Weekend Law: Transgender Ban & Unorthodox Plea Deal
Constitutional law expert David Super, a professor at Georgetown Law, discusses the Supreme Court allowing Trump's transgender military ban. Former federal prosecutor Jimmy Gurule, a professor at Notre Dame Law School, discusses the Los Angeles US Attorney making an unorthodox plea deal. Healthcare attorney Harry Nelson, a partner at Leech Tishman Nelson Hardiman, discusses 20 State Attorneys General suing the Department of Health and human Services. June Grasso hosts.
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CNN
21 minutes ago
- CNN
National Portrait Gallery head resigns two weeks after Trump called for her firing
The director of the National Portrait Gallery has resigned from her post, according to a memo sent to Smithsonian employees and obtained by CNN. Kim Sajet's departure from the gallery comes just two weeks after President Donald Trump called for her employment to be terminated in a post on Truth Social, claiming she was 'highly partisan' and a supporter of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that his administration has worked to end. The secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Lonnie Bunch, wrote in the memo that Sajet is stepping down on Friday, writing that she had led the gallery 'with passion and creativity for 12 years.' The New York Times first reported Sajet's resignation. 'Throughout her tenure, she has reimagined and reshaped the impact and storytelling of portraiture,' Bunch said. Sajet was the first woman to serve in the role. The National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, is part of the Smithsonian Institution, which is the world's largest museum complex, including 21 museums and the National Zoo. Earlier this week, the Smithsonian released a statement emphasizing its 'nonpartisan stature' and saying 'all personnel decisions' are made by its secretary. The institution added that its Board of Regents 'is committed to ensuring that the Smithsonian is a beacon of scholarship free from political or partisan influence.' Trump has sought to influence cultural and artistic institutions, including the Smithsonian. In March, he signed an executive order putting Vice President JD Vance in charge of stopping government spending on 'exhibits or programs that degrade shared American values, divide Americans based on race, or promote programs or ideologies inconsistent with Federal law and policy.' Vance serves on the institution's board of regents by virtue of his role as vice president. 'This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is the right one,' Sajet said in a statement included in Bunch's memo, which did not mention Trump. 'From the very beginning, my guiding principle has been to put the museum first. Today, I believe that stepping aside is the best way to serve the institution I hold so deeply in my heart,' she added. Bunch wrote that the undersecretary for museums and culture, Kevin Gover, will take over as acting director of the gallery.
Los Angeles Times
26 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Federal judge blocks Trump's firing of Consumer Product Safety Commission members
BALTIMORE — A federal judge has blocked the terminations of three Democratic members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission after they were fired by President Trump in his effort to assert more power over independent federal agencies. The commission helps protect consumers from dangerous products by issuing recalls, suing errant companies and more. Trump announced last month his decision to fire the three Democrats on the five-member commission. They were serving seven-year terms after being nominated by President Biden. After suing the Trump administration last month, the fired commissioners received a ruling in their favor Friday; it will likely be appealed. Attorneys for the plaintiffs argued the case was clearcut. Federal statute states that the president can fire commissioners 'for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office but for no other cause' — allegations that have not been made against the commissioners in question. But attorneys for the Trump administration assert that the statute is unconstitutional because the president's authority extends to dismissing federal employees who 'exercise significant executive power,' according to court filings. U.S. District Judge Matthew Maddox agreed with the plaintiffs, declaring their dismissals unlawful. He had previously denied their request for a temporary restraining order, which would have reinstated them on an interim basis. That decision came just days after the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority declined to reinstate board members of two other independent agencies, endorsing a robust view of presidential power. The court said that the Constitution appears to give the president the authority to fire the board members 'without cause.' Its three liberal justices dissented. In his written opinion filed Friday, Maddox presented a more limited view of the president's authority, finding 'no constitutional defect' in the statute that prohibits such terminations. He ordered that the plaintiffs be allowed to resume their duties as product safety commissioners. The ruling adds to a larger ongoing legal battle over a 90-year-old Supreme Court decision known as Humphrey's Executor. In that case from 1935, the court unanimously held that presidents cannot fire independent board members without cause. The decision ushered in an era of powerful independent federal agencies charged with regulating labor relations, employment discrimination, the airwaves and much else. But it has long rankled conservative legal theorists who argue the modern administrative state gets the Constitution all wrong because such agencies should answer to the president. During a hearing before Maddox last week, arguments focused largely on the nature of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and its powers, specifically whether it exercises 'substantial executive authority.' Maddox, a Biden nominee, noted the difficulty of cleanly characterizing such functions. He also noted that Trump was breaking from precedent by firing the three commissioners, rather than following the usual process of making his own nominations when the opportunity arose. Abigail Stout, an attorney representing the Trump administration, argued that any restrictions on the president's removal power would violate his constitutional authority. After Trump announced the Democrats' firings, four Democratic U.S. senators sent a letter to the president urging him to reverse course. 'This move compromises the ability of the federal government to apply data-driven product safety rules to protect Americans nationwide, away from political influence,' they wrote. The Consumer Product Safety Commission was created in 1972. Its five members must maintain a partisan split, with no more than three representing the president's party. They serve staggered terms. That structure ensures that each president has 'the opportunity to influence, but not control,' the commission, attorneys for the plaintiffs wrote in court filings. They argued the recent terminations could jeopardize the commission's independence. Attorney Nick Sansone, who represents the three commissioners, praised the ruling Friday. 'Today's opinion reaffirms that the President is not above the law,' he said in a statement. Skene writes for the Associated Press.
Washington Post
29 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Judge orders reinstatement of product safety regulators fired by Trump
A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump lacked the power to fire the three Democratic commissioners on the five-person Consumer Product Safety Commission, reversing their abrupt dismissals from last month and setting up a fresh test of presidential power to control independent agencies. The judge found that Trump failed to identify any neglect or malfeasance by the Senate-confirmed commissioners to justify their firings, as required by law, clearing the way for the three officials to resume their work at the nation's product safety regulator.
