Latest news with #JudicialBranch
Gulf Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Karoline Leavitt lashes out at judges blocking Trump orders
John Bowden, The Independent The White House ramped up its fury at federal judges Thursday after the latest move by a three-judge panel this week to block Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs infuriated officials up and down the administration. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt came to the briefing room podium already breathless as she vowed that the Trump administration would take Wednesday's ruling "to the Supreme Court," delivering a minutes-long, impassioned screed about the unprecedented rate at which Donald Trump's second presidency has been rebuffed by the Judicial Branch. The press secretary went on to note that in February, Trump's first full month in office, he was blocked from taking executive action more times than his predecessor was "in three years". But her comments bely an obvious counter-argument: that the Trump administration's unprecedented usage and scope of executive actions is itself to blame for its sky-high rate of failure at the district court level. And it's not as if district court judges are alone on an island in this regard. Despite having appointed three of the nine sitting Supreme Court justices, Trump has already seen defeat after defeat at the nation's highest court less than six months into his second term. Most recently, the Supreme Court blocked his administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport migrants, potentially the clearest example of how the second Trump administration has relied on unconventional to outright brazenly defiant legal tactics to defend the actions of the president and his team in court. A federal district court also halted Trump's outright ban on student visas for international students seeking to go to Harvard, the nation's oldest institution of higher learning, as the White House wages a one-sided ideological war on the school. Still, administration officials are waging war on the judiciary, labeling even conservative judges as "activist" if they rule against Trump. "There is a troubling and dangerous trend of unelected judges inserting themselves into the presidential decision making process," Leavitt said from the podium in her opening remarks Thursday. "America cannot function if President Trump, or any other president, for that matter, has their sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations railroaded by activist judges. "These judges are threatening to undermine the credibility of the United States on the world stage," Leavitt accused, going on to say America's jurists "brazenly abuse their judicial power to usurp the authority of President Trump." She insisted that the court system risked turning America into a non-functioning country if judges continue to refuse to let the president have his way. News broke hours after Leavitt's briefing of a federal appeals court panel temporarily staying the lower court's ruling against Trump on tariffs. But at a press conference later in the afternoon, tensions were still high. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro lashed out at a reporter for The Independent, Andrew Feinberg, for asking about the frequency with which the administration attacks judges as "activists" when the president or his officials disagree with their rulings. "Who is this guy?" the hair-trigger Navarro railed, evading the question in the process. Leavitt's comments also conveniently ignore the fact that the Trump administration has been resisting repeated orders by judges, including those from the Supreme Court, to "facilitate" the return of a man whom the Justice Department's own attorneys have admitted was deported in violation of a judge's order prohibiting him from being sent to his home country. Top administration officials have challenged the order of the lower court, arguing that judges do not have the power to dictate American foreign policy under the Constitution and arguing that the man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, is no longer legally the administration's burden. Stephen Miller, architect of the administration's mass deportation plans, also argued on Thursday that the US was facing a "judicial coup" and warned that "it is the end of democracy" if courts to not stop halting individual orders issued by the Trump administration. It is the end of democracy if not reversed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
‘America cannot function': Karoline Leavitt lashes out at judges blocking Trump orders at record rate
The White House ramped up its fury at federal judges Thursday after the latest move by a three-judge panel this week to block Donald Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs infuriated officials up and down the administration. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt came to the briefing room podium already breathless as she vowed that the Trump administration would take Wednesday's ruling 'to the Supreme Court,' delivering a minutes-long, impassioned screed about the unprecedented rate at which Donald Trump's second presidency has been rebuffed by the Judicial Branch. The press secretary went on to note that in February, Trump's first full month in office, he was blocked from taking executive action more times than his predecessor was 'in three years'. But her comments bely an obvious counter-argument: that the Trump administration's unprecedented usage and scope of executive actions is itself to blame for its sky-high rate of failure at the district court level. And it's not as if district court judges are alone on an island in this regard. Despite having appointed three of the nine sitting Supreme Court justices, Trump has already seen defeat after defeat at the nation's highest court less than six months into his second term. Most recently, the Supreme Court blocked his administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport migrants, potentially the clearest example of how the second Trump administration has relied on unconventional to outright brazenly defiant legal tactics to defend the actions of the president and his team in court. A federal district court also halted Trump's outright ban on student visas for international students seeking to go to Harvard, the nation's oldest institution of higher learning, as the White House wages a one-sided ideological war on the school. Still, administration officials are waging war on the judiciary, labeling even conservative judges as 'activist' if they rule against Trump. 'There is a troubling and dangerous trend of unelected judges inserting themselves into the presidential decision making process,' Leavitt said from the podium in her opening remarks Thursday. 'America cannot function if President Trump, or any other president, for that matter, has their sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations railroaded by activist judges. 'These judges are threatening to undermine the credibility of the United States on the world stage,' Leavitt accused, going on to say America's jurists 'brazenly abuse their judicial power to usurp the authority of President Trump.' She insisted that the court system risked turning America into a non-functioning country if judges continue to refuse to let the president have his way. News broke hours after Leavitt's briefing of a federal appeals court panel temporarily staying the lower court's ruling against Trump on tariffs. But at a press conference later in the afternoon, tensions were still high. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro lashed out at a reporter for The Independent, Andrew Feinberg, for asking about the frequency with which the administration attacks judges as 'activists' when the president or his officials disagree with their rulings. 'Who is this guy?' the hair-trigger Navarro railed, evading the question in the process. Leavitt's comments also conveniently ignore the fact that the Trump administration has been resisting repeated orders by judges, including those from the Supreme Court, to 'facilitate' the return of a man whom the Justice Department's own attorneys have admitted was deported in violation of a judge's order prohibiting him from being sent to his home country. Top administration officials have challenged the order of the lower court, arguing that judges do not have the power to dictate American foreign policy under the Constitution and arguing that the man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, is no longer legally the administration's burden. Stephen Miller, architect of the administration's mass deportation plans, also argued on Thursday that the U.S. was facing a 'judicial coup' and warned that 'it is the end of democracy' if courts to not stop halting individual orders issued by the Trump administration. By the end of April, Trump had already set a record for the number of executive orders issued by his administration, which at current count sits at 157. No U.S. president has ever issued executive actions at such a rate, the previous record-holder being Franklin D. Roosevelt. Leavitt's comparison to Biden is also bizarre, given that Trump's second-term predecessor took nearly his entire presidency to reach the same number of orders issued by Trump in just four months. The reality seems to be very simple: Trump and his team, understanding the volatility and unreliability of the GOP's twin razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate, have sought to largely carry out the president's second-term agenda via executive fiat, with limited success. 'If you look at all the Supreme Court decisions, they are fed up with him,' constitutional law expert Norm Eisen told MSNBC last week. 'This 7-2 majority is not going to allow Donald Trump to run amok arresting judges and members of Congress.'
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
‘America cannot function': Karoline Leavitt lashes out at judges blocking Trump orders at record rate
The White House ramped up its fury at federal judges Thursday after the latest move by a three-judge panel this week to block Donald Trump 's 'Liberation Day' tariffs infuriated officials up and down the administration. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt came to the briefing room podium already breathless as she vowed that the Trump administration would take Wednesday's ruling 'to the Supreme Court, ' delivering a minutes-long, impassioned screed about the unprecedented rate at which Donald Trump's second presidency has been rebuffed by the Judicial Branch. The press secretary went on to note that in February, Trump's first full month in office, he was blocked from taking executive action more times than his predecessor was 'in three years'. But her comments bely an obvious counter-argument: that the Trump administration's unprecedented usage and scope of executive actions is itself to blame for its sky-high rate of failure at the district court level. And it's not as if district court judges are alone on an island in this regard. Despite having appointed three of the nine sitting Supreme Court justices, Trump has already seen defeat after defeat at the nation's highest court less than six months into his second term. Most recently, the Supreme Court blocked his administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport migrants, potentially the clearest example of how the second Trump administration has relied on unconventional to outright brazenly defiant legal tactics to defend the actions of the president and his team in court. A federal district court also halted Trump's outright ban on student visas for international students seeking to go to Harvard, the nation's oldest institution of higher learning, as the White House wages a one-sided ideological war on the school. Still, administration officials are waging war on the judiciary, labeling even conservative judges as 'activist' if they rule against Trump. 'There is a troubling and dangerous trend of unelected judges inserting themselves into the presidential decision making process,' Leavitt said from the podium in her opening remarks Thursday. 'America cannot function if President Trump, or any other president, for that matter, has their sensitive diplomatic or trade negotiations railroaded by activist judges. 'These judges are threatening to undermine the credibility of the United States on the world stage,' Leavitt accused, going on to say America's jurists 'brazenly abuse their judicial power to usurp the authority of President Trump.' She insisted that the court system risked turning America into a non-functioning country if judges continue to refuse to let the president have his way. News broke hours after Leavitt's briefing of a federal appeals court panel temporarily staying the lower court's ruling against Trump on tariffs. But at a press conference later in the afternoon, tensions were still high. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro lashed out at a reporter for The Independent, Andrew Feinberg, for asking about the frequency with which the administration attacks judges as 'activists' when the president or his officials disagree with their rulings. 'Who is this guy?' the hair-trigger Navarro railed, evading the question in the process. Leavitt's comments also conveniently ignore the fact that the Trump administration has been resisting repeated orders by judges, including those from the Supreme Court, to 'facilitate' the return of a man whom the Justice Department 's own attorneys have admitted was deported in violation of a judge's order prohibiting him from being sent to his home country. Top administration officials have challenged the order of the lower court, arguing that judges do not have the power to dictate American foreign policy under the Constitution and arguing that the man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, is no longer legally the administration's burden. Stephen Miller, architect of the administration's mass deportation plans, also argued on Thursday that the U.S. was facing a 'judicial coup' and warned that 'it is the end of democracy' if courts to not stop halting individual orders issued by the Trump administration. By the end of April, Trump had already set a record for the number of executive orders issued by his administration, which at current count sits at 157. No U.S. president has ever issued executive actions at such a rate, the previous record-holder being Franklin D. Roosevelt. Leavitt's comparison to Biden is also bizarre, given that Trump's second-term predecessor took nearly his entire presidency to reach the same number of orders issued by Trump in just four months. The reality seems to be very simple: Trump and his team, understanding the volatility and unreliability of the GOP's twin razor-thin majorities in the House and Senate, have sought to largely carry out the president's second-term agenda via executive fiat, with limited success. 'If you look at all the Supreme Court decisions, they are fed up with him,' constitutional law expert Norm Eisen told MSNBC last week. 'This 7-2 majority is not going to allow Donald Trump to run amok arresting judges and members of Congress.'
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man shot while stealing police SUV in Bristol sentenced in series of carjackings, attempted thefts
A man who was shot by a Bristol police officer in 2023 has been sentenced to more than six years in prison after pleading guilty to charges tied to a series of incidents in which police said he carjacked two people in different towns, tried stealing multiple other vehicles and took a police cruiser in Bristol where he later crashed it into a diner. Jimmie Shoemaker-Gonzalez, 42, faced sentencing on Tuesday in Hartford Superior Court where he received a term of six years and nine months in prison followed by a multi-year period of probation, according to state Judicial Branch records. The sentencing came after he pleaded guilty to charges filed by the Hartford, Bristol and Farmington Police Departments, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree larceny, second-degree robbery with a dangerous instrument or weapon, first-degree robbery with a dangerous instrument, attempted first-degree robbery, second-degree assault with a weapon and attempt to commit third-degree larceny, records show. According to a report filed by Connecticut Inspector General Robert Devlin, Jr. — who investigated whether Officer Seth Petzing was justified when he shot Shoemaker-Gonzalez — the series of incidents began unfolding just before 9:20 a.m. on Jan. 12, 2023, in Hartford where Shoemaker-Gonzalez stole a 2004 Dodge Durango after the owner parked in front of a convenience store on Park Street. He reportedly grabbed the man in the driver's seat and swung a knife at him during a struggle, leaving the man with a cut to his forehead that needed four stitches, the report said. Shoemaker-Gonzalez reportedly made off with the vehicle after the man ran into the store and had someone call 911, Devlin's report said. He struck a state Department of Transportation snow plow later in the morning on Scott Swamp Road in Farmington, sending the Durango out of control and into a fence and a rock wall, according to the report. Shoemaker-Gonzalez abandoned the vehicle at the Westwood II condo complex, where he later tried to steal a vehicle that had been started using a remote starter, according to Devlin. While still armed with a knife, he then banged on the window of a Nissan Rogue with two people inside while it was in the condo complex parking lot. The driver took off after Shoemaker-Gonzalez pulled on the door handle, the report said. Immediately after trying to steal the Nissan, he reportedly approached a man in the lot and tried to stab his neck, according to the report. The man was initially able to block the knife, though his arm was cut during a struggle. The man said he threw his keys and ran into his residence after Shoemaker-Gonzalez demanded the keys. According to Devlin's report, Shoemaker-Gonzalez stole the man's Toyota RAV4 and headed toward Bristol where police were told to be on the lookout around 12:20 p.m. for a vehicle taken during a carjacking involving a suspect armed with a knife. The vehicle was later spotted on Davis Drive, where a police sergeant parked behind it and approached the Toyota on foot with his gun drawn. According to Devlin's report, Shoemaker-Gonzalez reportedly reversed into the cruiser and drove forward, striking a guardrail before speeding away and hitting a dumpster. The vehicle ended up in a ravine and was abandoned. Multiple police began searching the area for Shoemaker-Gonzalez at which point he got into one of their cruisers, Devlin's report said. When Petzing arrived at the scene, he positioned himself where he thought he would be out of the cruiser's path if Shoemaker-Gonzalez tried to flee, according to the report. Petzing drew his gun and pointed it at Shoemaker-Gonzalez as other officers shouted for him to get out of the cruiser. As Shoemaker-Gonzalez began to speed off, Petzing told investigators he believed he would be struck and killed so he fired four rounds, the report said. According to Devlin's report, Shoemaker-Gonzalez was momentarily headed in the direction of Petzing before he turned away and avoided a collision. He then took off and narrowly missed a school bus on Quaker Lane before striking a building on Davis Drive, the report said. The cruiser was pursued by police before Shoemaker-Gonzalez crashed into Palma's Diner at 100 Stafford Ave. No injuries in the diner were reported. Shoemaker-Gonzalez was taken to Hartford Hospital and treated for four gunshot wounds, including two in his thigh and two in his lower left leg, the report said. An analysis of a blood sample taken reportedly showed his blood alcohol content was 0.102 and that he had a cocaine metabolite, Oxycodone and PCP in his system, according to the report. Devlin's investigation into the shooting concluded that there was 'insufficient evidence to establish beyond a reasonable doubt' that Petzing's decision was 'not justified.' Devlin noted that he believed Petzing's statement indicating he thought he was going to be struck by the cruiser when he fired.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
CT man gets nine years in prison in random attack of 70-year-old jogger who was seriously injured
A man has been sentenced to nine years in prison in connection with the random attack of an elderly woman in Windsor Locks in 2022 which left her with a serious head injury and fractured fingers. Alexander Lesuer Russell, 43, faced sentencing after being convicted in March on one count of first-degree assault of an elderly person, according to the Windsor Locks Police Department and state Judicial Branch records. On April 29, Russell was sentenced to nine years in prison and six years of special parole during a hearing in Hartford Superior Court, court records show. According to police, he was arrested in connection with an assault reported on Oct. 6, 2022, on Old County Road where a 70-year-old woman was jogging when she was randomly attacked. Police said the assailant, who was later identified as Russell, ran up behind the woman and 'viciously struck' the back of her head with a closed fist. She fell to the ground and injured some of her fingers. Officers responded to the area when someone called 911 and reported the assault. Police found the woman lying helplessly on the ground suffering from a serious laceration to her head and fractured fingers. The woman was given medical attention at the scene before being taken to a hospital, according to police. Officers canvassed the area and used a K-9 during the search. They also alerted area law enforcement of what occurred and gave a description of the suspect. Police said Russell was found by Connecticut State Police troopers on Schoephoester Road. He was detained and later charged after police said they were able to identify him as the assailant. Investigators found that Russell and the victim did not know each other. According to the Connecticut Department of Correction, Russell has been in custody since the arrest. He could be held until October 2031 if he were to serve out his entire sentence, DOC records show.
