Category: Justice

Oversight Committee Chairman Comer Says House Has Enough Votes to Hold Garland in Contempt

Just the News
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Congressman James Comer

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., says he believes the House has enough votes to hold U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt.

“Absolutely,” Comer answered when asked about the votes on the Wednesday edition of the “Just the News, No Noise” TV show. “I think the Judiciary Committee [is] going to do the same thing. We’ve worked together, both the Oversight and Judiciary Committee, on a lot of things throughout this whole Biden influence peddling investigation. And remember, the Oversight Committee was one of the first out there that recognized that Joe Biden mishandled classified documents.”

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Washington D.C. Left-Wing Advocacy Group Human Rights Campaign Foundation Behind Williamson County Transgender Lawsuit

Matthew Giffin

A Washington D.C.-based left-wing advocacy group called the Human Rights Campaign Foundation is behind a lawsuit against the Williamson County Board of Education challenging a state law that restricts students from using multi-person restrooms that do not match their sex.

The plaintiff, a transgender minor, is represented by two attorneys with the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, a nonprofit organization under the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). HRC describes itself as “the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization” on its website with local groups in most states.

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Supreme Court Slaps Down Challenge That Could Have Gutted Financial Regulatory Agency

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The Supreme Court rejected a challenge on Thursday that could have paved the way for a consumer protection regulator to be dismantled.

The court ruled by 7-2 vote that the unconventional way the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) receives funding is constitutional, dealing a blow to the business interests who brought the challenge.  Two trade associations for financial services firms had argued that it is illegal for the agency to be funded directly by the Federal Reserve instead of the congressional appropriations process.

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Embattled Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert Refuses to Apologize Following Legal Petition Demanding Her Removal

Tom Pappert
Wanda Halbert

Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert held a press conference on Tuesday after her attorney filed a motion to dismiss the legal petition calling for her to be removed from office.

In her remarks, Halbert reasserted her stance that the Shelby County Clerk’s office should be given the majority of the money it collects for the betterment of the office and declared she will not apologize.

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FBI Report Finds Fewer Officers Killed in Line of Duty, but More Attacked

Just the News

There were 60 officers killed in the line of duty in 2023, the report said, one less than in 2022. But the total officers killed in the line of duty in the past three years were higher than any other three year period in the past two decades.

An FBI report released Tuesday revealed that fewer law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty last year, but the number of attacks on officers has risen.

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Legal Counsel for Sponsors of Israel Summit Raises Questions on Sonesta Hotel’s Reasoning to Cancel Event

Kaitlin Housler
Sonesta Nashville Airport

First Liberty Institute, the legal counsel for the organizing groups of the 2024 Israel Summit, raised questions to the Sonesta Nashville Airport Hotel’s reasoning behind its decision to break its contractual obligation to host the event next week.

The Israel Summit was expected to be hosted next week at the Sonesta Hotel until hotel leadership contacted one of the summit’s sponsors, notifying the group that it was dropping its contract to host the event, citing “threatening” calls and messages.

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Sonesta Hotel Management Silent After Pulling Venue Booked for 2024 Israel Summit in Nashville

Tom Pappert
Israel Flag

The Massachusetts-based asset management company which owns the Sonesta Nashville Airport hotel currently under threat of legal action over its decision to cancel the use of its venue for the 2024 Israel Summit did not respond to a Wednesday press inquiry by The Tennessee Star.

The hotel company’s silence comes amid conflicting claims by the Sonesta Nashville Airport hotel’s general manager, Troy Carver, and the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD).

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Tennessee U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn Urges Lawmakers to ‘Defund Colleges That Peddle Antisemitism’ After Convicted Killer Arrested at Encampment

Tom Pappert
Marsha Blackburn

Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Tuesday argued Syracuse University should lose its federal funding after a man convicted of manslaughter was arrested at an anti-Israel encampment constructed on the university campus.

Eural Warren was arrested by the Syracuse University of Public Safety on Friday, according to The National Desk, after the outlet previously confirmed the convicted killer was staying at the anti-Israel encampment constructed at the university despite officials declaring only students would be allowed access to the protest. 

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Minnesota Mother Says Daughter was Attacked at School Because ‘She Wasn’t Muslim’

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Shawna Larson

A Minnesota mom is demanding answers after she says her nine-year-old daughter was jumped on the school playground by a group of girls who she was told targeted her daughter because “she wasn’t Muslim.”

Shawna Larson told Liz Collin Reports about the disturbing details of the attack that she says took place on Monday, April 29 at Hidden Valley Elementary in Savage.

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Arizona Local Governments, Charities Receive over $54 Million from Biden Administration to Care for Illegal Immigrants

Tom Pappert
Illegal Immigrants

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced over $54 million in awards last month for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Shelter and Services program to Arizona entities to offset “costs incurred” due to the influx of illegal immigrants into the country.

According to funding awards posted publicly by FEMA last month, two Arizona-based charitable entities, Pima County and Maricopa County will collectively receive $54,573,093 to support illegal immigrants in the 2024 fiscal year.

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Reporter Tom Pappert Discusses Latest Developments in Case Involving Transgender Arrested on Stalking Charges

Kaitlin Housler
McKenzie McClure

Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, pointed out that McKenzie McClure, the biological female and former Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA) student arrested by federal authorities on cyberstalking charges, may have been subject to a 30-day mental hold as she awaits a detention hearing scheduled for June 3.

McClure, who identifies as a transgender man and prefers the name “Kalvin,” was arrested on cyberstalking charges on April 29 after making a public threat against Governor Bill Lee and leaving a concerning voicemail to CPA in March, which caused two schools to shut down the following day.

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Disbarred Michael Cohen’s Testimony Did Little to Help Bragg’s Case, Credibility Still a Problem

Just the News
Michael Cohen

Michael Cohen’s opening day of testimony—much like other witnesses—appeared to do little to bolster Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against former President Donald Trump, which at least one legal expert assesses is weak.

Michael Cohen, a disbarred lawyer, convicted perjurer and critic of Donald Trump, took the stand on Monday to deliver his long-awaited testimony in the so-called “hush money” trial of his former boss but while questions about his own credibility continue to swirl.

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Nashville Announces It Will Test Some Beer Sellers for Selling Without Checking ID

Matthew Giffin
Drinking alcohol

Nashville will test some of its beer sellers by having someone attempt to purchase beer without presenting identification.

The Metro Beer Permit Board announced Monday it will conduct compliance checks by having an individual over 21 years old enter establishments with off-sale beer permits and try to purchase beer without an ID, according to a Nashville government news release. The board wants to enhance compliance with state law among sellers with off-sale permits.

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Tennessee Department of Homeland Security, Local Law Enforcement Silent About McKenzie McClure Investigation

Matthew Giffin
McKenzie McClure

The Tennessee Department of Homeland Security, a state-level law enforcement agency, conducted interviews of transgender alleged cyberstalker McKenzie McClure while Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) did not take action.

According to the criminal complaint against McClure, who left a voicemail of a “threatening nature” for her former school Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA) in Nashville, the Tennessee Department of Homeland Security became involved in the investigation of McClure. As of now, there are no publicly available details as to how the department became involved in the case.

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Goldwater Institute Sues Pima County over New Gun Ordinance Allegedly Illegal Under Arizona Law

Tom Pappert

The Goldwater Institute filed a lawsuit against Pima County in late April over a new ordinance that levies fines against gun owners who fail to report stolen weapons within 48 hours after learning they are missing, it confirmed Monday.

Pima County’s ordinance requires gun owners to report guns lost or stolen within Pima County to local authorities under penalty of a $1,000 fine should gun owners take longer than 48 hours.

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Democrat Appointed Judge Throws Out Abe Hamadeh’s Petition for Writ of Quo Warranto to Remove AZ AG Mayes from Office, Suggests Sanctions

Rachel Alexander
Abe Hamadeh

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Susanna Pineda, who was appointed to the bench by Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano, granted a Motion to Dismiss filed by Maricopa County officials in response to Abe Hamadeh’s Petition for Writ of Quo Warranto. She also suggested she would award sanctions against Hamadeh, other plaintiffs, and their attorney. Hamadeh had asked to remove Attorney General Kris Mayes from office and fix the 2022 election problems, including up to redoing it.

Ryan Heath, Hamadeh’s attorney, told The Arizona Sun Times, “I worked in judicial chambers as an intern in law school. Before this ruling, I’d never seen a case where a judge blatantly ignores arguments and allegations in order to impose sanctions. The appeal is already drafted, and I’m looking forward to overturning the trial court’s ruling on appeal.”

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Commentary: The Fall of the House of Presidential Persecutions

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None of the five civil and criminal cases currently lodged against former President Donald Trump have ever had merit. They were all predicated on using the law to injure his re-election candidacy—given a widespread derangement syndrome among the left and a fear they cannot entrust a Trump/Biden election to the people.

These criminal and civil trials are merely the continuation of extra-legal efforts of the last eight years to destroy a presidential candidate in lieu of opposing him in transparent elections.

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Penn Faculty, Students Break Down in Tears After Police Sweep Pro-Hamas Encampment

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UPenn Students participating in a pro-Palestinian protest

After police from the University of Pennsylvania and the city of Philadelphia “disbanded” Penn’s pro-Hamas encampment Friday morning, assorted faculty and students later gathered at the city’s famous LOVE Statue to express their grief.

The Daily Pennsylvanian reports “several speakers and audience members” broke down in tears while describing scuffles with law enforcement.

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Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney Confirms Transgender Arrested for Alleged Cyberstalking Will Remain in Custody Leading up to June 3 Hearing

Kaitlin Housler
US Atty Mark H. Wildasin, McKenzie McClure

An executive assistant attorney with the Middle District of Tennessee U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed to The Tennessee Star that McKenzie McClure, the biological female and former Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA) student arrested by federal authorities on cyberstalking charges, will remain in custody leading up to a June 3 detention hearing.

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Maricopa County Republican Leadership Unanimously Censures Arizona Supreme Court for ‘Injustice’ and ‘Bias’ in Handling Election-Related Lawsuits

Rachel Alexander

The Maricopa County Republican Committee’s Executive Guidance Committee unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday censuring the Arizona Supreme Court (ASC) for its handling of election lawsuits. The censure came after the state’s highest court issued two relatively favorable rulings for Republicans: reversing sanctions against the Arizona Republican Party for an election-related case and upholding Arizona’s old 1864 law restricting abortion.

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Arrest of Transgender Former Student Who Allegedly Threatened Nashville’s Christ Presbyterian Academy Raises Troubling Parallels to Covenant Killer

Tom Pappert
McKenzie McClure, Audrey Elizabeth Hale

The recent arrest of McKenzie McClure, the biological female and former Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA) student federal authorities accused of cyberstalking following alleged threats to CPA in Nashville, shares concerning similarities with the circumstances which preceded the tragic Covenant School shootings by Audrey Elizabeth Hale last year in which the former Covenant School student killed 3 students and 3 staff members before she, in turn, was killed by Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) officers.

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Tennessee Court of Appeals Rules That State Statute Allowing TWRA Game Wardens to Enter Private Property Without a Search Warrant Is Unconstitutional

Kaitlin Housler
TWRA Worker

The Tennessee Court of Appeals released a decision in Terry Rainwaters, et al. v. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, et al. on Thursday, holding a previous ruling that found a state statute that allows TWRA to patrol private properties without warrants or consent to be unconstitutional.

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Coalition of 22 State AGs Call on Biden to Reject Treaty Drastically Expanding WHO Authority

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Biden WHO

A coalition of 22 state attorneys general have sent a letter to Joe Biden voicing their opposition to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) proposed pandemic treaty and amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR).

Attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia, led by Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, raised concerns that the proposed agreement threatens U.S. sovereignty by giving the WHO “unprecedented and unconstitutional powers over the people of the United States.”

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DOJ Recommends 40-Year Sentence for Man Who Attacked Nancy Pelosi’s Husband

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Paul Pelosi Assaulted by David DePape

The Department of Justice (DOJ) recommended a 40-year sentence on Friday for David DePape, the man who attacked former House Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband in 2022.

DePape was found guilty on all federal charges in November 2023 after he broke into Pelosi’s house in an attempt to kidnap her, and bludgeoned her husband, Paul, with a hammer. Prosecutors wrote in the DOJ memo that “sentencing factors compel the statutory maximums recommended here.”

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Transgender Arrested for Alleged Cyberstalking Was Previously Charged with Domestic Assault in 2022

Matthew Giffin
McKenzie McClure

A transgender alleged cyberstalker who caused a Nashville Christian school to close for a day in March after sending a disconcerting message was previously charged with domestic assault, according to court records.

McKenzie McClure, also known as Kalvin McClure, was charged twice with domestic assault according to Williamson County public court records. The records list the “violation date” on each charge as August 21, 2022.

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Black Lives Matter Group Sues Massive Liberal Foundation Claiming ‘Egregious Mismanagement’ of $33 Million in Funds

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BLM

A liberal foundation controlling roughly $1 billion in assets faces accusations of “egregious mismanagement” of funds from the largest Black Lives Matter group in the country.

Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLM GNF) filed a lawsuit on Monday accusing the Tides Foundation of mishandling funds donated to a “Black Lives Matter Support Fund” administered by Tides, arguing the funds belong to them. Tides, however, contests this by claiming that donations to the fund were actually intended for smaller BLM organizations.

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Justice Department Sues Iowa over Immigration Law After Warning

Just the News
Kim Reynolds

The Justice Department sued the state of Iowa on Thursday, after the state failed to stop a new immigration law that makes it a crime for people to be in the state if they were previously denied admission to the United States.

The lawsuit is the second legal action taken against the state over the new law, which goes into effect in July. The first was a lawsuit from a civil rights group that was filed earlier Thursday. The department warned Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds that it would sue last week if she did not stop the law by May 7.

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Georgia Supreme Court Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Cobb County’s Authority to Draw Electoral Map

Debra McClure
Georgia Supreme Court

The Georgia Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit on Thursday that challenged the constitutionality of the Cobb County Commission’s authority to draw its own electoral map, overturning the boundaries previously created by the State Legislature.

Cobb County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Lisa Cupid said she was “pleased” with the case outcome.

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Police Disperse Anti-Israel Encampment at University of Pennsylvania Despite Resistance from Faculty, Demonstrators

Tom Pappert
UPenn Protest Arrest

The University of Pennsylvania confirmed on Friday it called the Philadelphia Police Department to disperse the anti-Israel encampment constructed on its campus, declaring it a threat to public safety for students.

Signed by Interim President Larry Jameson, Provost John Jackson, and Senior Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli, the letter highlighted threats posed by the encampment to normal university operations, including commencement for graduating students.

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Commentary: Judge Cannon Puts Jack Smith on Trial

Julie Kelly
Jack Smith

U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon may have just indefinitely postponed Donald Trump’s espionage and obstruction trial but that doesn’t mean her federal courtroom in Fort Pierce, Florida will lie dormant over the next few months.

In officially vacating the existing May 20 trial date—an impossibility considering the defendant will be in a Manhattan courtroom for the foreseeable future—Cannon declined to set another date, calling it “imprudent” at this stage of the process. She noted a “myriad” of unresolved matters in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s 42-count indictment against the former president and his two co-defendants, Mar-a-Lago employees Waltine Nauta and Carlos De Olivera, for willfully retaining national defense information and attempting to impede the government’s investigation.

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Lawyer for Steve Bannon Releases Statement After Appeals Court Upholds Bannon’s January 6 Contempt Conviction

Admin

The Court of Appeals panel held today that it does not have the authority to overrule the 1961 panel of the Court that issued the decision in the Licavoli case on the definition of the word “willfully” as used in the Contempt of Congress statute.  Mr. Bannon will now seek redress before the full Court of Appeals, which has the authority to overrule Licavoli.

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Former Memphis Police Officer Now Faces Federal Charges in Alleged Murder

Peter D'Abrosca
Patric Ferguson

A former Memphis Police officer who was charged in 2021 with kidnapping and murdering a man has now been charged at the federal level. 

“A federal grand jury in Memphis, Tennessee, returned an eight-count indictment today charging former Memphis Police Officer Patric J. Ferguson with federal civil rights, kidnapping and weapons offenses in connection with the fatal shooting of a victim identified as R.H.,” according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). “The indictment also charges Ferguson and a civilian, Joshua M. Rogers, with federal offenses for conspiring to cover up the fatal shooting and destroying evidence of the crimes. The indictment further charges Rogers with accessory after the fact for helping Ferguson cover up his crimes.”

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Embattled Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert Will ‘Absolutely Not’ Resign, Declares Transparency to Begin After She’s ‘Given Authority’

Tom Pappert
Wanda Halbert

Wanda Halbert, the embattled Shelby County Clerk currently facing a legal petition for her removal from office, confirmed in Tuesday remarks to a Memphis media personality that she will not resign amid court proceedings.

Halbert currently awaits a court date following a 49-page petition submitted by Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp which alleged the clerk demonstrated “willful neglect to perform” duties associated with her office.

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Pennsylvania U.S. Senate Candidate Dave McCormick Reveals 500 Protesters Still at Penn Anti-Israel Encampment, Urges Admin to ‘Get Control’

Tom Pappert
Dave McCormick

Dave McCormick, Pennsylvania’s Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, estimated there are about 500 protesters who remain at at the anti-Israel encampment constructed at the University of Pennsylvania on Wednesday.

McCormick made the remarks following his visit to the Penn campus last week, telling The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show what he witnessed was a “disgrace” and a “travesty.”

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Trump Civil Fraud Judge’s Talks with Attorney Under Investigation by Ethics Commission: Report

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The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct is investigating an alleged interaction between a New York real estate lawyer and the judge who issued a $454 million judgement against former President Donald Trump, according to NBC New York.

Real estate lawyer Adam Leitman Bailey said he had a conversation with Judge Arthur Engoron a few weeks before the judge’s decision was due, NBC New York reported. Democratic Attorney General Letitia James of New York sued Trump in September 2022, alleging he overstated the value of real estate holdings in order to obtain loans.

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Trump Finds Success in Court with Three of Four Cases Facing Significant Delays

Just the News
Donald Trump

At one time, unfavorable outcomes in the four court cases against former President Donald Trump seemed likely to be politically damaging for the three-time campaigner, but as the cases have faced scrutiny and delays, public opinion has recently shifted.

Yesterday, the Georgia Appeals Court agreed to hear an appeal in the state election case brought by controversial Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Earlier this week, a Florida judge indefinitely suspended the federal trial in the classified documents case.

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Jordan Demands Nathan Wade Testify over Fani Willis Prosecution of Trump

Just the News
Nathan Wade

Wade served as a special prosecutor on Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s prosecution of Trump and 18 codefendants over his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results in the Peach State.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan asked that former special prosecutor Nathan Wade testify before the panel as to his role in an ongoing criminal case against former President Donald Trump.

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Report: Late Coffee County Mayor Judd Matheny’s Death Ruled Accidental, Caused by Drug Overdose

Kaitlin Housler
Judd Matheny

The late Coffee County Mayor Judd Matheny’s April 2 death was caused by drugs present in his system, compounded by heart conditions, according to an autopsy report conducted by the Center for Forensic Medicine in Nashville.

The report, first obtained by The Tullahoma News, concluded that Matheny’s death was accidental, with the cause of death “ascribed to mixed cocaine, ethanol, mitragynine toxicity with hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease as a significant contributing factor.”

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Two-Thirds of University Protesters Arrested Weren’t Even Students, Police Say

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Police arresting campus protester

The majority of people arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) while clearing a pro-Palestinian encampment at George Washington University (GWU) were not students, D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith said on Thursday.

Police began clearing the encampment at GWU in the early Wednesday morning hours after nearly two weeks of protesters occupying the campus. The MPD arrested 33 individuals, 11 of which were students at the institution, D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith told FOX 5 Washington D.C. on Thursday.

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