Feds Say Refugee Funding Fight Belongs In Claims Court

By Britain Eakin

The U.S. Department of Justice told a D.C. federal judge Wednesday that any dispute over the termination of cooperative agreements with refugee resettlement organizations should be heard in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

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High Court Allows Release Of Frozen USAID Foreign Aid

By Katie Buehler

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that a D.C. federal judge can require the Trump administration to release up to $2 billion in frozen foreign aid funding, but told the judge he must clarify the scope of the government's responsibility and ensure it has enough time to comply with any deadline. 

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Big City Mayors Testify Sanctuary Policies Keep Citizens Safe

By Lauraann Wood

The mayors of Boston, Chicago, Denver and New York City were grilled by the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday during a daylong, oft-contentious hearing in which the city leaders were repeatedly interrupted by Republicans as they defended their cities' policies towards immigrants.

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NYC Can't Recoup $80M In FEMA Funds From Trump, For Now

By Stewart Bishop

A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday refused to order the Trump administration to immediately return over $80.4 million in funds allocated to New York City to defray the costs of sheltering migrants, after the Biden-era money was clawed back without notice.

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Foreign Officials Aiding Illegal Migration To Face Visa Ban

By Britain Eakin

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new visa restrictions Wednesday, saying any foreign officials — including immigration, customs and port authorities — who knowingly facilitate illegal immigration into the U.S. will be subject to the policy.

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Religious Groups Fear Misuse Of Church Info In ICE Raid Suit

By Tom Lotshaw

Religious groups that secured a temporary court order barring federal officials from enforcing immigration laws at their places of worship asked a Maryland federal judge to safeguard information about their locations, saying they fear it could be misused.

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Brief

TPS Holders Can Stay Anonymous, Mass. Judge Says

By Madeline Lyskawa

A Massachusetts federal judge said immigrants from Haiti and Venezuela suing to block the Trump administration from terminating their temporary protected status can proceed anonymously in the case, finding this to be an "exceptional" case that warrants litigation by pseudonym.

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Analysis

Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action

By Jeff Overley

Believe it or not, there's still important litigation happening that doesn't involve President Donald Trump, and the proof exists in this month's circuit court calendars. During the remaining weeks of March, arguments will explore numerous high-profile topics, including a law firm's severe punishment for alleged misconduct in 9/11 litigation and a judicial rebuke of Trader Joe's for "an attempt to weaponize the legal system."

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Meltzer Lippe, Fired Partner Agree To End Sex Bias Suit

By Grace Elletson

Meltzer Lippe Goldstein & Breitstone LLP and a former partner have agreed to end her New York federal court suit claiming she was fired from the firm after she complained about its sexist work environment, according to a Thursday court filing.

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Brief

Dems Intro Their Own Version Of The JUDGES Act

By Courtney Bublé

Top Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee reintroduced a version of the JUDGES Act on Thursday that would not take effect until after the next president is elected, unlike a version from their Republican counterparts that would take effect this year.

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Retiring Mich. Chief Judge Helped Mediate Detroit Bankruptcy

By Courtney Bublé

U.S. District Judge Sean F. Cox, the Eastern District of Michigan's chief judge, has informed President Donald Trump he will retire on July 27, according to an update posted on the federal judiciary's website on Thursday.

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Fake NY Lawyer Charged With Stealing $200K From Clients

By Emily Sawicki

A New York man has been indicted on charges he impersonated a lawyer and stole $200,000 from clients over the course of nearly three years, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

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Judges Urge Attys To Help Restore Confidence In Judiciary

By Carolina Bolado

Federal district judges at the American Bar Association's white collar conference Thursday decried threats and attacks on judges and urged attorneys to help them restore public confidence in the judiciary.

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State Attacks Atty's Self-Defense Claim In Law Firm Shooting

By Aaron Keller

A prosecutor says Connecticut law allows jurors to mull whether a Cramer & Anderson LLP partner reopened a fight with a man who allegedly followed him into his law firm's parking lot and attacked him, teeing up a Friday ruling that could threaten the lawyer's self-defense claims against a manslaughter charge.

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Conn. Chief Justice Names New Appellate Court Leader

By Christine DeRosa

Connecticut Appellate Court Judge Melanie L. Cradle has been appointed as the court's top judge following her predecessor's confirmation to the Connecticut Supreme Court.

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Mich. Legislators Advance Bill To Increase Judges' Safety

By Danielle Ferguson

A Michigan bill aimed at protecting state and federal judges' personal information from public disclosure was advanced Thursday as lawmakers showed support for the need to safeguard judges' residential addresses and other data due to a "deeply concerning uptick" of threats against judicial officers.

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Bankruptcy Court's Input Sought In Judge Romance Row

By Catherine Marfin

A federal judge asked a Texas bankruptcy court to determine if the CEO of a now-bankrupt barge company has standing to sue over a former judge's secret romance with a Jackson Walker partner.

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Holland & Knight Adds Partner Who Was FBI General Counsel

By Daniel Connolly

The FBI has lost its general counsel, who has joined Holland & Knight LLP as a partner in its national security and defense industry group, the firm announced Thursday.

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Trump Tells Admin To Yank Perkins Coie Security Clearance

By Lauren Berg

Perkins Coie LLP is the latest law firm to face the ire of President Donald Trump, with Trump ordering on Thursday the immediate suspension of the firm's security clearances over its diverse hiring efforts and its representation of certain political figures, including former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

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Diverse Judiciary Is Crucial, Justice Jackson Tells Attys

By Carolina Bolado

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson told attorneys in Miami on Thursday at the American Bar Association's annual White Collar Crime Institute that her judicial philosophy is "still under development" and said diversity in the judiciary is necessary to help instill confidence in the judicial branch of government.

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9th Circ. Nixes Challenge To Wash. Abortion Coverage Law

By Grace Elletson

A split Ninth Circuit panel on Thursday rejected a Christian church's challenge to a Washington state law requiring employer health plans to cover abortion services, saying the church could invoke its religious beliefs to skirt the challenged obligations.

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Del. Corporate Law Rework Under Pressure At Tulane

By Jeff Montgomery

An attorney whose firm largely represents investors and consumers told a corporate law conference in New Orleans on Thursday that the list of plaintiff-friendly rulings that would be effectively overturned by a pending corporation law bill in Delaware "will probably be just as long as the bill itself."

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