Judicial-Oversight

Federal Court Orders Unsealing of Jeffrey Epstein Case Documents

| Importance: 8/10

U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska orders the unsealing of documents from Virginia Giuffre’s 2015 defamation case against Ghislaine Maxwell, including depositions and court filings that had been sealed for years. The order affects approximately 180 individuals mentioned in the documents, …

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Federal Judge Overturns Sackler Immunity Deal, Rules Bankruptcy Law Violated

| Importance: 8/10

On December 16, 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen McMahon overturned the controversial bankruptcy settlement that would have granted the Sackler family immunity from opioid-related lawsuits in exchange for $4.5 billion. Judge McMahon ruled that bankruptcy courts do not have the authority to …

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McGahn Defies Scheduled Congressional Testimony Despite House Subpoena

| Importance: 8/10

Donald McGahn failed to appear for scheduled May 21 House Judiciary Committee testimony despite a congressional subpoena, following explicit White House direction to not comply. The incident represents a significant escalation of executive privilege claims, with the White House asserting …

Donald McGahn House Judiciary Committee Jerry Nadler William Burck Pat Cipollone +1 more don-mcgahn testimony-obstruction house-judiciary executive-privilege subpoena-defiance +2 more
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Federal Judge Rules Epstein Plea Deal Violated Crime Victims' Rights Act

| Importance: 8/10

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra rules that federal prosecutors violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act by failing to inform victims about the 2008 non-prosecution agreement with Jeffrey Epstein. The ruling found that prosecutors deliberately concealed the agreement from victims and their …

Kenneth Marra Bradley Edwards Paul Cassell Alexander Acosta Jeffrey Epstein judicial-oversight victim-rights-violations prosecutorial-misconduct transparency rule-of-law
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Second Circuit Rules NSA Bulk Phone Metadata Collection Illegal Under Patriot Act

| Importance: 9/10

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit unanimously ruled in ACLU v. Clapper that the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of telephone metadata was not authorized by Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act, effectively declaring the surveillance program …

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Federal Judge Rules NSA Bulk Phone Data Collection Likely Unconstitutional

| Importance: 9/10

U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon ruled in Klayman v. Obama that the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of American telephone metadata likely violated the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures. In a strongly-worded 68-page opinion, Judge Leon …

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