On August 23rd, a Federal Judge blocked a Texas law requiring voters to present some form of identification before voting. In her 27-page court order, Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos ruled that the law (known as Senate Bill 5) was discriminatory against black people and Latinos. She found SB 5 to be an insufficient revision of the original legislation, … [Read more...]
DOJ Announces Creation of New Health Care Fraud Unit
On July 13th, the US Attorney’s office in Chicago busted nearly 400 people for health care fraud. The bust included $1.3 billion in fabricated billings. Of the 400 involved 115 were medical professionals – physicians, nurses and the like – from 41 districts nationwide. Five days after the major take down, Acting United States Attorney for the … [Read more...]
Chicago Files Lawsuit Against Justice Department Over Sanctuary Policies
In early August, Rahm Emanuel announced that the City of Chicago would be suing the Justice Department because of its recent decision to block the distribution of federal grant money to so-called sanctuary cities. According to the suit, Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ refusal to offer federal money to sanctuary cities is unlawful, as it overrides … [Read more...]
The Effort to Reform the Monetary Bail System
The damaging effects (and obsolescence) of the monetary bail system are well documented. As observed by the Criminal Justice Policy Program at Harvard University, the system of cash bail divides detainees into those who can afford to pay their way out of jail and those who cannot afford such a luxury. Thus, the imposition of such a condition … [Read more...]
Pollution Fines Decrease Under Trump
According to a recent report released by the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), President Donald Trump’s administration has not been collecting nearly as many fines for breaches of environmental law. Whereas the previous three presidents (Obama, Bush Jr. and Clinton), received an average of $30 million in fines during their first six months in … [Read more...]
Senator Booker Wants to Federally Decriminalize Marijuana
Senator Cory Booker (D. NJ) introduced a bill on Tuesday (Aug. 1st) that would effectively decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. The measure would also withhold certain funding from states who fail to address the disproportionate effects of marijuana-related arrests. The legislation, known as the Marijuana Justice Act, could thus diminish … [Read more...]
Immigrant Vetting Program Faces Class Action Lawsuit
In February, the American Civil Liberties Union, together with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, filed a lawsuit against President Trump and other government entities, claiming that they prevented thousands of people, applying for residency, citizenship and asylum, from entering the country. And last month, Richard Jones, a U.S. District … [Read more...]
Trump’s One-for-Two Regulation Rollback Order Challenged in Court
The Trump administration’s executive order to eliminate two preexisting regulations for every new regulation adopted by the government has been challenged in a lawsuit, which the Department of Justice has so far failed to dismiss despite its efforts. Arguments Against Executive Order No. 13771 Public Citizen v. Trump, filed by a dozen health … [Read more...]
DOJ No Longer Allows Settlements to Fund Third-Party Organizations
Two weeks ago, the Justice Department ended yet another Obama-era policy that allowed money from legal settlements to go to third-party organizations. Attorney General Jeff Sessions released a memo (dated June 5th) demanding that all settlement funds are to go directly to the victims involved in the case. The guidance could majorly affect large … [Read more...]
Former Judge Decries Mandatory Minimum Sentences
In mid-April, Kevin Sharp resigned from his post on a federal court in Tennessee where he served as chief US District Judge. The former judge left to establish a fifth office for the firm Sanford Heisler. Sharp has expressed excitement at the prospect of being a lawyer again, especially at this firm, which specializes in employment and civil … [Read more...]
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