calls for special prosecutor to investigate 2020 election, reviving long-standing grievance
Trump calls for special prosecutor to investigate 2020 election, reviving long-standing grievance

Los Angeles Times

time38 minutes ago

  • Los Angeles Times

Trump calls for special prosecutor to investigate 2020 election, reviving long-standing grievance

WASHINGTON — President Trump on Friday called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden, repeating his baseless claim that the contest was marred by widespread fraud. 'Biden was grossly incompetent, and the 2020 election was a total FRAUD!' Trump said in a social media post in which he also sought to favorably contrast his immigration enforcement approach with that of the former president. 'The evidence is MASSIVE and OVERWHELMING. A Special Prosecutor must be appointed. This cannot be allowed to happen again in the United States of America! Let the work begin!' Trump's post, made as his Republican White House is consumed by a hugely substantial foreign policy decision on whether to get directly involved in the Israel-Iran war, is part of an amped-up effort by him to undermine the legitimacy of Biden's presidency. Earlier this month, Trump directed his administration to investigate Biden's actions as president, alleging aides masked his predecessor's 'cognitive decline.' Biden has dismissed the investigation as 'a mere distraction.' The post also revives a long-running grievance by Trump that the election was stolen even though courts around the country and a Trump attorney general from his first term found no evidence of fraud that could have affected the outcome. The Department of Homeland Security's cybersecurity arm pronounced the election 'the most secure in American history.' It was unclear what Trump had in mind when he called for a special prosecutor, but in the event Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi heeds his call, she may face pressure to appoint someone who has already been confirmed by the Senate. A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment Friday. The Justice Department in recent years has appointed a succession of special counsels — sometimes, though not always, plucked from outside the agency — to lead investigations into politically sensitive matters, including into conduct by Biden and by Trump. Last year, Trump's personal lawyers launched an aggressive, and successful, challenge to the appointment of Jack Smith, the special counsel assigned to investigate his efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election and his retention of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. A Trump-appointed judge agreed, ruling that then-Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland had exceeded his bounds by appointing a prosecutor without Senate approval and confirmation, and dismissed the case. That legal team included Todd Blanche, who is now deputy attorney general, as well as Emil Bove, who is Blanche's top deputy but was recently nominated to serve as a judge on a federal appeals court. Tucker writes for the Associated Press.

Trump seeks to delay appeal of $83 million judgment in E. Jean Carroll case
Trump seeks to delay appeal of $83 million judgment in E. Jean Carroll case

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Trump seeks to delay appeal of $83 million judgment in E. Jean Carroll case

The Justice Department and attorneys for President Donald Trump on Friday asked a federal appeals court in New York to delay oral arguments scheduled for next week in Trump's appeal of his $83 million defamation case. Trump is appealing a 2024 verdict ordering him to pay former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll $83 million for defaming her in 2019 when he denied her accusation that he sexually assaulted her in the dressing room of a Bergdorf Goodman department store in the mid-1990s. Trump has denied all allegations. MORE: Appeals court says DOJ cannot represent Trump in appeal of E. Jean Carroll case On Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Trump's attempt to have the government substitute for him as a party in the case -- and his attorneys now argue that they should be allowed to appeal before oral arguments take place on June 24. "The United States and President Trump are entitled to immediate review of the panel's erroneous Westfall Act decision by this Court en banc and, if necessary, by the Supreme Court," a joint filing from Trump and the Justice Department said Friday. DOJ lawyers say that since some of Trump's alleged conduct in the case fell within the scope of his role as president, the Justice Department should be able to defend him in court. "The Attorney General certified that President Trump was acting within the scope of his federal office or employment at the time of his 2017 statements, made from the White House, out of which Plaintiff-Appellee's claims arose. As a result, the United States should have been substituted as a defendant in place of President Trump," they argued in Friday's filing. The 2nd Circuit last week upheld a separate, $5 million damage award to Carroll that Trump must pay.

Trump seeks to delay appeal of $83 million judgment in E. Jean Carroll case

time2 hours ago

Trump seeks to delay appeal of $83 million judgment in E. Jean Carroll case

The Justice Department and attorneys for President Donald Trump on Friday asked a federal appeals court in New York to delay oral arguments scheduled for next week in Trump's appeal of his $83 million defamation case. Trump is appealing a 2024 verdict ordering him to pay former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll $83 million for defaming her in 2019 when he denied her accusation that he sexually assaulted her in the dressing room of a Bergdorf Goodman department store in the mid-1990s. Trump has denied all allegations. On Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Trump's attempt to have the government substitute for him as a party in the case -- and his attorneys now argue that they should be allowed to appeal before oral arguments take place on June 24. "The United States and President Trump are entitled to immediate review of the panel's erroneous Westfall Act decision by this Court en banc and, if necessary, by the Supreme Court," a joint filing from Trump and the Justice Department said Friday. DOJ lawyers say that since some of Trump's alleged conduct in the case fell within the scope of his role as president, the Justice Department should be able to defend him in court. "The Attorney General certified that President Trump was acting within the scope of his federal office or employment at the time of his 2017 statements, made from the White House, out of which Plaintiff-Appellee's claims arose. As a result, the United States should have been substituted as a defendant in place of President Trump," they argued in Friday's filing. The 2nd Circuit last week upheld a separate, $5 million damage award to Carroll that Trump must pay.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store