As record numbers of trials stall and costs soar Are the middle ages about to end? We all know Magna Carta set the principle that justice delayed is justice denied. These days, outmoded British judicial systems amount to precisely such a denial of justice playthings of a legal profession supremely confident of its perfection No aspect of these systems is more superfluous than juries There is no conclusive evidence they are more “just” than systems based on judges in the rest of Europe – or in non-jury courts in Britain with the latest available criminal court statistics from the Ministry of Justice revealing that the number of sexual offences waiting to go to the crown court is now 11,981 – a record high and an increase by 41% in two years But the cost and delay of jury trials are enormous and assembling 12 jurors (15 in Scotland) and countless officials day after day often results in trials being postponed I have served as a juror three times and it was the most maddening waste of time and money in public service more about participating in an archaic legal ritual It should have led to the death of juries on the spot Like all good drama it has hovering over it the climax of retribution the purpose of denying the guilty their freedom is their rehabilitation Defenders of the jury system are almost exclusively barristers which unfortunately means a disproportionate number of MPs They rank with doctors and academics as fierce defenders of their traditional modes of work – more powerful than any trade union but their purpose was defunct centuries ago Juries are supported by a few middle-class philanthropists who enjoy jury service as a version of “doing good among the poor” We do not let them dissect bodies in an operating theatre or decide how to design a building Perhaps a minority of cases may depend on public taste Leveson was a radical – or tried to be – in reforming the press. If he has the guts to do the same to his own profession he will have a tough job with his fellow lawyers But at least this time he has two potent allies: a system that is clearly collapsing and a chancellor desperate to curb public spending Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker “ Across the nation, judges are facing increased threats of not only physical violence, but also professional retaliation just for doing our jobs,” Jackson told a conference of judges in Puerto Rico. “And the attacks are not random. They seem designed to intimidate those of us who serve in this critical capacity.” Although she did not mention Donald Trump by name Jackson’s remarks were addressed to “the elephant in the room” following repeated attacks on the judiciary by the president and his allies Her 18-minute denunciation is the strongest statement yet by any member of the Supreme Court since the start of Trump’s second term In March, Trump derided Judge James Boasberg as a “troublemaker” and a “Radical Left Lunatic” after he ruled against the illegal deportation of Venezuelans to El Salvador House Republicans have sought to impeach at least six judges who blocked key parts of the president’s agenda She added: “ A society in which judges are routinely made to fear for their own safety or their own livelihood due to their decisions is one that has substantially departed from the norms of behavior that govern a democratic system “Attacks on judicial independence is how countries that are not free Jackson received a standing ovation from the room of legal insiders She pointed to similar attacks on judges who issued controversial rulings during the Civil Rights Movement and the Watergate scandal “Other judges have faced challenges like the ones we face today Jackson is the newest member of the Supreme Court and was appointed in 2022 after serving as a district court judge for eight years before being promoted to the appeals court Jackson spent the remainder of the event engaged in a discussion about her life and career with a law clerk she once served under Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here The letters began arriving at medical journals around the country over the last few weeks "It has been brought to my attention that more and more journals and publications … are conceding that they are partisans in various scientific debates," wrote Edward R. Martin Jr. Martin then asks a series of questions — about misinformation competing viewpoints and the influence of funders such as advertisers and the National Institutes of Health "The public has certain expectations and you have certain responsibilities," the letter adds "We were surprised," says Dr. Eric Rubin, the editor-in-chief of The New England Journal of Medicine one of at least four journal editors to get a letter from Martin and probably the most prominent which is published by the American College of Chest Physicians "We were concerned because there were questions that suggested that we may be biased in the research we report," Rubin says We have internal editors who are experts in their fields as well And we spend a lot of time choosing the right articles to publish and trying to get the message right We think we're an antidote for misinformation." Rubin says the letter mentioned that the journal has tax-exempt status "It does feel like there's a threatening tone to the letter and it is trying to intimidate us," Rubin says The letters don't cite any specific examples of supposed bias or say what action Martin might take But others say the letters raise serious concerns "It's pretty unprecedented," says J.T. Morris a lawyer at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression He says the First Amendment protects medical journals We've seen this administration take all sorts of action that doesn't have a legal basis and it hasn't stopped them," Morris says "And so there's always a concern that the federal government and its officials like Ed Martin will step outside and abuse their authority and try to use the legal process and abuse the court system into compelling scientific journals and medical professionals and anybody else they disagree with into silence." Medical journals play a crucial role in vetting and disseminating scientific information including which treatments and public health measures work which don't and which ones might be dangerous or safe "It's an indication of the degree to which this administration will go to try to interfere with scientific research and the scientific community," says Carl Bergstrom a professor of biology at the University of Washington "They'll do just about anything and tamper with science in any way that they think will be helpful." The letters come as the Trump administration has been trying to influence what scientists can say in a variety of ways The administration has stifled communication by federal scientists and slashed studies about misinformation about how to talk about vaccines and about LGBTQ+ health issues It has been requiring scientists to scrub language in their grants and research deemed "woke," including gender terminology and it is the working of that research ecosystem which has delivered these phenomenal breakthroughs over so many decades And that is what's being attacked," Horton says Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya have both criticized medical journals. Kennedy has even threatened legal action against journals. Just before taking over at the NIH, Bhattacharya helped start a new journal aimed at providing an alternative to mainstream publications Neither Martin nor the Department of Justice responded to NPR's requests for comment But some other people also assert that the dominant medical journals are biased "I share concerns with the U.S. attorney that American scientific groups and journals have become far too activist and far too left wing in recent years," says Judge Glock who directs research at the Manhattan Institute But even Glock and others who share that view stop short of wanting the Justice Department to investigate medical journals attorney shouldn't be concerning himself or herself with the position of these particular journals," Glock says and they should not be trying to encourage them to publish different types of editorials or change their editorial practices based on what a U.S But there is some support for how Martin is pressing the journals "They are absolutely biased, and we've seen that they've been captured by what I called a blob, which is a form of gatekeepers that are colluding with the Big Pharma and the public health agencies and academia and they all know each other," says Roger Severino of the Heritage Foundation and they should be finding the truth first and foremost But instead they become just another special interest." Become an NPR sponsor Home » Gold & Blue Magazine » U.S Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor shares career insights with St faculty and staff took advantage of a rare opportunity to hear firsthand from U.S the first Latina and third woman to be appointed to the nation’s highest court in the Mengler Conference Room in the University Center Sotomayor answered questions from law students who were interested in her journey to the Supreme Court Sotomayor walked around the capacity crowd As a Puerto Rican girl growing up in a housing project in the Bronx Sotomayor shared that her career has led her much further than her dreams “Take each day as one step into doing something a little better,” she said Warning against worrying about measuring up to others “I only looked at what I was doing; I didn’t compare myself to others.” When asked about navigating the legal field as the only Latina in her early days Sotomayor advised students to remain who they are You have to be able to live in your own skin.” Sotomayor praised the students for choosing a law school that prioritizes serving the community “Being a good person is a choice in life,” she said “You can make a choice to do good in this world ’18) has walked in the shoes of the clients he represents every day is emerging as a thought leader in the intersection of business and human rights Patricia Howey is the first to earn a Master of Jurisprudence with a concentration in Special Education Advocacy at St Balancing academics as a Communication Studies major and athletics on the Women's Tennis team has been a challenge but one Stela Sifuentes tackled with determination along with other new and revamped degrees in Public Health further the University's mission of teaching holistic health Mary's University to transform generations as a professor and nonprofit leader Representatives from the Legal Aid Society and AmeriCorps pose with Judiciary personnel at the reopening of the Honolulu AJR Legal Aid Pro Bono Coordinator; Michelle Acosta Deputy Chief Court Administrator; Hollie Rader Volunteer Attorney; District Court Deputy Chief Judge Melanie May The Honolulu Access to Justice Room (Honolulu AJR) is once again offering in-person services Honolulu AJR welcomed its first visitors in five years after being forced to suspend in-person services in 2020 due to COVID-19 Volunteers in the Honolulu AJR offer free legal advice to self-represented litigants in civil cases on Oʻahu who may not be able to afford legal representation “The reopening of in-person services at the Honolulu AJR marks a meaningful step forward in our commitment to ensuring that access to justice remains a reality for everyone in our community regardless of their means,” said Tiane Inciong Pro Bono Coordinator for the Legal Aid Society of Hawaiʻi the Honolulu Access to Justice Room has provided essential legal information and limited legal advice to thousands of individuals navigating complex civil legal issues.” The Honolulu AJR first opened in 2012 as a partnership between the Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i Volunteers at the Honolulu AJR continued to offer legal advice remotely even after in-person service was paused in 2020 in-person services are available on the first Wednesday of every month in the AJR room on the third floor of Kauikeaouli Hale (District Courthouse) at 1111 Alakea Street in downtown Honolulu Consultations are also available by phone by calling 808-909-2847 on Mondays Calls will be answered by Legal Aid staff who will connect callers with an attorney “As we move forward with this new hybrid model offering both remote and in-person services we remain focused on expanding our reach while maintaining the high standard of service that our patrons rely on,” Inciong explained we’ve witnessed firsthand how this resource has empowered people to understand their rights and find clarity during some of the most challenging times in their lives The success of the Honolulu AJR would not be possible without the dedication of our volunteer attorneys and the collaborative efforts of our community partners,” Inciong said “We are honored to continue this work alongside our partners and we look forward to furthering the mission of promoting equal access to justice for all.” eCourt Kokua: For access to Traffic cases; District Court and Family Court civil; Land Court and Tax Appeal Court; and appellate court case information Privacy Policy  |  Terms of Use  |  Accessibility Information  *The Hawaii Judiciary is not affiliated with Sustain Technologies which is a registered trademark of Sustain Technologies Powered by Tyler Hawaii Federal funding cuts continue to affect organizations across the country Those cuts may now be impacting public safety and law enforcement in Arizona The Arizona Criminal Justice Commission promotes public safety provides justice and victim services and coordinates grant funding The National Criminal Justice Association supports the state agency but recently had its own funding cut Tony Vidale is the Arizona commission’s interim director He says the national group plays a critical role “NCJA was instrumental in training us to know what things to not do and better yet what things to do so that we were prepared when federal auditors come down very concerned about filling that gap,” he said Vidale says an evaluation is being done following the recent events “So what we're doing internally here is assessing what exactly we've lost by no longer having training and technical assistance through various grant programs that we have here,” he said Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes criticized the latest move and recently called on the DOJ to restore funding to the national group Vidale clarified that the commission’s own grants had not been cut he expressed concern about the potential cascading impact of cuts to the national group May 5 marks the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Native women face murder rates more than 10 times the national average Indigenous women are four times more likely to go missing MTN is sharing some of the stories from the MMIW crisis; some of which you might know What began as an unimaginable tragedy for one Montana family has transformed into a powerful movement for justice Carissa Heavy Runner and her family have turned their grief into action following the conviction of Sunny White the driver responsible for the death of 22-year-old Mika Westwolf in March 2023 The incident occurred on Highway 93 near Arlee when White struck Westwolf and fled the scene Following an extensive investigation, White was sentenced to a decade in prison for vehicular homicide under the influence of methamphetamine and fentanyl you feel no one is really listening," recalls Carissa Heavy Runner Reflecting on their journey to the sentencing she described it as surreal but underscored the tireless activism required to ensure justice was served young trees now grow with Mika’s ashes at their roots while her beloved dog continues to play in the yard — a living tribute to a daughter whose spirit remains a guiding force Determined to support other families facing similar struggles, the Westwolf family founded the Mika Matters Movement the initiative aims to empower Indigenous families in advocating for justice and ensuring their cases are taken seriously by law enforcement emphasizes the importance of sharing their strategy with others "The methods we used to demand justice are a good blueprint Carissa often discussed societal injustices with Mika, particularly those affecting Indigenous communities, including the cases of Jermain Charlo and Ashley Loring Heavyrunner Carissa reflects on the absence of clear guidance for families in such dire circumstances but proudly acknowledges the impact of their movement Now I see that we've turned our pain and love into a movement." When asked what Mika would think of the Mika Matters Movement She once told me I am one of the strongest women she knew As the Mika Matters Movement continues to grow it stands as a testament to the Westwolf family's resilience and dedication offering hope and a path forward for others seeking justice Watch: Special Report: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Stories you've missed since your last login: Recommended stories based on your interests: Jared Polis' 2025 State of the State address on Thursday January 9 Eid speaks in a discussion during the Federalist Society's National Lawyers Convention in Washington a conservative Colorado Supreme Court justice who was confirmed in April to the nation's highest court Members of Colorado's Court of Appeals attend the ceremonial swearing-in of Judge Melissa C Members of Colorado's state and federal appellate courts addressed the legal community on Friday with the latest details about caseloads who has occupied the state's top judicial role for almost one year described an "interesting trend" of the Colorado Supreme Court receiving slightly fewer petitions to review Court of Appeals decisions compared to the period before the COVID-19 pandemic the state's highest court is receiving approximately one petition per business day to intervene directly in trial court cases I'm voting at 11 o'clock at night" on those petitions addressing the annual Appellate Practice Update sponsored by the Colorado Bar Association and not with a precedent-setting opinion each time Those appeals, which can implicate the Fourth Amendment's protections against unreasonable searches and seizures "often have very convoluted facts," Márquez said we're forced to write in this kind of really messy factual situation and it ends up producing some Fourth and Fifth Amendment jurisprudence that is disjointed." She added the Supreme Court is now trying to be more selective about when it issues precedential opinions in that category of criminal cases which hears appeals in federal cases from Colorado and five neighboring states said filings in her court are trending upward The 10th Circuit has seen a 25% increase in criminal appeals in the last five years and a doubling of bankruptcy appeals compared to last year "Chief Justice Márquez and I were joking at the beginning — their caseload is going down and that’s because everybody is bringing the cases to us." has challenged federal courts "to get in the civic engagement game." To that end Eid said the 10th Circuit's courthouse in Denver is updating the historical exhibits and the court is holding more oral arguments at local sites in the six-state region "The judiciary just had a conference on civic engagement a couple of weeks ago," Eid added Finally, Judge Rebecca R. Freyre of the state's Court of Appeals noted lawmakers were unable to fund the request for three additional appellate judges this year amid a large budget shortfall she said there were four more staff attorneys to help the court with deciding child welfare appeals within the legislative target of six months "It’s kind of too early to see what effect those additional people have had," said Freyre She added that the Court of Appeals has unveiled a "customer satisfaction survey," with people being able to give feedback about how they were treated when interacting with various aspects of the court Román will be in the first cohort of chief judges to undergo an evaluation of his performance in that leadership role Freyre said the court has implemented a training program for presiding judges meaning those who oversee case assignments for each three-judge panel that decides appeals She also reminded attorneys to fill out the performance evaluations of appellate judges prior to their retention elections "The responses are so low that it’s just not statistically meaningful to take anything out of those survey responses," she said Although the Court of Appeals cleared its backlog resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic Freyre said she expects an uptick in appeals she said the court has expanded a working group in which the chief judge meets with the public defender and attorney general's offices to talk specifically about criminal appeals The working group is discussing how to reduce the time it takes to decide criminal cases "It's really high and we wanted to shorten it," Freyre said One of Colorado's Supreme Court justices and a member of the Court of Appeals debated on Friday about how far appellate judges should go when … Email notifications are only sent once a day Colorado Politics is published both in print and online Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily designed for public policy arena professionals Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper containing outstanding features and news stories Secure your subscription to Colorado’s premier political news journal You can be in the know right alongside Colorado’s political insiders Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Your gateway to environmental health knowledge Join the Environmental Health News community Environmental Protection Agency under President Trump is cutting more than $2.4 billion in grants aimed at aiding disadvantaged communities Marianne Lavelle and Peter Aldhous report for Inside Climate News. They mentioned that these are no longer EPA priorities which shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what these grants were meant to do." and Economic Justice Lab at the University of Maryland especially in communities already struggling with high rates of asthma stand to lose critical support for climate adaptation and pollution mitigation The move also raises broader constitutional questions about the executive branch’s authority to override congressional appropriations which could reshape federal funding practices for years to come Learn more: Trump administration moves to dismantle environmental justice efforts hand-picked by our editors and researchers We offer a host of daily and weekly options Nonprofit organizations MADE SAFE and Plastic Pollution Coalition released the new Healthy Pregnancy Guideto help parents-to-be navigate the challenges of making healthier living choices for babies and the planet a newsroom powered by Environmental Health Sciences It all improves the health of our communities Unceded & Ancestral Territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On this Red Dress Day the BC First Nations Justice Council (BCFNJC) stands in solidarity with the families of Tatyanna Harrison and echoes the urgent call to Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Begg to immediately direct a coroner’s inquest into their tragic and suspicious deaths and Noelle were two young Indigenous women and a girl who went missing in the Lower Mainland between 2020 and 2022 They were later found under deeply troubling and unclear circumstances Each case is marked by investigative negligence and a broader pattern of systemic racism and gender-based violence that continues to endanger Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQIA+ people across British Columbia and Canada smart and feisty person who stood up for the little guys and what she believed in She was a member of Kawacatoose First Nation and her loved ones remember her as being kind and positive Noelle was from Key First Nation (Saskatchewan) and Saulteau First Nation (British Columbia) and was only 13 years old at the time of her passing She was a special gift to her mother after having only boys and was named Noelle because she was born on Christmas day and the Highway of Tears Symposium Report.” BCFNJC stands with the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) in urging Minister Begg to use his authority under Section 19(a) of the Coroners’ Act to direct a joint coroner’s inquest This mechanism is vital for uncovering the truth in Tatyana restoring public confidence in the coroner’s system and holding institutions accountable for the pervasive violence that Indigenous women and girls face “An inquest into all three cases is necessary to uphold public confidence and fulfill BC’s human rights obligations – particularly under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” stated Dr “The refusal by authorities to treat their deaths as suspicious despite troubling circumstances and unanswered questions underscores a broader crisis of impunity and institutional failure Chelsea and Noelle are not isolated tragedies but symptoms of a systemic and unresolved injustice Their families and loved ones have had to endure painful grief and uncertainty while waiting for answers for far too long and we need to ensure police remain accountable to their role in determining if any criminal activity was involved in their deaths” BCFNJC supported Sheila Poorman in 2022 and continues to stand with her and the families of Tatyanna Harrison and Noelle O’ Soup Recognizing that their cases reveal persistent patterns of systemic discrimination a coroner’s inquest is in the public’s interest The systemic failures highlighted in these cases mirror the findings of numerous inquiries and investigations – from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights – that document deep-rooted institutional racism and discrimination within policing Watch the videos below and follow the links at the end of this story for more coverage Chris Butterfly did not know that the night of December 28 was the last time he would see his daughter her personality was one of a kind," Butterfly said Butterfly told MTN his daughter was shot by her boyfriend What followed were weeks of silence from local law enforcement about Jadie's case "We received zero calls from law enforcement that's what made me start advocating for my daughter." MTN reached out to Tribal Law enforcement and Glacier County for more information and received no response the Federal Bureau of Investigation said it cannot comment on ongoing cases This is a reality for families of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and families are left in the dark to seek justice on their own Jadie's family took their fight to social media creating the "Justice for Jadie" Facebook page in hopes of finding answers Watch related coverage: Arlee family finds justice and purpose following tragic loss of daughter "This is something we shouldn't have had to do we want to shine light on how wrongfully she was done," Crystal Cole Jadie's family hopes the page will bring attention and justice to her case her story was not covered by any media outlets Many turn to the media to shed light and pressure for action on cases This is common when it comes to crimes against Indigenous people "It's just the same story on every case," Butterfly said "Whenever their family members crying out for help just because the justice system failed them RELATED: Vigil held in downtown Billings to remember Montana's murdered and missing indigenous people says she's never imagined a life without Jadie "She was my favorite person in my life," Bremner said "I feel like that's what hurts the most is like the silence Marlene Cobell met Jadie in their first year of college at the University of Montana They are fighting for justice for their beloved friend Cobell plans to be a lawyer and work for justice throughout Indian Country her friends and family continue to move forward with the same message "Jadie was very loved and she deserved justice," Butterfly said Watch related coverage: Behind the billboards: Visibility and resources for the MMIW crisis Arlee family finds justice and purpose following tragic loss of daughter Behind the billboards: Visibility and resources for the MMIW crisis Ohkomi Forensics investigates Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons cases Department of Justice will no longer monitor the Worcester Public Schools' progress in educating English-language learners the Worcester Public Schools were notified on April 30 that the Justice Department would cease monitoring the district's English as a second language programming because the district has "substantially complied with its obligations” outlined in a 2016 legal agreement which was an update to an agreement originally signed in 2009 The district agreed to monitoring by the federal government after it had failed to meet a number of metric standards for English-language learners the district had to institute new programming while filing rigorous reports to the federal government More: District close to agreement on ELLs "After a thorough review of the District’s most recent annual reports and supplementary documentation we have concluded that the District has substantially complied with its obligations under the Agreement.” The Worcester Public Schools noted that the district has seen a substantial increase in the percentage of students who are proficient enough to graduate from designation as English-language learners 10.9% of the student body was classified as "former English learners," up from 9.4% in 2021-22 middle school students rose from 4.9% former English learners to 8.4% "The Worcester Public Schools has demonstrated that it has strong systems in place to ensure we are effectively providing English as a Second Language instruction for our scholars,” Superintendent Rachel Monárrez stated “Systems have been enhanced over the past three years specifically to not only provide required instructional services but to monitor them in a systematic and timely manner I express my deep thanks to the many educators and administrators who have worked tirelessly to ensure our scholars are getting the education for which they are entitled." “Speaking, reading and writing in more than one language is an asset to be celebrated,” Monárrez stated. “When children move on from English learner status, by demonstrating proficiency in English, they have access to more opportunities and courses while possessing the gift of multilingualism. This is a benefit to our scholars, community and future workforce advancement.” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty holds a file at a press conference on Tuesday Justice Department is investigating a Hennepin County Attorney’s Office policy that lets prosecutors consider race in plea deals Kerem Yücel | MPR News fileGo Deeper.CloseCreate an account or log in to save stories We have added it to a list of your favorite stories Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty implemented the policy last week KARE 11 reports it prompts prosecutors to consider the background of people charged with a crime The policy cites a need to address racial disparities when considering plea deals In a letter to the attorney's office posted on X Saturday Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon called the policy discriminatory The letter says the Department of Justice will investigate all the county’s practices and policies “that may involve the illegal consideration of race in prosecutorial decision-making.”  A spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said they received the letter Monday morning “Our office will cooperate with any resulting investigation and we’re fully confident our policy complies with the law,” the spokesperson said MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all KARK Video: Little Rock MasterChef contestant Jennifer Maune competing as finalist on season finale – Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said Monday that one of the tenants in the state’s new justice building will be a celebrity chef hosting a world-class restaurant Griffin said that MasterChef finalist and lifelong central Arkansan Jennifer Maune will open Restaurant Fleur on the first floor of the Bob R Justice Building on Capitol and Main streets in Little Rock Maune said the restaurant will open in January 2026 in the newly restored former Boyle Building Maune, who grew up in central Arkansas, is a Paris-trained chef whose resume includes positions at The French Laundry restaurant in Paris under Chef Thomas Keller and Restaurant Gordon Ramsey in London, according to her website Restaurant Fleur will feature French-American fare Maune said it is the culmination of a dream “This moment is the realization of a dream that began over five years ago It’s the culmination of a lifelong passion for food Griffin announced his office’s move to the new building in August 2023 before the restoration of the building which had not held a tenant for almost 25 years Moses Tucker Partners announced the completion of the restoration in April followed by the attorney general’s office relocating to the site.  Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" these are the actual most popular baby names so far in 2025 Whether it’s a short vacation or they’re jetting off to begin their career show the future traveler you care with a meaningful graduation gift National Teacher Appreciation Week begins May 5 take advantage of these freebies and deals FILE PHOTO: Colorado Supreme Court justice Richard L Gabriel asks a question during oral arguments of the Arnold R Martinez v The People of the State of Colorado case during Courts in the Community on Thursday Carr Colorado Judicial Center in December 2024 One of Colorado's Supreme Court justices and a member of the Court of Appeals debated on Friday about how far appellate judges should go when deciding cases using reasons that are different from the ones the litigants argued in court Gabriel described the "party presentation principle" as stemming from the idea that the parties to a case are the ones who get to frame what the issues are for the courts to adjudicate "If the parties raise these issues and the court goes off on its own and addresses something there's a question of whether the parties got a full and fair opportunity to address the issue," he said "I tend to think it reflects judicial restraint judicial humility and the proper role of the court." Harris of the Court of Appeals countered that she rarely sees issues raised by courts without prompting She believed the real dispute is whether appellate judges can decide an in-bounds issue using reasoning that is different from what the parties argued "It comes up on appeal and we sort of see the issue differently," Harris said 'That wasn't the direction we presented to you.' And my response is to resolve the issue in the way that we think is the best way to resolve it.' "Once you brought the issue to us," she continued Gabriel and Harris were part of a panel discussion at the annual Appellate Practice Update sponsored by the Colorado Bar Association "I believe that it is particularly important for a court not to raise and rely on arguments of its own derivation so as not to open itself to questions about its proper role or neutrality," Gabriel wrote for the dissenting justices at the time "I don’t think it's the proper role of the court to say, ‘We think the result should go this way, so we should address this other issue,'" Gabriel said. Judge Timothy J. Schutz of the Court of Appeals, who also sat on the panel, made the point that judges are obligated to be lenient toward self-represented litigants when identifying and evaluating their arguments. In that scenario, judges have more flexibility to define the contours of a case. But "candidly, I think sometimes we ignore party presentation principles in order to avoid a particular issue or avoid a particular result," he said. "And there may be a perception there's a greater good associated with that. But I think it's risky and creates the potential to undermine the confidence in the decision-making." Court of Appeals Judge Timothy J. Schutz at the Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center in December 2024 "I think some people would be surprised at how much horse trading happens in certain cases," Harris added. "In terms of outcomes, sometimes we say, 'If we come out this way, that's not a good rule for all the defendants coming down the road. Let's try to make it a narrower outcome.' Because it can be a narrower outcome." Both Gabriel and Harris acknowledged that courts are allowed to uphold a judge's decision if there are sufficient grounds in the case record to do so. Still, Gabriel expressed concern about making a mistake by employing reasoning that the parties did not fully flesh out for the court. And yet, Harris pushed back, "If a judge says, 'I'm gonna let that evidence in under rule X, and that turned out to be wrong and on appeal everybody's fighting about whether it should come in under rule X," she said, "and nobody mentions that it's actually admissible under rule Y, now what? You reverse and have the parties go back and do their case again? That seems weird." Members of the appeals courts headquartered in Denver gave lawyers a peek on Friday into their behind-the-scenes operations and offered tips a… Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Colorado Politics is published both in print and online. Our website features subscriber-only news stories daily, designed for public policy arena professionals. Member subscribers also receive the weekly print edition of our award-winning newspaper, containing outstanding features and news stories, in their mailboxes every Saturday. Secure your subscription to Colorado’s premier political news journal, in continuous publication since 1898. You can be in the know right alongside Colorado’s political insiders. Want the real scoop? Subscribe to Colorado Politics today! You don't have permission to access the page you requested. What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — Chef Jennifer Maune, a nationally acclaimed chef and Master Chef finalist, is set to open a new restaurant on the first floor of the Bob R. Brooks Jr. Justice Building, Attorney General Tim Griffin announced. "This moment is the realization of a dream that began over five years ago," Maune said. "It’s the culmination of a lifelong passion for food, a dedication to excellence, and a deep love for Arkansas." With renovations already kicking off, Restaurant Fleur is set to open in January 2026. Maune described the restaurant as "a refined French-American lunch and dinner concept offering gastronomic cuisine rooted in classical technique and seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. Guests can expect soulful, elevated cooking that merges French elegance with Southern hospitality and cultural richness." 2016.Stephen Maturen | Getty ImagesPlayListenNAACP Rochester asks for accountability justice after viral video of racial slurGo Deeper.CloseCreate an account or log in to save stories The investigation has been submitted to the Rochester City Attorney's office which will decide whether or not to charge the woman MPR News has a policy to not name suspects until they are charged The situation has drawn national attention and outrage the woman launched a crowdfunding campaign She has raised more than $600,000 as of Monday morning the Rochester chapter of the NAACP organized its own fundraiser for the family of the child which raised more than $300,000 before it was closed on Saturday “There are hateful groups out there supporting her That sends a really dangerous message to society,” said Rochester NAACP president Walé Elegbede about the woman’s fundraising efforts Rochester Mayor Kim Norton said she was “shocked and sickened” by the video and the fundraising by the woman “That a pre-school child was accosted publicly has caused palpable pain throughout our community we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure we have a community where everyone feels safe welcome and respected,” Norton said in the statement It's really an increasing trend,” Elegbede told MPR News host Nina Moini “We are hoping for just accountability and justice.” Rochester NAACP will hold a town hall called “Our Children are Sacred: Accountability and Justice” in collaboration with Barbershop Talk Services at the Rochester Civic Theatre on Wednesday The Rochester City Attorney said in a statement the office will work with “an appropriate sense of urgency” to come to a charging decision but that it is premature to say when a final decision will be made Use the audio player above to listen to the conversation between MPR News host Nina Moini and Rochester NAACP president Walé Elegbede A nonprofit group has launched a new initiative to provide Coachella Valley farmworkers with a wide range of services entrepreneurship classes and unemployment assistance TODEC Legal Center held an inaugural event Thursday for a "farmworker justice center" that the nonprofit describes as the first of its kind in the Coachella Valley or the Inland Empire The center will occupy half of TODEC’s existing office in downtown Coachella with the organization adding eight new staff members to offer support in the office and out in the fields State and local officials attended the event including California Labor Commissioner Lilia García-Brower and highlighted the center’s importance as both a resources hub and a safe hangout spot TODEC Executive Director Luz Gallegos told The Desert Sun that the center has already been open for a few weeks because the late spring typically sees an uptick in unemployment among valley farmworkers after the harvest season for some crops “There's places that charge them to access (unemployment benefits) because they don't have access to tech or they don't understand so here they can come in (for free),” Gallegos said While the center has long helped with legal aid and applications for healthcare programs Gallegos said the additional staff will be able to better support workers who come in with its wraparound services aiming to address the “layers of needs.” Gallegos emphasized the importance of mental health awareness telling the story of an unnamed man who worked more than 20 years as a valley farmworker After falling behind on his bills during the COVID-19 pandemic and amid fears of deportation “He’s not the first nor will he be the last,” Gallegos told the crowd in Spanish Gallegos told The Desert Sun after the event that she wanted to discuss the story (with the family’s permission) to open a conversation about depression among men working in the fields or we can connect you to resources,’ because we don't want to see no more deaths,” Gallegos said A couple farmworkers also spoke during the event with one man discussing the help he got from a TODEC worker to obtain a work permit after getting a DUI charge on his record “Many people say they don’t know where to get help with paperwork or other things but here there’s help with everything,” she said in Spanish assured the crowd that the “laws of California have not changed” and encouraged people to contact her office if they know of people who’ve faced unfair treatment “My family didn’t know its rights until I entered in the labor movements then could return to my family and help them understand how the government works,” García-Brower said in Spanish “It doesn’t have to be a question of chance.” “We must have a strong government that assures that each worker knows their rights,” she added Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez also spoke telling the crowd that farmworkers have “friends here in the city of Coachella” despite a broader political climate that he described as racist The center will offer the following forms of assistance to farmworkers: Gallegos said the community is particularly excited about the entrepreneurship program which she said will revive a program the nonprofit ran in the 1990s when some laborers in the region lost their jobs after the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed “We wanted to have this the center as a justice center for any justice but housing or different situations that may arise for the workers,” Gallegos said the farmworkers justice center is scheduled to be open from 9 a.m Tom Coulter is a reporter for The Desert Sun VIDIZMO to discuss how Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and AI-driven analysis help reduce case backlogs INDIANAPOLIS, May 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- VIDIZMO, a Gartner- and IDC-recognized provider of AI-powered evidence management solutions, announces its participation in the 2025 IACP Technology Conference taking place May 5–7 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis With digital evidence increasing exponentially and justice professionals face mounting challenges They spend hundreds of hours analyzing evidence and getting relevant insights from cases This leads to them indulging in more paperwork and less investigative work Manual processes are no longer sustainable From delayed investigations and missed deadlines to increased legal risks inefficient evidence workflows hinder operational efficiency and case outcomes This means it takes longer than usual to catch criminals and bring them to justice and justice agencies are having a hard time dealing with increasing evidence volumes we'll be showing how AI solutions can help them." VIDIZMO AI solutions for law enforcement and justice professionals help them manage all while ensuring the utmost security and compliance with NIST and justice agencies by implementing the following solutions: The 2025 IACP Technology Conference continues to be the biggest national forum for police executives The three-day event covers a wide range of educational workshops and exhibits of technology vendors in the law enforcement VIDIZMO at the 2025 IACP Technology Conference Mark your interest in visiting our booth by booking a meeting with us. To book your one-on-one meeting, visit our 2025 IACP Technology Conference landing page and click the "Book a Meeting" button to schedule your appointment with us Alternatively, you can also add VIDIZMO to your show planner by visiting our virtual booth VIDIZMO Joins Hands with Carahsoft at the IACP Technology Conference VIDIZMO is pleased to be joining the Carahsoft team at booth number 519 as a demoing partner We are sponsoring Carahsoft's Networking Reception at the conference Vincent Dolphin Pavilion at the Indianapolis Zoo on May 6 About VIDIZMOVIDIZMO provides advanced video and AI solutions that empower organizations to manage From digital evidence management and redaction to AI-enabled video content management our solutions are trusted by Fortune 500 companies and government agencies worldwide To learn more about VIDIZMO and its comprehensive range of solutions and services, visit www.vidizmo.ai. Media ContactRafey Iqbal RahmanProduct Marketing Lead[email protected] a Gartner and IDC-recognized provider of enterprise data and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions a Gartner and IDC-recognized provider of enterprise data and AI solutions announces its participation at Ai Everything GLOBAL 2025 in.. Computer & Electronics Artificial Intelligence Computer Software Computer Software Do not sell or share my personal information: as a practical limitation on government action Illustration by The Atlantic. Source: Samuel Corum / Bloomberg / Getty.May 4, 2025 ShareSave Listen-1.0x+0:0022:51Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (Noa) using AI narration it has made great progress toward that principle the Department of Justice has become an institutional embodiment of these aspirations—the locus in the federal government for professional which is in itself a rejection of the kingly prerogative That is why Donald Trump’s debasement of the DOJ is far more than the mere degradation of a governmental agency; it is an assault on the rule of law His attack on the institution is threefold: He is using the mechanisms of justice to go after political opponents; he is using those same mechanisms to reward allies; and he is eliminating internal opposition within the department Each incident making up this pattern is appalling; together they amount to the decimation of a crucial institution Investigations should be based on facts and the law, not politics. Yet Trump has made punishing political opposition the hallmark of his investigative efforts. The DOJ’s independence from political influence, long a symbol of its probity (remember how scandalous it was that Bill Clinton had a brief meeting with Attorney General Loretta Lynch?) This development should frighten all citizens, no matter what their political persuasion. As Attorney General Robert Jackson warned in 1940 the ability of a prosecutor to pick “some person whom he dislikes and desires to embarrass or selects some group of unpopular persons and then looks for an offense [is where] the greatest danger of abuse of prosecuting power lies.” Choosing targets in this way flies in the face of the DOJ’s rules and traditions—to say nothing of the actual Read: The Supreme Court has no army who later came to be political opponents of his (Both men are friends and colleagues of mine.) Their offense of perceived disloyalty is perhaps the gravest sin in Trump world, and as a result, they will now be individually targeted for investigation. The personal impact on each of them is no doubt immediate and severe. Krebs, who is a well-respected cybersecurity leader, has quit his job at SentinelOne and plans to focus on his defense If Trump’s DOJ pursues this investigation to the limit The cases of Krebs and Taylor do not stand in isolation. Recently, the U.S. attorney in New Jersey (Trump’s former personal attorney Alina Habba) launched an investigation into the state of New Jersey for its alleged “obstruction” of Trump’s deportation agenda because New Jersey won’t let its own employees be drafted as servants of Trump’s policy the state becomes a pariah in Trump’s mind Read: Ed Martin has completely disqualified himself A less-well-known example of Martin’s excess is his use of threats of criminal prosecution to empower DOGE When DOGE was first denied entry into the U.S one of the lawyers for USIP got a call from the head of the U.S threatening criminal investigation if they didn’t allow DOGE into the building telling the police that there was “an ongoing incident at the United States Institute of Peace” and that there was “at least one person who was refusing to leave the property at the direction of the acting USIP president who was lawfully in charge of the facility,” according to the journalist Steve Chapman all of which break the law.” Were the investigation neutral in nature In fact, there are two major fundraising platforms in use—WinRed (the Republican platform) and ActBlue (the Democratic one). Even though WinRed has been the subject of seven times as many FTC complaints as ActBlue the Trump memorandum involves only the latter Trump is overtly marshaling the powers of federal law enforcement in his effort to shut down political opposition Trump is using the department to try to ensure future Republican electoral victories One can hardly imagine a more horrifying variation on Lavrentiy Beria’s infamous boast: “Show me the man and I’ll show you the crime.” Just as the Justice Department is being used to punish Trump’s enemies it is likewise being used to reward Trump’s friends The first and most notorious of these rewards requires little introduction. On his very first day in office, Trump pardoned nearly all of the January 6 rioters or commuted their sentences who had been convicted of orchestrating the violence When convicted insurrectionists—people who have been subject to a fair trial and been found guilty by a jury of their peers—are rewarded with pardons and commutations the bedrock of legal accountability is fractured beyond recognition Read: A blatant violation of legal ethics If these were the only two instances of using the legal system to repay friends in any other era and with any other president they are only the appetizer to an entire meal of political rewards to his supporters—the crypto industry Ulbricht was convicted of crimes related to the creation of Silk Road an online crypto marketplace for illegal drugs and other illicit goods but he is a cult hero to the crypto industry reducing the possibility of reform and entrenching existing union power it pays to have friends in high places—especially when they give you the special justice rate None of these abuses of power could have happened if the career staff at the DOJ had refused to comply. That’s what occurred, more or less, in Trump’s first administration. Recognizing the lawlessness of his conduct, the career staff resisted, both overtly and covertly Trump learned his lesson from that failure The final part of his campaign to destroy the department is sidelining any attorney who opposes Trump’s will thereby removing those responsible for external and internal oversight would be responsible for holding Trump in check Likewise, the Office of the Solicitor General is responsible for all of the government’s litigation before the Supreme Court. Rather than advance Trump’s overly aggressive arguments, at least half of the legal staff, some of the very best lawyers in government, are on their way out the door The inevitable result of this bloodletting? Many of those who remain behind are cowed into further submission. One anonymous DOJ lawyer described their experience at work in recent weeks to The Economist: “As time went on The hallways used to be a hubbub of chatter about cases The phrase rule of law can easily become a shibboleth But the rule of law is the basis of any decent society acceptance of the rule of law by those who govern is at the core of individual liberty government restrains its own abusive tendencies trust in that restraint enables individual freedom giving citizens the confidence to act as they wish If the government moves to punish those who speak out in opposition merely the thought of that possibility can cause self-editing But we are in a time and a place where I certainly have not been here before I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice That threat of retaliation is rampant; it underlies Trump’s assault on the independence of universities and large law firms And it is enabled only by his diminution of the Department of Justice Read: The pathetic, cowardly collapse of Big Law None of this would be possible without the DOJ’s destruction and none of it would be permissible in any other administration When those at the Justice Department who enforce the law embrace Trump’s scorn and no longer care about its content or consider it binding we lose the system that undergirds our democracy It exists and animates our society because we believe it does When that belief crumbles under Trump’s assault The Ronald Reagan–appointed conservative jurist J. Harvie Wilkinson issued an opinion the other day denying an attempt by the administration to delay its efforts to bring Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. saying that Trump is creating “a conflict that promises to diminish both” branches of government “The Judiciary will lose much from the constant intimations of its illegitimacy to which by dent of custom and detachment we can only sparingly reply The Executive will lose much from a public perception of its lawlessness and all of its attendant contagions The Executive may succeed for a time in weakening the courts but over time history will script the tragic gap between what was and all that might have been The United States once revered the rule of law Americans believed that those who rule the country should be governed by it and that it should be applied equally to each of us Being subject to law means that government action is The rule of law is what makes citizens freer to say and do what they please Maintaining the rule of law is premised on the neutrality of DOJ employees They must be committed to treating similar cases and defendants alike They must apply the law without regard to political and social factors And they must act without creating a fear of retribution or an expectation of receiving favors in return That is what Americans should be crying out for today I fear it might already be too late to restore the faith in law we once had Significant damage to institutions has already been done Americans must reject the nightmare that lies ahead They must work to restore a society of laws they must recognize the disease; only then can they demand a cure Details: cache-fra-eddf8230045-FRA 1746541862 3930214543 Mostly law professors | Sometimes contrarian | Often libertarian | Always independent Last month, with relatively little fanfare, the America First Legal Foundation filed suit against Chief Justice John Roberts in his capacity as the presiding officer of the Judicial Conference of the United States Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S The suit is nominally seeking to enforce a document request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) but substantively raises broad separation-of-powers claims The suit was prompted by the refusal of the Judicial Conference and Administrative Office to respond to AFLF's FOIA requests for copies of communication with the offices of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Representative Hank Johnson two legislators who have worked overtime to stir up ethical allegations against sitting Supreme Court justices The Judicial Conference and Administrative Office rebuffed the requests on the grounds that each are exempt from FOIA The basis for AFLF's suit is that the Judicial Conference and Administrative Office are not part of the judiciary but are instead executive branch agencies subject to FOIA neither entity is a "court," and insofar as each has other responsibilities including the promulgation of rules governing federal courts and responding to Congressional inquiries It further claims that insofar as the Chief Justice is able to appoint members of Judicial Conference committees "then he must be acting as an agency head subjecting the Judicial Conference to the FOIA." (Cf which authorizes Congress to delegate authority to appoint inferior officers to "the Courts of Law.") The suit does not merely seek fulfillment of the FOIA requests It seeks to have the Judicial Conference and Administrative Office declared "independent agencies within the executive branch." It further suggests that the President should have the power to appoint and remove the Presiding Officer of the Judicial Conference and the Director of the Administrative Office Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup Jonathan H. Adler (@jadler1969) is the Johan Verheij Memorial Professor of Law at the Case Western Reserve University School of Law Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" On Tuesday evening, the Newton Cultural Alliance at the Allen Center hosted a talk with Dinorá Justice a Brazilian American and locally-based artist whose work is currently exhibited in the Allen Center’s main gallery in her collection of artwork titled Seeing As We Are In the Newton Cultural Alliance’s spring collection of exhibitions titled Women Seeing Women Justice is the last of four female artists whose work is displayed in the collection Justice uses her artwork to depict female figures blended into mesmerizing Her work explores the complexities of ecology and the use of language to describe nature through a feminine point of view “Phrases like ‘mother nature’ carry a legacy—one that genders the Earth casting it into roles of nurturing and submission,” said Justice “This feminization is not neutral … It exposes the same structures that permit both environmental degradation and social violence.” Justice not only critiques these cultural usages of language through her artwork but also challenges the viewer to reflect on their own relationship with the culture they find themself in “By examining these linguistic and cultural imprints I seek to unearth how inherited metaphors guide our behavior and how reimagining them might shift our relationship to the living systems we inherit,” said Justice Some of Justice’s paintings exhibited at the Allen Center were inspired by the canonical works of Western art including 19th-century artwork portraying women by French artist Eugène Delacroix and what she loves about florals,” said Peter Vanderwarker Her artwork borrows female figures from canonical works and challenges the viewer’s perception of women where we see exploitation of women and clothes because that’s the way things were in the 1800s and 1900s,” said Iggy Rabinovich Iggy Rabinovich elaborated on how Justice empowers women through intertwining historical artwork and nature “[Justice] chooses to take [the women] out of that context and put them in a context of nature and beauty,” said Iggy Rabinovich “You no longer see the woman as an object but see her as part of life and nature.”  Even though Justice’s work focuses on heavy dark topics like environmental degradation while striving to communicate ecofeminist movements the art is simultaneously colorful and offers the viewer a space to reflect “I think my love for the world and nature is stronger and I want to celebrate what we still have and maybe inspire people to preserve more or try to be more sustainable,” said Justice Justice uses marbling techniques to create fluid patterns inspired by nature Marbling is the process of combing and swirling paint drips on a surface of water or solution to make swirly patterns before transferring the pattern to a surface since they speak naturally of water and plants of growth and change,” said Justice “My vision is slow and laborious but also full of enchantment.”  she paints different layers of patterns on top with oil creating pieces that depict the female figure blended with nature as the marbled pattern takes up the space reserved for the face “I didn’t want to put the features in the faces or the figures because I’m not interested in the particular person,” said Justice “I’m interested in the connection of the human with the environment.” explained her interpretation of the female figures blending in with organic patterns Newton resident Scott Aquilina praised the artist’s work for its authenticity and integration of personal interests such as European painting “She’s drawing from a lot of different sources of things that are very interesting and personal to her but everything is grounded in this craft that she has Aquilina also admired the artist’s ability to create smooth layered paintings that are decorative and colorful “I think she’s just very skilled in how she can layer all these different elements under the background,” said Aquilina Justice’s artwork was exhibited at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston last spring in The Lay of the Land and her artwork in Seeing As We Are will remain at the Allen Center until May 21 NEWS SPORTS ARTS MAGAZINE NEWTON OPINIONS MULTIMEDIA More than 250 lawyers have left or been reassigned since January as critics fear ‘end of the division as we’ve known it’ About 235 attorneys in the division’s civil enforcement sections have accepted deferred resignations or have quit the justice department and roughly another 20 have been reassigned or detailed to do other work within the agency including handling public records requests and internal agency complaints The sections that handle civil enforcement work in the division according to a rough estimate provided to the Guardian About 105 remain after a 28 April deadline to accept a deferred resignation offer Read moreCurrent and former department employees emphasized that the departures effectively made it impossible for the division to fulfill the civil rights statutes it has long been ordered to enforce by Congress “I don’t think it’s an overstatement to see this as the end of the division as we’ve known it,” said a civil rights division attorney “Some things will certainly go on and there are some excellent folks staying but the breadth of the work will surely diminish and will certainly be focused almost exclusively on administration priorities.” The justice department declined to comment The civil rights division is led by a handful of political appointees – known as the “front office” – who set the priorities for the section But the bulk of the work is done by civil servants who serve as line attorneys and report to their section managers But now several of the division’s sections have seen a severe reduction in personnel. The voting, educational opportunity, employment litigation and federal coordination and compliance section all went from having dozens of attorneys in January to fewer than five, according to a person familiar with the matter. The federal coordination and compliance section whose responsibilities include enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act – prohibiting those who receive federal funds from discriminating on the basis of race national origin and sex – now has zero permanent attorneys “The federal government’s capacity to enforce civil rights protections across voting and police accountability have been severely compromised,” said Chiraag Bains a lawyer who served as a career prosecutor and political appointee in the civil rights division a Trump ally who supported his efforts to overturn the 2020 election has celebrated the reduction in attorneys from the division “The job here is to enforce the federal civil rights laws She appeared to further cheer on the departures in a post on X on Tuesday, saying “personnel is policy” Stacey Young, a former civil rights division attorney who started the group Justice Connection, a network of department alumni supporting their former colleagues, called Dhillon’s message “sadistic”. “They made a concerted effort to purge dedicated career civil servants at the civil rights division. And slamming them for leaving is cruel,” she said. “I’ve never seen DoJ employees treated with the kind of malice from their own government, like we’re seeing now. “They were involuntarily reassigned. They were told to take the deferred resignation offer. And it was suggested to them that if they didn’t, they could be laid off. So the message was clear: ‘If you’re not on board with what we’re doing, if you’re not on board with the president’s own policy agenda, get out.’” Read moreThe departures mean the department is losing expertise in complex areas of civil rights enforcement such as housing discrimination and sexual harassment, said Omar Noureldin, who served as a political appointee in the civil rights division during the Biden administration. While the work of career attorneys has long been apolitical, Bains speculated that the department would try to fill the positions with lawyers loyal to the president. “I fully expect them to hire loyalists into these career roles,” he said. “They are going to politicize the career hiring process and hire people, probably first and foremost, who are loyal to Trump.” “We’re probably going to see some extremely bad lawyering in the department in these cases, if that’s what they do,” he added. Copyright © 2022 ALM Media Properties, LLC. Funding from OnDean Forward, the family office of former Relativity CEO Andrew Sieja, and several other former Relativity executives, was the first ever investment for the startup, which officially launched in 2021. Chicago-based legal tech startup Justice Bid which developed an outside counsel selection and analytics platform announced that it received a $4 million investment from OnDean Forward that also includes former Relativity chief growth officer Marcin Wojtczak and chief operating officer Nick Robertson Justice Bid offers data metrics and tools to enable legal departments to make more informed decisions when selecting outside counsel Daily Business Review Corporate Counsel New York Law Journal New Jersey Law Journal Litigation Daily Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc Read More Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment Read More Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls Read More a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement Read More Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase Read More Already have an account? Sign In Her focus is on polling and California politics including the 2024 election and pro-Palestine protests at U.S Martha joined Newsweek in 2024 from The Independent and had previously freelanced at The Sun She is a graduate of Durham University and did her NCTJ at News Associates You can get in touch with Martha by emailing m.mchardy@newsweek.com either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content Trump has frequently clashed with judges who have ruled against his sweeping government overhauls These actions have raised concerns about the erosion of judicial independence and the potential undermining of democratic norms.​ President Donald Trump lashed out at judges on Truth Social saying they are blocking the deportation of violent criminals and warning that America is "finished" if such decisions continue His comments came after Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson speaking at a judicial conference on May 1 and an environment of harassment that "ultimately risks undermining our Constitution and the rule of law." Jackson said the attacks appear aimed at undermining judicial independence—something she described as essential to a functioning democracy "A society in which judges are routinely made to fear for their own safety or livelihood.. is one that has substantially departed from the norms" of a democratic system Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson did not name Trump or reference specific incidents but her remarks came amid a wave of attacks by Trump and his allies against judges who have ruled against his policies Trump and his allies have even called for the impeachment of judges who opposed him the President demanding the removal of Judge James Boasberg after he issued a restraining order halting deportations under the Alien Enemies Act This prompted a rare public rebuke from Chief Justice John G who called such rhetoric "not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision." threats of physical violence against members of the judiciary have been steadily increasing More than 60 federal judges who ruled against Trump's policies have been subjected to online abuse Some judges and their families have also received threatening messages and even bomb threats The Trump administration has also moved to penalize law firms that have participated in litigation against the president Some firms have faced financial and professional sanctions while others have reportedly been sidelined from government work At the same time, the administration has brokered agreements with select firms to provide pro bono legal services in support of government cases—raising concerns about favoritism and coercion within the legal profession Another major point of contention is the administration's disregard for due process in immigration enforcement. Over 260 individuals have reportedly been arrested and deported to El Salvador without the opportunity to appear before a judge Legal experts warn that such actions violate foundational principles of the U.S writing that he should not be required to go through a "lengthy legal process for each and every Criminal Alien." Legal scholars note a person cannot be classified as a criminal without first undergoing a judicial process—a safeguard designed to prevent government overreach And in the latest standoff, Trump is refusing to comply with a Supreme Court order to assist in the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia a Maryland man wrongly deported to El Salvador Trump admitted he could bring Abrego Garcia back but declined to do so asserting—without evidence—that he believes the man is a gang member His refusal directly contradicts both the Supreme Court order and previous claims from his administration that the U.S Meanwhile, on April 25, the FBI arrested sitting Judge Hannah Dugan Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation by obstructing the execution of a warrant Critics of former President Trump have denounced the arrest as part of a broader campaign to intimidate the judiciary and erode judicial independence through threats of prosecution Donald Trump said on Truth Social: "Can it be so that Judges aren't allowing the USA to Deport Criminals out of our Country and back to where they came from Americans will have to get used to a very different This is not what our Founders had in mind!!!" speaking at a conference for judges held in Puerto Rico: " Across the nation judges are facing increased threats of not only physical violence but also professional retaliation just for doing our jobs They seem designed to intimidate  those of us who serve in this critical capacity." She added: " A society in which judges are routinely made to fear for their own safety or their own livelihood due to their decisions is one that has substantially departed from the norms of behavior that govern a democratic system Attacks on judicial independence is how countries that are not free "Having an independent judiciary — defined as judges who are indifferent to improper pressure and determine and decide each case according to the rule of law — is one of the key ingredients" that makes a free and fair society work Legal battles over Trump's use of executive power are ongoing Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsweek is committed to journalism that's factual and fair Hold us accountable and submit your rating of this article on the meter. Newsletters in your inbox See all Lenee Hendrix was charged with driving under the influence and reckless driving following a crash with injuries on Interstate 26 that happened on April 26 (Photo credit: Carter County Sheriff's Office) (WCYB) — The executive director of the Branch House Family Justice Center has been charged with driving under the influence a head-on crash occurred on Interstate 26 eastbound near mile marker 27.4 The affidavit added that Hendrix was driving the wrong way on the interstate and crashed head-on with another vehicle The trooper stated that Hendrix admitted to consuming alcoholic drinks before driving Hendrix performed poorly on standardized field sobriety tests Hendrix was eventually taken to the Carter County Detention Center.