Latest news with #FederalJudiciary
The Guardian
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Trump news at a glance: Harvard threatened with more cuts as foreign universities seek to attract students
Donald Trump delivered the traditional presidential Memorial Day speech at Arlington national cemetery and also attacked judges on social media, talking up his own achievements and threatening Harvard University with further cuts to its funding. Trump posted on his social media platform: 'I am considering taking Three Billion Dollars of Grant Money away from a very antisemitic Harvard, and giving it to TRADE SCHOOLS all across our land.' Harvard has launched legal actions over what it said was Trump's attempt to 'gain control of academic decision-making' at the university and his administration's threat to review about $9bn in federal funding. Last week the Trump administration announced it would revoke federal permission for the institution to enrol international students. A federal judge issued an injunction within hours, temporarily blocking such a ban. Here's what's been happening. A recent former president of Harvard University has urged people to 'speak out' in defence of 'foundational threats' to values such as freedom, autonomy and democracy in the US. Drew Gilpin Faust, the first female president of Harvard, also warned of US constitutional checks and the rule of law being 'at risk' under the current administration, even as Donald Trump issued a fresh threat against the elite university as it seeks to repel his assaults on its independence and funding. Read the full story Hong Kong's education bureau has called on the city's universities to 'attract top talent' by opening their doors to those affected by the Trump administration's attempt to ban Harvard from enrolling international students. Harvard has launched legal action against the ban but done little to assuage concerns among students thrown into limbo. Experts have warned the US the ban could be a boon for foreign institutions looking to attract talent. Read the full story Donald Trump honoured the sacrifices of US military veterans in the traditional presidential Memorial Day speech at Arlington national cemetery, but also peppered his address on Monday with partisan political asides while talking up his own plans and achievements. The US president laid a wreath and paid tribute to fallen soldiers and gave accounts of battlefield courage as tradition dictates. But Trump also veered off into rally-style personal boasting and brief partisan attacks during the solemn event. Read the full story Holidaymakers in countries hit the hardest by Trump's trade tariffs are taking the US off their list for trips abroad, according to online travel booking data. Hotel search site Trivago has seen double-digit percentage declines in bookings to the US from travellers based in Japan, Canada and Mexico. The latter two countries were the first on Trump's tariff hit list when he announced tariffs of 25% on 1 February. Read the full story Experts have told the Guardian that Islamic State is capitalising on Trump's dismantling of the international order, his affinity for Benjamin Netanyahu's government in Israel, and most of all his appointment of Pete Hegseth as Pentagon chief, in its recruitment propaganda. Read the full story Former government officials have told the Guardian that Trump's quid pro quo approach to foreign policy has more in common with his predecessors than it first appears. Where he does differ, they argue, is in his shameless abandonment of moral leadership and use of the US presidency for personal gain. Cuts to AmeriCorps – the US agency for national service and volunteerism – were among the harshest doled out by Donald Trump and Elon Musk's so-called 'department of government efficiency' (Doge). Those cuts are already disrupting LA wildfire recovery. Catching up? Here's what happened on 25 May 2025.
Wall Street Journal
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Legal Weapon for Trump Opponents Faces Crucial Tests
Should a judge in a single district be able to block a White House policy across the nation? That debate, which has raged across recent administrations, is coming to a head. Judges' use of nationwide injunctions has evolved over recent presidential administrations from a rare remedy to a fixture of politically charged cases affecting millions. In the first months of President Trump's second term, opponents have won sweeping orders from district judges blocking a number of his agenda items, including his plan to end birthright citizenship, policies targeting transgender treatment for minors and a freeze on billions in foreign-aid payments.
Epoch Times
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
2 House Judiciary Democrats Urge Chief Justice to Call for More Security for Judges
Two top House Judiciary Democrats have called on U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to request more help from Congress to protect federal judges and court personnel, citing an alarming surge in threats and chronic underfunding of the court system's security infrastructure. In a 'We write to you about the alarming rise in threats of violence being made against federal judges, with many of these threats not being idle ones at all,' they wrote. 'The whole climate of anti-judicial violence and intimidation is intolerable within our constitutional order.' Their letter follows the release of a stark warning from the Judicial Conference of the United States, the judiciary's policymaking body. In an April 10 funding 'We have significant concerns about our ability to properly secure federal courthouses given current resource levels,' they wrote, calling the situation 'unsustainable.' The Judiciary's Court Security account remains stuck at $750 million, the same level as in fiscal year 2023, despite a request for $797 million in its December 2024 funding appeal, the letter said. That shortfall has forced delays in security upgrades, including systems that screen entrants and control access to restricted areas. Related Stories 4/18/2025 4/18/2025 According to the St. Eve-Conrad letter, 67 federal judges are now receiving enhanced online threat monitoring from the U.S. Marshals Service due to their roles in high-profile or politically sensitive cases. Roughly 50 individuals have been charged with criminal threats against judges in recent years. In several instances, marshals have had to take 'extraordinary measures' to protect judges under threat. Chief Justice Roberts himself noted these dangers in his 2024 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary, The judges' letter also notes that courts cannot choose their caseloads and are constitutionally required to adjudicate all civil, criminal, and bankruptcy matters brought before them, while urging Congress to restore adequate funding in the upcoming fiscal year 2026 budget. 'We must provide constitutionally guaranteed representation to individuals charged with federal crimes who are unable to afford an attorney. And we must pay citizens for performing their civic duty of serving on federal juries,' St. Eve and Conrad wrote. 'This is a broad mission that depends on sufficient funding from Congress to carry out.' The 2026 federal judiciary budget request is expected later this month. Reps. Raskin and Johnson said in their letter to the chief justice that they are prepared to work with the Supreme Court to address what they suggested was a funding crisis. 'We know our constitutional democracy relies strongly on the ability of Justices and judges to carry out your duties without fear of retaliation or harm,' the lawmakers wrote. 'We are your partners in this endeavor, and we urge you to call upon us to help.'
