Gavin Newsom Cheers As Federal Judge Torpedoes DOJ's Tim Walz Probe

Trump DOJ accused of using new mandate to intentionally target Dem cities

President Donald Trump's administration is conditioning nearly $1 billion in public safety grants on local police cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, a move critics argue is designed to exclude Democratic-led cities. Approximately $700 million flows through the existing COPS grant program. NPR reports this new $300 million Model Cities Initiative will go to just two to four cities, bypassing standard competitive peer-review processes, explained Amy Solomon, senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice and former head of the DOJ's Office of Justice Programs.Any program that impedes or hinders federal immigration enforcement will not receive funding, according to the mandate. This includes failing to honor requests from the Department of Homeland Security. Legal experts warn the approach is highly unusual, with critics predicting only Republican-led jurisdictions will apply, allowing the administration to portray Democrats as soft on crime. Police chiefs have long opposed linking local law enforcement to immigration enforcement, citing erosion of community trust and witness cooperation. Federal data shows over 70 percent of immigrant detainees lack criminal convictions. The DOJ defended the policy, while the first Trump administration's similar tactic was previously challenged in court and reversed under Former President Joe Biden.Watch the video below. Your browser does not support the video tag.

Judge Smacks Down Trump’s Attempt to Get Maryland’s Voter Rolls

President Donald Trump has struck out nine times in court in his quest to obtain voter registration data from states, reports Democracy Docket.On Thursday, a federal judge threw out the Department of Justice’s lawsuit seeking voter data from Maryland.“This Court joins every court to have addressed this issue in concluding that an [statewide voter registration list] is not a record or paper that a state must produce to the United States under the CRA,” District Judge Stephanie Gallagher wrote in the ruling.The DOJ’s quest to weaponize voter registration data as part of its immigration crackdown has not been going too well. So far, it has not prevailed in a single case: The suits have been dismissed in California, Oregon, Michigan, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Arizona, Wisconsin, Maine, and now Maryland.And these dismissals aren’t just coming from Democratic-appointed judges. Five of the nine judges were appointed or renominated by Trump, including Gallagher.The DOJ could still see a victory: It has sued 31 states and Washington, D.C. Outside of lawsuits, the DOJ has sent letters to all states asking for their voter rolls. At least 16 Republican-led states have complied, according to Democracy Docket.The administration’s quest for complete, uncensored voter data is chilling—especially because it won’t provide a legitimate reason for this federal overreach, although some reporting hints at its plans. Over the course of the Maryland lawsuit, DOJ officials refused to answer the judge’s questions about what the agency planned to do with the data.

Dershowitz to sit for questioning in House Epstein probe

Alan Dershowitz, a former defense attorney for late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, will appear before the House Oversight Committee on July 20 for a transcribed interview, according to two sources familiar with the planning.  Dershowitz helped secure a controversial plea deal for Epstein in 2008, in which the disgraced financier agreed to plead guilty to…

Judge denies effort to have Tyler Robinson’s lover testify in key hearing

A Utah judge denied an effort by Tyler Robinson’s lawyers to have his former roommate and lover be subpoenaed to testify at next month’s preliminary hearing ahead of Robinson’s trial for allegedly killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Judge Tony Graf denied two motions by Robinson’s lawyers in a Utah County court Monday, including one to have […]

Tim Walz’s jab at Trump over Reflecting Pool draws fraud scandal backlash: 'Sit this one out'

Gov. Tim Walz's viral jab at Trump over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool cleanup drew conservative blowback pointing to Minnesota's fraud scandal.

Tim Walz Escapes the Subpoena Fight, but Not the Stench

DOJ prosecutor's conduct could now unravel more than 100 of her cases

A veteran federal prosecutor's grand jury misconduct is so pervasive that the Justice Department now expects to review more than 100 cases she handled going back to 2007.A court filing in the Northern District of Illinois names the collapsed prosecution of the "Broadview Six" as the case that started it all. News reports identify the lead prosecutor as Sheri Mecklenburg, a nearly two-decade veteran of the Justice Department whose conduct before a grand jury unraveled a high-profile case against six Democratic officials and activists arrested for protesting outside a Chicago Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility during the Trump administration's "Operation Midway Blitz" deportation campaign.Prosecutors made three attempts to indict the protesters on a rare felony conspiracy charge.During those attempts, Mecklenburg allegedly dismissed grand jurors who were skeptical of the government's case, had private conversations with grand jurors outside formal proceedings, and told jurors she would "never ask you to charge somebody if I didn't think there was probable cause." One dismissed juror had told her the case was "a crock of s— then and I still think it is.""I have never seen the types of prosecutorial behavior before a grand jury that I saw in those transcripts," U.S. District Judge April Perry said. "That trust has been broken."The Broadview Six case collapsed entirely, with all charges dismissed with prejudice.A separate court filing revealed Mecklenburg had ex parte contact with grand jurors in an unrelated arson case, telling them she "can prove this case" and that "we don't catch the smart ones." The government now estimates her conduct will trigger a review of grand jury minutes in more than 100 cases since 2007.Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) called Trump's Justice Department a campaign to "bully, prosecute, punish and silence" political foes. Slate noted the Department of Justice admitted to "weaponizing a prosecution against Trump's foes."Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) confirmed Mecklenburg's detail to the Senate Judiciary Committee was terminated after the misconduct became public.

Judge blocks subpoenas for Walz and others over Minnesota immigration crackdown

Federal judge rules subpoenas linked to Trump’s immigration operation were ‘issued for unlawful reasons’US politics live – latest updatesA federal judge agreed to quash the US federal government’s subpoenas of leaders in Minnesota issued during the Trump administration’s controversial immigration crackdown on the state earlier this year.The US Department of Justice issued subpoenas to the Minnesota governor, Tim Walz; the attorney general, Keith Ellison; the Minneapolis mayor, Jacob Frey; and other local officials in the Twin Cities in January. Continue reading...