Judiciary

Ninth Circuit Panel Allows Trump National Guard Deployment to Portland

| Importance: 8/10

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled 2-1 to overturn a district court order blocking President Trump’s deployment of approximately 200 Oregon National Guard troops to protect a Portland ICE facility. Circuit Judges Ryan D. Nelson and Bridget S. Bade …

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Supreme Court Begins 2025-2026 Term with Focus on Executive Power and Voting Rights

| Importance: 8/10

The Supreme Court began its 2025-2026 term on October 6, 2025, with a docket featuring critical cases on executive power, voting rights, and constitutional law. The October session includes 10 oral arguments over five days, with several cases that could fundamentally reshape American governance.

Key …

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Supreme Court Agrees to Reconsider Humphrey's Executor, Review Trump's Power to Fire Agency Heads

| Importance: 10/10

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a rush appeal deciding whether President Trump acted lawfully in firing board members leading independent federal agencies, setting up oral arguments for December 2025. The case will reconsider the landmark 1935 precedent Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, …

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NY Appeals Court Throws Out $527 Million Trump Fraud Judgment as "Excessive"

| Importance: 8/10

The New York Appellate Division, in a unanimous five-judge decision, threw out the $527 million civil fraud judgment against President Donald Trump and his companies, ruling the penalty was “excessive” and violated the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on excessive fines. The appeals …

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DOJ Inspector General 'Lost' Whistleblower Complaint Against Trump Judicial Nominee for Three Months

| Importance: 9/10

Whistleblower Aid revealed that the DOJ Office of the Inspector General ’lost’ a whistleblower disclosure for almost three months, only ‘finding’ it on the eve of Emil Bove’s confirmation vote for a federal judgeship. The disclosure, submitted on May 5, 2025, alleged …

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Supreme Court Expands Louisiana Redistricting Case to Challenge Section 2 of Voting Rights Act

| Importance: 10/10

The Supreme Court took the extraordinary step of expanding the legal questions in Louisiana v. Callais (Nos. 24-109, 24-110), ordering supplemental briefs on whether creating majority-minority districts to remedy Voting Rights Act violations violates the Fourteenth or Fifteenth Amendments. The …

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