Latest news with #Biden-nominated
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge rules Trump's firings at federal product safety agency illegal
A federal judge ruled Friday that President Trump's firings of three former President Biden-nominated Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) members were illegal, enabling them to return to their posts. U.S. District Judge Matthew Maddox, a Biden appointee who serves in Maryland, ordered the administration restore the commissioners' pay as well as their access to office spaces, computers and email accounts. The three commissioners — Mary Boyle, Alexander Hoehn-Saric and Richard Trumka Jr. — sued the administration after Trump fired them last month. Maddox is the latest district judge to block Trump's efforts to fire Democratic appointees at independent agencies across the federal bureaucracy despite federal law providing them with for-cause removal protections. The president did not purport to have cause in firing the CPSC members or those at other agencies. His administration seeks to invalidate the protections as unconstitutional by intruding on the president's authority to oversee the executive branch. The Supreme Court's conservative majority has signaled a willingness to agree with that view, but it has not yet formally overruled the court's 90-year-old precedent that paved the way for Congress to provide the removal protections. In its latest signal, the nation's highest court last month lifted lower injunctions blocking Trump's firings at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), saying the agency leaders could be terminated until any appeals are resolved. Maddox acknowledged that decision Friday but distinguished it from his case. He stressed the Supreme Court rooted its decision in how the NLRB and MSPB leaders faced a whiplash of removals and reinstatements throughout the lower court proceedings, insisting the decision did not eviscerate the constitutionality of removal protections. 'Disruption might have resulted in the instant case if Plaintiffs had been reinstated while this case was in its preliminary posture, only to have the Court later deny relief in its final judgment and subject Plaintiffs to removal again,' the judge wrote. 'The risk of such disruption is no longer a factor now that the Court is granting permanent injunctive relief as a final judgment.' The Justice Department declined to comment. 'Today's opinion reaffirms that the President is not above the law,' Nick Sansone, the commissioners' lead counsel who works for consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, said in a statement. 'Congress structured the CPSC as an independent agency so that the safety of American consumers wouldn't be subject to political whims and industry pressure,' Sansone continued. 'The court's ruling upholds that sound legislative choice.' He added, 'We are thrilled that our clients can get back to work keeping us safe from hazardous products.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Judge rules Trump's firings at federal product safety agency illegal
A federal judge on Friday ruled that President Trump's firings of three Biden-nominated Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) members were illegal, enabling them to return to their posts. U.S. District Judge Matthew Maddox, an appointee of former President Biden who serves in Maryland, ordered the administration restore the commissioners' pay as well as their access to office spaces, computers and email accounts. The three commissioners — Mary Boyle, Alexander Hoehn-Saric and Richard Trumka Jr. — sued the administration after Trump fired them last month. Maddox is the latest district judge to block Trump's efforts to fire Democratic appointees at independent agencies across the federal bureaucracy despite federal law providing them with for-cause removal protections. The president did not purport to have cause in firing the CPSC members or at the other agencies. His administration seeks to invalidate the protections as unconstitutional by intruding on the president's authority to oversee the executive branch. The Supreme Court's conservative majority has signaled a willingness to agree with that view, but it has not yet formally overruled the court's 90-year-old precedent that has paved the way for Congress to provide the removal protections. In its latest signal, the nation's highest court last month lifted lower injunctions blocking Trump's firings at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), saying the agency leaders could be terminated until any appeals are resolved. Maddox acknowledged that decision on Friday but distinguished it from his case. He stressed the Supreme Court rooted its decision in how the NLRB and MSPB leaders faced a whiplash of removals and reinstatements throughout the lower court proceedings, insisting the decision did not eviscerate the constitutionality of removal protections. 'Disruption might have resulted in the instant case if Plaintiffs had been reinstated while this case was in its preliminary posture, only to have the Court later deny relief in its final judgment and subject Plaintiffs to removal again,' the judge wrote. 'The risk of such disruption is no longer a factor now that the Court is granting permanent injunctive relief as a final judgment.' The Hill has reached out to the Justice Department for comment. 'Today's opinion reaffirms that the President is not above the law,' Nick Sansone, the commissioners' lead counsel who works for consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, said in a statement. 'Congress structured the CPSC as an independent agency so that the safety of American consumers wouldn't be subject to political whims and industry pressure,' Sansone continued. 'The court's ruling upholds that sound legislative choice.' He added, 'We are thrilled that our clients can get back to work keeping us safe from hazardous products.'
New York Post
22-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Biden-nominated judge rules Trump admin violated court order after deporting criminal migrants to South Sudan
The Trump administration 'unquestionably' violated a court order when it put eight migrants with violent criminal convictions onto a flight to South Sudan, a Biden-nominated federal judge ruled Wednesday. US District Judge Brian Murphy, who was nominated to the seat by former President Joe Biden in 2024, slammed the White House for failing to provide the men with adequate due process when ordering them on a flight bound to the African nation, of which only one of them is actually from. 'The department actions in this case are unquestionably in violation of this court's order,' the judge said in an emergency hearing, suggesting the White House may have committed criminal contempt. 5 (Clockwise from top left) Enrique Arias-Hierro, Jose Manuel Rodriguez-Quinones, Thongxay Nilakout, Jesus Munoz-Gutierrez, Tuan Thanh Phan, Nyo Myint, Kyaw Mya, and Dian Peter Domach were all put on a flight to South Sudan. 5 US District Judge Brian Murphy said the White House clearly violated a court order when it ordered the men to be flown to the African nation. Alliance for Justice Murphy alleges that the eight immigrants were not given a 'meaningful opportunity' to object that the deportation could put them in danger in South Sudan, one of the world's most dangerous and war-torn nations suffering from food shortage, ethnic conflict and violent crime. While the White House touted that it had sent the 'monstrous and barbaric' immigrants to South Sudan, President Trump confirmed that the men are currently being held in Djibouti, a small country on the Horn of Africa where the US holds a military base. 'A Federal Judge in Boston, who knew absolutely nothing about the situation, or anything else, has ordered that EIGHT of the most violent criminals on Earth curtail their journey to South Sudan, and instead remain in Djibouti,' Trump said in a Truth Social post. 'He would not allow these monsters to proceed to their final destination.' 5 President Trump revealed that the migrants are currently being held in the African nation of Djibouti. / Homeland Security declined to say where exactly in the African country the men have ended up for 'safety and operational security' reasons. South Sudan officials, who did not consent to the deportations, also confirmed that no foreign migrants had arrived in the country. Maj. Gen. James Monday Enoka, the nation's police spokesman, said that any arrival would be investigated, with all foreign-born migrants set to be 're-deported to their correct country.' 5 DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin slammed the judge's orders as 'deranged.' AP Attorney Jonathan Ryan — who represented one of the migrants, Nyo Myint, of Myanmar — said his client received two conflicting deportation notices a day before the flight, with both notices given to him in English, a language he barely understands. 'I have no idea where he is,' Ryan told the BBC. 'He's been disappeared by the United States government.' Myint was convicted of first-degree sexual assault involving a victim mentally and physically incapable of resisting in Lincoln, Nebraska. 5 South Sudan is one of the poorest and most violent nations in the world plagued by ethnic violence and looming civil war. AP The Trump administration has defended the deportations, with Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for DHS, mocking Murphy's order to reprocess the migrants as 'deranged.' '[Myint] sexually assaulted a mentally disabled woman with the mental capacity of a three-year-old,' she told The Post. 'This 'Lincoln man' is an ILLEGAL ALIEN and one of the monsters that the activist Massachusetts District Judge is trying to bring back to the United States after he was deported yesterday.' Todd Lyons, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, added that the countries where the migrants were from — Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Vietnam and South Sudan — refused to take the men back. Lyons maintains that the deported migrants represent 'true national security threats,' with the men previously convicted of rape, homicide, armed robbery and other violent crimes. With Post wires
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Biden-nominated federal judge extends hold on Trump NIH research funding cuts
A federal judge has further blocked the National Institutes of Health from implementing a policy to crackdown on how much money it doles out for indirect costs associated with grants it awards. NIH announced a plan last month to set the rate at 15% across the board. "The United States should have the best medical research in the world. It is accordingly vital to ensure that as many funds as possible go towards direct scientific research costs rather than administrative overhead. NIH is accordingly imposing a standard indirect cost rate on all grants of 15% pursuant to its 45 C.F.R. 75.414(c) authority," the NIH explained in a notice last month. Scientists Expect Major 'Medical Breakthroughs' Despite Trump's Cap On Nih Research Funding But the agency has been blocked from implementing the policy as challenges play out in court. U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley, who had issued a temporary restraining order last month, granted a preliminary injunction on Wednesday. Read On The Fox News App "The imminent risk of halting life-saving clinical trials, disrupting the development of innovative medical research and treatment, and shuttering of research facilities, without regard for current patient care, warranted the issuance of a nationwide temporary restraining order to maintain the status quo, until the matter could be fully addressed before the Court," the court document declared. 'What A Ripoff!': Trump Sparks Backlash After Cutting Billions In Overhead Costs From Nih Research Grants "Following full briefing and oral argument by the parties, as well as review of accepted amicus briefs, the Court GRANTS a nationwide preliminary injunction," the document states. After then-President Joe Biden nominated Kelley to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in 2021, Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Susan Collins of Maine voted with Democrats to confirm the jurist to the role. Trump Nih Appointee Defends President's Research Funding Cuts, Lays Out New Vision For Future The judge's decision comes as various states, universities and other entities challenge NIH's attempt to adopt the across-the-board 15% article source: Biden-nominated federal judge extends hold on Trump NIH research funding cuts
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Judge will consider continuing to block Musk, DOGE from accessing Treasury payment systems
A federal judge in Manhattan on Friday will consider whether to continue blocking Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency from accessing sensitive Treasury Department payment systems as part of the Trump's administration's efforts to cut federal spending. The attorneys general of 19 states have argued that allowing Musk's associates to access the payment system would be a "huge cybersecurity risk" and potentially allow the Trump administration to unlawfully "block federal funds from reaching beneficiaries who do not align with the President's political agenda." "All of the States' residents whose [personal identifiable information] and sensitive financial information is stored in the payment files that reside within the payment systems are at risk of having that information compromised and used against them," the lawsuit said. MORE: Federal judge blocks Elon Musk's DOGE team from accessing sensitive taxpayer data The lawsuit comes as Musk's cost-cutting troops have gained access to at least 16 federal agencies, with Trump recently signing an executive order giving DOGE additional authority to help carry out massive layoffs across the government as part of his campaign pledge to trim the federal bureaucracy. The lawsuit -- filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James and 18 other state attorneys general -- raised particular concern about unvetted DOGE employees accessing sensitive government records including social security numbers, bank information, and federal tax returns. According to the lawsuit, Musk being able to access the Bureau of Fiscal Services -- which serves as the country's checkbook by dispersing trillions in funding -- could allow Musk to cut off government spending from the source. In a court order last weekend, a federal judge in New York temporarily blocked the Trump administration from allowing individuals associated with DOGE to access the Treasury department records and payment systems. "The Court's firm assessment is that, for the reasons stated by the States, they will face irreparable harm in the absence of injunctive relief. That is both because of the risk that the new policy presents of the disclosure of sensitive and confidential information and the heightened risk that the systems in question will be more vulnerable than before to hacking," U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer wrote, prompting a Mush to blast the judge and Vice President JD Vance to question the legality of the order. While the Trump administration challenged the temporary order, U.S. District Judge Jeanette Vargas -- a Biden-nominated judge who will hear the case going forward -- reiterated that there was "sound factual basis" for the temporary restraining order when it was imposed late last week. Judge Vargas will consider granting a preliminary injunction to block DOGE's access to the systems at Friday's hearing. Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Wisconsin have signed onto the lawsuit. Judge will consider continuing to block Musk, DOGE from accessing Treasury payment systems originally appeared on
