Latest news with #DistrictofColumbiaCircuit
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Court gives go-ahead to Trump's plan to halt union bargaining for many federal workers
By Nate Raymond (Reuters) -A federal appeals court lifted an order on Friday that blocked U.S. President Donald Trump's administration from stripping hundreds of thousands of federal employees of the ability to unionize and collectively bargain over working conditions. A 2-1 panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit put on hold an injunction a judge issued at the behest of the National Treasury Employees Union that had blocked implementation of an executive order Trump issued in March. The union and White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the ruling. Trump's order exempted more than a dozen federal agencies from obligations to bargain with unions. They include the departments of Justice, State, Defense, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services. The union, which represents about 160,000 federal employees, argued the order violates federal workers' labor rights and the Constitution. But the appeals court's majority said the union had failed to show it would suffer the type of irreparable harm that would justify the preliminary injunction issued by U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman on April 25. U.S. Circuit Judge Karen Henderson, an appointee of Republican President George H.W. Bush, and Justin Walker, whom Trump appointed in his first term, said the injunction, if allowed to remain in effect, would also impede Trump's national-security prerogatives. Trump relied on a national security exemption to exempt agencies that he said "have as a primary function intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work." "Preserving the President's autonomy under a statute that expressly recognizes his national-security expertise is within the public interest," the appeal's court majority wrote. U.S. Circuit Judge J. Michelle Childs, an appointee of Trump's Democratic predecessor Joe Biden, dissented, saying the Trump administration had presented only "vague assertions" about potential interference with national security functions to justify its request for a stay of Friedman's decision. Trump's order affects about 75% of the roughly 1 million federal workers represented by unions, according to court filings. NTEU has said the order applies to about 100,000 of its members. The executive order significantly expanded an exception from collective bargaining for workers with duties affecting national security, such as certain employees of the CIA and FBI. The Trump administration has filed separate lawsuits seeking to invalidate existing union contracts covering thousands of workers.
Fox News
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Federal court warns Pentagon not to act against transgender service members during appeal
The Trump administration was warned by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Thursday to not act against transgender military members while a federal judge's order to block a ban on them was being appealed. The Department of Defense (DOD) led by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, filed a notice to appeal Washington, D.C.-based U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes' denial of their motion to dissolve her order that prevents the military from denying transgender people the ability to enlist in the military on Wednesday. The Biden-appointed judge presided over a hearing on March 21, when she requested the DOD delay its original deadline to enact the policy on March 26. On March 21, the defendants in the suit, who include President Donald Trump and Hegseth, filed a motion to dissolve the injunction blocking the Pentagon's ban. The filing argued that the policy is not an overarching ban but instead "turns on gender dysphoria – a medical condition – and does not discriminate against trans-identifying persons as a class." The Trump administration further requested that, if the motion to dissolve is denied, the court should stay the preliminary injunction pending appeal. Reyes denied the motion to dissolve, and the Trump administration filed an appeal. On Thursday, the D.C. Circuit said the purpose of the administrative stay is to give the court enough opportunity to consider the emergency motion for stay while under appeal. The court added that the stay should not be construed as a ruling on the merits of the motion. "If any action occurs that negatively impacts service members under the Hegseth Policy and [Military Department Identification (MDI) Guidance] before the court lifts the administrative stay, the plaintiffs may file a motion to lift the administrative stay, and the court will consider it expeditiously," the court wrote. It added that appellees have until noon on April 1 to file a response. The government cited new guidance issued March 21 that it expected to enact the policy if not for the ongoing litigation. The guidance clarified that "the phrase 'exhibit symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria'" solely applies to "individuals who exhibit such symptoms as would be sufficient to constitute a diagnosis." Reyes said she wanted to allow more time for the appeals process. She also said she had previously allowed plenty of time to appeal her earlier opinion blocking the ban from going into effect. On Saturday, Hegseth said Reyes should report to military bases since she is "now a top military planner." "Since 'Judge' Reyes is now a top military planner, she/they can report to Fort Benning at 0600 to instruct our Army Rangers on how to execute High Value Target Raids…after that, Commander Reyes can dispatch to Fort Bragg to train our Green Berets on counterinsurgency warfare," Hegseth wrote on X. On Wednesday, Reyes acknowledged that Military Department Identification Guidance (MIDI Guidance) is new, but the argument presented by the defense is not. "Defendants re-emphasize their 'consistent position that the [Hegseth] Policy is concerned with the military readiness, deployability, and costs associated with a medical condition,'" the judge wrote. "Regulating gender dysphoria is no different than regulating bipolar disorder, eating disorders, or suicidality. The Military Ban regulates a medical condition, they insist, not people. And therein lies the problem. "Gender dysphoria is not like other medical conditions, something Defendants well know," Reyes continued. "It affects only one group of people: all persons with gender dysphoria are transgender and only transgender persons experience gender dysphoria."
Los Angeles Times
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Appeals court won't halt order barring Trump administration from deportations under wartime law
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court refused Wednesday to lift an order barring the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador under an 18th century wartime law. A split three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit wouldn't block a March 15 order temporarily prohibiting deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Invoking the law for the first time since World War II, President Trump's administration deported hundreds of people under a presidential proclamation calling the Tren de Aragua gang an invading force. The Justice Department appealed after U.S. District Judge James Boasberg blocked more deportations and ordered planeloads of Venezuelan immigrants to return to the U.S. That did not happen. Attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of five Venezuelan noncitizens who were being held in Texas. The case has become a flashpoint amid escalating tension between the White House and the federal courts. Judges Karen LeCraft Henderson and Patricia Millett voted to reject the government's request to lift the order. Each wrote concurring opinions. Judge Justin Walker, a Trump nominee, wrote a dissenting opinion. Millett, who was nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama, said Boasberg's order merely froze the status quo 'until weighty and unprecedented legal issues can be addressed' through an upcoming hearing. 'There is neither jurisdiction nor reason for this court to interfere at this very preliminary stage or to allow the government to singlehandedly moot the Plaintiffs' claims by immediately removing them beyond the reach of their lawyers or the court.' Henderson, who was nominated by Republican President George H.W. Bush, said the court's ruling doesn't prevent the government from arresting and detaining migrants under Trump's proclamation. 'Lifting the injunctions risks exiling plaintiffs to a land that is not their country of origin,' she wrote. 'Indeed, at oral argument before this Court, the government in no uncertain terms conveyed that — were the injunction lifted — it would immediately begin deporting plaintiffs without notice.' Walker said the plaintiffs' claims belong in Texas, where they are detained. 'The Government has also shown that the district court's orders threaten irreparable harm to delicate negotiations with foreign powers on matters concerning national security,' he wrote. Boasberg, the chief judge of the federal district court in Washington, has vowed to determine whether the government defied his order to turn planes around. The administration has invoked a 'state secrets privilege' and refused to give Boasberg any additional information about the deportations. Trump and his allies have called for impeaching Boasberg. In a rare statement, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said that 'impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.' The Alien Enemies Act allows noncitizens to be deported without the opportunity for a hearing before an immigration or federal court judge. Boasberg ruled that immigrants facing deportation must get an opportunity to challenge their designations as alleged gang members. His ruling said there is 'a strong public interest in preventing the mistaken deportation of people based on categories they have no right to challenge.' Kunzelman writes for the Associated Press.
The Independent
26-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Appeals court won't halt order barring Trump administration from deportations under wartime law
A federal appeals court refused Wednesday to lift an order barring the Trump administration from deporting Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador under an 18th century wartime law. A split three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit upheld a March 15 order temporarily prohibiting deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Invoking the law for the first time since World War II, President Donald Trump's administration deported hundreds of people under a presidential proclamation calling the Tren de Aragua gang an invading force. The Justice Department appealed after U.S. District Judge James Boasberg blocked more deportations and ordered planeloads of Venezuelan immigrants to return to the U.S. That did not happen. Attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of five Venezuelan noncitizens who were being held in Texas. The case has become a flashpoint amid escalating tension between the White House and the federal courts.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
US appeals court rejects copyrights for AI-generated art lacking 'human' creator
By Blake Brittain A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday affirmed that a work of art generated by artificial intelligence without human input cannot be copyrighted under U.S. law. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit agreed with the U.S. Copyright Office that an image created by Stephen Thaler's AI system "DABUS" was not entitled to copyright protection, and that only works with human authors can be copyrighted. Tuesday's decision marks the latest attempt by U.S. officials to grapple with the copyright implications of the fast-growing generative AI industry. The Copyright Office has separately rejected artists' bids for copyrights on images generated by the AI system Midjourney. The artists argued they were entitled to copyrights for images they created with AI assistance -- unlike Thaler, who said that his "sentient" system created the image in his case independently. Thaler's attorney Ryan Abbott said he and his client "strongly disagree" with the ruling and intend to appeal. The Copyright Office said in a statement that it "believes the court reached the correct result." Thaler, of St. Charles, Missouri, applied for a copyright in 2018 covering "A Recent Entrance to Paradise," a piece of visual art he said was made by his AI system. The office rejected his application in 2022, finding that creative works must have human authors to be copyrightable. A federal district court judge in Washington upheld the decision in 2023 and said human authorship is a "bedrock requirement of copyright" based on "centuries of settled understanding." Thaler told the D.C. Circuit that the ruling threatened to "discourage investment and labor in a critically new and important developing field." U.S. Circuit Judge Patricia Millett wrote for a unanimous three-judge panel on Tuesday that U.S. copyright law "requires all work to be authored in the first instance by a human being." "Because many of the Copyright Act's provisions make sense only if an author is a human being, the best reading of the Copyright Act is that human authorship is required for registration," the appeals court said.
