Category: Justice

Sponsor of Tennessee Abortion Trafficking Law Remains ‘Confident’ in Positive Outcome After Federal Judge Blocks Enforcement

Tom Pappert
Tennessee Str Rep. Jason Zachary and Judge Aleta Arthur Trauger

State Representative Jason Zachary (R-Knoxville) on Saturday confirmed he remains “confident” Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti will successfully defend the Tennessee law that bans abortion trafficking after U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger (pictured above, left) temporarily blocked it with a Friday ruling.

In the latest development in the court case brought by Representative Aftyn Behn (D-Nashville) against the law which prohibits non-parental guardians from facilitating the travel of a minor for the purpose of obtaining an abortion, The Associated Press reported Trauger noted ruling the Tennessee General Assembly is prohibited from making “it a crime to communicate freely” about legal abortion.

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RNC Sues Wisconsin City for Not Hiring Enough GOP Election Inspectors

The Center Square

The Republican National Committee has sued the city of Racine for failing to hire more Republican citizens as election inspectors during the partisan primaries and instead mostly selected volunteers unaffiliated with either of the two major political parties.

RNC Chairman Michael Whatley called the lawsuit a response to “Democrat interference” in a Tuesday press release. The release incorrectly claims the city of Racine “hir[ed] disproportionately more Democrats in the primary election” than Republicans.

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Judge Rules It’s Too Late to Challenge Arizona Open Primary Proposition

The Center Square

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Frank Moskowitz ruled today that a proposition that would establish open primaries in Arizona will have the opportunity to be voted into law by Arizonans, even though almost 40,000 voter signatures have been invalidated.

Even though ballots have already been printed with the proposition on it, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that the superior court look at the evidence of duplicated signatures provided by the Arizona Free Enterprise Club. Special Master Christopher Skelly submitted his report yesterday, showing that 35,478 of the submitted signatures were indeed duplicates.

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Virginia A.G. Jason Miyares Urges EPA to Block California Electric Truck Mandate, ‘Extreme Environmental Agenda’

Tom Pappert
Jason Miyares

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to maintain its block on the California electric truck mandate created by Governor Gavin Newsom, declaring the state is “playing games with America’s livelihood.”

Miyares on Monday announced he joined a comment letter urging the EPA to maintain its federal block on California’s Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation, which mandates every major commercial trucking company either maintain an “zero-emission-vehicle” (ZEV) fleet or have a plan to retire traditional internal combustion engines in accordance with the regulation.

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Trump Attorneys Ask Judge to Stop Jack Smith from Making Case in ‘Court of Public Opinion’ Before Election

Daily Caller News Foundation

Special counsel Jack Smith should not be allowed to make an important public filing in his election interference case against former president Donald Trump while there are lingering evidence disputes, Trump’s attorneys told the judge Thursday.

His attorneys urged Judge Tanya Chutkan, who set a schedule allowing prosecutors to file the first brief on presidential immunity Sept. 26, to reconsider her decision. Without addressing ongoing evidence issues, Smith’s filing would “amount to an improper motion for summary judgment in the court of public opinion” ahead of the election, they argued.

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Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti Provides Update on Litigation Led by His Office

Kaitlin Housler
MPL and Skrmetti

Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti provided an update on prominent lawsuits his office has filed under his leadership and discussed his goals for the remainder of his eight-year term during an exclusive sit-down interview this week on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.

Skrmetti, who began serving as attorney general in 2022 after being appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court, said, “I’ve been blessed with a great team and there is a lot of work for us to do.”

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Tennessee Sheriff Asks Citizens to Report Suspicious Activity amid ‘Ongoing Border Crisis,’ ‘Growing Homeless Population’

Tom Pappert
Eddie Farris

Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris on Wednesday urged the public to report suspicious activity to his office after photos of Greyhound buses reportedly sparked speculation about illegal immigration in Tennessee.

In a statement posted to the social media platform X, Farris revealed a photograph of two buses with Texas license plates were actually Greyhound buses. One bus had broken down, according to Farris, requiring a second bus to continue transporting passengers.

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Behind the Bench: Insights into Arizona Judges Up for Retention

Rachel Alexander

Arizona voters will choose whether to retain 69 judges up for retention election this fall, the bulk from the Maricopa County Superior Court.

The Arizona Sun Times worked with a team of researchers and insiders to produce a report informing voters on the partisan leanings and contentious decisions from 48 of those judges. Voters angry with judges who found ways to dismiss election lawsuits challenging corruption in the 2020 and 2022 elections have vowed to boot those judges out of office. County officials begin mailing early ballots on October 9.

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Analysis: Sweeping Measure Shows the Real Scale of Border Insecurity Under Biden and Harris

James Agresti
CBP Officer chasing illegal border crossers

For more than half a century, the number of immigrants apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol at the Southwest border has served as a rough proxy for illegal entries. However, this measure has become much less informative in recent years because it doesn’t account for other aspects of border insecurity that have exploded during the Biden/Harris administration. These include:

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Reporter Tom Pappert Raises Major Questions Surrounding Second Would-Be Trump Assassin

Kaitlin Housler
MPL Pappert

Tom Pappert, lead reporter at The Tennessee Star, is raising multiple questions about Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspected assassin in the second foiled attempt to end former President Donald Trump’s life.

On Sunday, Secret Service spotted a barrel of a gun poking out of the shrubbery at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, where the former president was playing that afternoon.

After shooting in the direction of the spotted gun, Routh is reported to have fled the scene in a stolen vehicle.

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House Committee Calls on Five States to Probe ‘Potential Criminal Activity’ Involving ActBlue Donations

Daily Caller News Foundation

Republican Wisconsin Rep. Bryan Steil on Wednesday called on five states to launch probes into ActBlue, a well-known Democratic fundraising platform, over ‘potential criminal activity.’ Steil, chairman of the House Administration Committee, sent five letters addressed to Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody and Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares. The letters to the attorneys general requested that they probe into ActBlue donations in their respective states based on findings from a committee investigation alleging the organization illegally used people’s identities to channel funds to campaigns.

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Congressman Says Homeland Whistleblower Claims Five Assassin Teams Hunting Trump

Admin

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., said Thursday that a senior Homeland Security Department official approached him as a whistleblower shortly before the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump’s life and alleged U.S. officials are aware that five different “assassination teams” are pursuing the former president. Gaetz told Just the News Editor in Chief John Solomon during an interview on the Human Events Daily television show on Real America’s Voice network that he believes three of the teams are foreign inspired and two are domestic based.

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Alaska Man Arrested for Threatening to Murder Six Supreme Court Justices

Daily Caller News Foundation
Supreme Court Justices

An Alaska man was arrested Wednesday for threatening to murder six Supreme Court justices, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Panos Anastasio sent over 465 messages intended for the justices through the Supreme Court’s website between March 2023 and July 2024, which allegedly became threatening after Jan. 4 and included “violent, racist, and homophobic rhetoric coupled with threats of assassination via torture, hanging, and firearms,” according to the indictment. Anastasio, who will come before Judge Kyle Reardon Thursday for a detention hearing, has been temporarily detained, according to court records.

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Multiple Memphis Schools Locked Down After Threatening Messages with Reported Foreign Origin

Tom Pappert
Marie Feagins

Multiple in Memphis and Shelby County locked down their campuses on Wednesday after authorities confirmed threatening messages were posted online. Authorities have stated there was no immediate threat to any schools in the area, and reportedly that the messages were believed to have been created using chat bots and originated outside the United States.

Memphis-Shelby County Schools Superintendent Dr. Marie Feagins revealed a press conference, where she spoke on Wednesday alongside with Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis and Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr., that threats were first received by Southwind High School via a phone call, and later through social media.

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Transgender Covenant Killer’s Journal Hints at Bipolar Disorder, but Prescription List Includes No Medications Associated with Illness

Tom Pappert
Audrey Hale

Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who killed three 9-year-old students and three adult staff members at the Covenant School in March 2023, referenced “bi-polar” in the journal from her “manifesto” released by The Tennessee Star on September 3.

Hale wrote in an entry dated January 16, 2023, “I’ve been anxious all last week, all day today [stressed] then I’m told I’m bi-polar by some prideful b****.”

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With August CBP Data, Illegal Border Crossers Top 2.75 Million This Year

The Center Square

More than 2.75 million foreign nationals have illegally crossed the U.S. border so far this fiscal year.

That total represents nationwide encounters and apprehensions at ports of entry and between ports of entry, including at the northern and southwest borders. Combined, they total 2,756,646 after U.S. Customs and Border Protection released August data. The federal government’s fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.

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DOJ Sues Owner, Operator of Vessel That Hit Francis Scott Key Bridge for $100 Million

Just the News
Francis Scott Key Bridge wreckage

The U.S. Department of Justice sued the owner and operator of the vessel that hit Francis Scott Key Bridge on Wednesday for $100 million in May.

“The Justice Department is committed to ensuring accountability for those responsible for the destruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which resulted in the tragic deaths of six people and disrupted our country’s transportation and defense infrastructure,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in a statement. 

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Commentary: DOJ Gets Political Before 2024 Election

RealClearWire

Attorney General Merrick Garland broke precedent just weeks before the November election, delivering politically charged remarks at the U.S. Attorneys’ National Conference in Washington – pointedly speaking publicly rather than privately in a departure from his usual practice. “Our norms are a promise that we will not allow this department to be used as a political weapon,” he said before a packed house, gathered in the Great Hall of DOJ headquarters on Sept. 12. “Federal prosecutors and agents may never make a decision regarding an investigation or prosecution for the purpose of affecting any election or the purpose of giving an advantage or disadvantage to any candidate or political party.”

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John Eastman Appeals California Disbarment over His 2020 Election Legal Work, Calls the Prosecution Orwellian

Rachel Alexander

Donald Trump’s former attorney and constitutional legal scholar, John Eastman, filed an opening brief with the California State Bar Court last week appealing his disbarment for assisting Donald Trump with legal representation regarding the 2020 election illegalities. California Disciplinary Judge Yvette Roland formed her opinion by determining that Eastman’s legal opinions were wrong and that there was no election wrongdoing.

The brief said, “[T]his prosecution should never have taken place. It is, rather, a manifestation of George Orwell’s dystopic depiction of authoritarianism — statements by the Government, no matter how demonstrably false or suspect, must be accepted as truth.”

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Judge Rules Kennedy Will Remain on Wisconsin Ballot

The Center Square
RFK JR

A Dane County Circuit court ruled against former Independent party presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., siding with the Wisconsin Election Commission’s decision to keep Kennedy’s name on the state’s ballot this November, despite his withdrawal from the race and request for removal.

Kennedy’s lawsuit argued that, absent a compelling reason, the state’s different treatment for third party candidates violates the Equal Protection Clause and the First Amendment. It claimed the different deadlines for ballot withdrawal for major party candidates versus third-party candidates – Sept. 3 for the former and Aug. 6 for the latter – are unlawfully discriminatory.

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Georgia Supreme Court Dismisses Catoosa County GOP Ballot Challenge

The Center Square
Larry Black

The Supreme Court of Georgia dismissed a challenge by the Catoosa County Republican Party to keep four candidates off the primary ballot, as the primary and the runoff election have already occurred.

Republicans challenged the candidacies of Steven M. Henry, Larry C. Black, Jeffrey K. Long and Vanita C. Hullander, saying their views did not align with the party.

The case was appealed to Georgia’s highest court.

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Shoplifting and Vehicle Thefts Soared as Haitian Migrants Poured into Ohio Town, Police Data Shows

Daily Caller News Foundation

Reports of shoplifting and vehicle theft increased considerably in Springfield, Ohio, following the arrival of thousands of Haitian refugees, according to data obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation through a records request. The town, which had a population of 58,622 in 2020, has taken in between 12,000 and 20,000 Haitian refugees over the past three years, marking a population increase of between 20.4% and 34.1%. From 2021 to 2023, Springfield also saw a 51.5% jump in motor vehicle theft reports and a 112.8% spike in reports of shoplifting, data provided by the Springfield Police Division shows.

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DeSantis Says He Wants Life in Prison for Routh

The Center Square
Ron DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday the state has the jurisdiction to prosecute Ryan Wesley Routh for attempted murder and will be more transparent in its investigation than the federal government.

Routh raised an assault-style rifle as former President Donald Trump golfed on Sunday. Routh is the subject of three assassination investigations and could face life in prison if convicted for attempted murder.

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Sen. Blackburn Demands Secret Service Increase Trump’s Security on Heels of ‘Unfathomable’ Second Assassination Attempt

Tom Pappert
Senator Marsha Blackburn

Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Monday demanded the U.S. Secret Service increase the level of security provided to former President Donald Trump to that of a sitting president, calling the second attempt to assassinate the former president, which happened on Sunday in Florida, an “unfathomable and unacceptable” development for the agency.

Blackburn revealed her demand in a letter to Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe, who began leading the agency following the resignation of former director Kimberly Cheatle as the agency’s shortcomings during the first assassination attempt were revealed.

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After Arrest of Citizen Goes Viral, Surprise Councilman Seeks to End Controversial Ban on Criticism

The Center Square

Surprise Councilman Jack Hastings wants to get rid of the city’s public comment policy that has landed the city in legal hot water.

“On Tuesday, at our next City Council Meeting, I will make a motion and/or vote to remove the rule that prohibits complaints against elected officials and city staff members during the public comment portion of our meetings,” he posted on Friday. 

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FBI Report Estimates $5.6 Billion in Cryptocurrency Fraud Losses

The Center Square
Currency, cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency scams and fraud in 2023 contributed to an estimated $5.6 billion in losses, a report from one of the federal government’s top law enforcement agencies says. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Cryptocurrency Fraud Report for 2023 found that the vast majority of losses – about $3.9 million – were related to cryptocurrency investment scams. 

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Secret Service Failed to Adequately Secure Hospital After July 13 Assassination Attempt on Trump: Whistleblowers

Tom Pappert
Sen. Josh Howley

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) on Monday released a whistleblower report containing new allegations involving negligence and incompetence on behalf of the U.S. Secret Service during the July 13 attempt to assassinate former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Hawley wrote in a post to the social media platform X that his decision to release the platform follows “the latest assassination attempt on [Trump],” which the FBI confirmed occurred on Sunday at the former president’s golf course in West Palm Beach.

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DOJ Charges Illegal Immigrant with Voting in Multiple Elections

Admin
Gavel court judge order

Amid debate in Congress over requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, federal prosecutors in Alabama charged an illegal immigrant with obtaining a false identity in 2011 and voting unlawfully in multiple elections, including two presidential contests.

The Justice Department announced that the illegal immigrant from Guatemala agreed to a guilty plea after being charged with nine counts.

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California Judge Blocks School’s Policy Notifying Parents of Gender Transitions

American Greatness
Moms with kids

In California, a county judge has issued a ruling forbidding a school district from enacting its policy of requiring teachers and staff to inform parents whenever their child plans on “transitioning” their gender or using different pronouns besides their correct ones.

As reported by Fox News, San Bernardino County Judge Michael Sachs had previously issued his preliminary injunction against the Chino Valley Unified (CVU) school district last year; now, following the passing of a state law that forbids schools statewide from informing parents of such drastic decisions by their students, Judge Sachs has permanently struck down CVU’s policy.

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Texas Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments on Texas Bar’s Lawfare Against Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Top Deputy over 2020 Election Lawsuit

Rachel Alexander
Texas A.G. Ken Paxton and Fist Asst A.G. Brent Webster

The Texas Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Thursday appealing the State Bar of Texas’s discipline of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s top deputy for bringing the election lawsuit Texas v. Pennsylvania with Paxton over the election irregularities in four states in 2020, which was joined by 21 other states. The bar’s Commission for Lawyer Discipline filed lawsuits against Paxton and First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster in 2022 asking for sanctions over allegedly violating several broad, vague ethical rules increasingly used to target conservative attorneys. 

The bar claimed that Paxton and Webster violated the ethical rule against making “false statements of material fact or law to a tribunal” when they alleged there were unregistered voters and other types of illegal votes, and that tabulators from Dominion Voting Systems switched votes from Donald Trump to Joe Biden. They were also accused of violating an ethical rule that prohibits conduct “involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or misrepresentation” and a third rule that prohibits bringing frivolous claims.

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Alleged Apalachee High School Shooter Also Reportedly Sent Apology Text to Father Before Attack

Tom Pappert
Texting

The 14-year-old police say is responsible for killing four and injuring nine at Apalachee High School reportedly sent a text message to his father apologizing, a Friday report claimed emergency services dispatch records showed.

Existence of the the purported message from Colt Gray to his father, Colin Gray, was revealed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which reported the maternal aunt of the accused killer called law enforcement about an hour after the shooting.

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Embattled Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert Avoids Immediate Removal as Judge Grants Three-Day Extension

Tom Pappert
Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert

Shelby County Clerk Wanda Halbert will remain in her position amid an ongoing legal effort to remove her from office after Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Felicia Corbin-Johnson determined it would be “unfair” to remove the clerk at this early stage.

Corbin-Johnson was asked to hold Halbert in default after she filed a motion to dismiss after a legal petition was filed for her removal, Fox 13 Memphis reported on Friday, adding that private attorney Robert Meyers argued for Shelby County that Tennessee law requires Halbert to respond to the substance of the petition within 20 days.

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IRS Whistleblowers Sue Hunter Biden’s Defense Counsel for Defamation

Daily Caller News Foundation

The two IRS agents who blew the whistle on the Hunter Biden tax investigation and significantly altered the course of the case, on Friday night sued the first son’s lawyer Abbe Lowell for defamation.

The two whistleblowers, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, are suing for libel because of the alleged damage done to their careers, and are requesting a jury trial in Washington, D.C.

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Fani Willis Defies Subpoena from State Investigative Committee to Attend Black Caucus Event in D.C.

Daily Caller News Foundation
Fani Willis

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis defied a subpoena Friday issued by a Georgia state senate committee investigating her alleged misconduct.

Rather than testify before the committee, Willis is scheduled to attend the annual legislative conference for the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington, D.C. An agenda for the Georgia Senate Special Committee on Investigations hearing stated Willis would provide “sworn testimony,” but state Republican Sen. Bill Cowsert began the meeting by announcing Willis would not appear.

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‘My Signature Has Been Forged’: DeSantis Probes Florida Pro-Abortion Ballot Measure Petitions amid Fraud Allegations

Admin
Ron DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is asking law enforcement to “prioritize” the investigation into what may be “fraudulent” signatures on petitions to get a pro-abortion measure on the Nov. 5 ballot, according to a letter shared with The Daily Signal.

The Palm Beach Supervisor of Elections’ office received complaints from voters about their signatures being forged on constitutional initiative petitions circulated by Floridians Protecting Freedom, the pro-abortion coalition behind an amendment that would legalize abortion on demand up to birth.

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Accused Killer Colt Gray Missed Nine of 12 Possible School Days After Enrolling Two Weeks Late at Apalachee High School: GBI

Tom Pappert
Colt Gray

Colt Gray, who authorities say killed four at the Apalachee High School on September 4, missed nine days of school after enrolling two weeks after classes commenced for the 2024 school year, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) revealed on Friday.

The GBI confirmed Colt Gray was enrolled at the high school on August 14, indicating he began attending two weeks after the Barrow County School System calendar indicates classes began.

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