Even as the Supreme Court takes more time than expected to decide its part in the constitutional controversy over how voting is to be done this year for the 18 House of Representatives members from Pennsylvania, a federal trial court in Harrisburg, PA, is pondering a complex question of states’ rights that could end the… Read More
Pennsylvania voting dispute in limbo, for now
The high-profile constitutional fight in Pennsylvania over voting for Congress this year will remain in limbo at least for the next few days, with no action at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., and a lengthy hearing but no decision in a federal court in Harrisburg, PA, on Friday. The Supreme Court closed for the… Read More
Justices urged to see political impact of Pennsylvania voting case
Two prominent leaders in Republican politics have urged the Supreme Court to consider the Pennsylvania redistricting case as a part of this year’s intense political battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives – an issue outside the constitutional issues at stake. The frankly political assessment of the case’s potential impact was laid out… Read More
Statewide elections for House seats in Pennsylvania?
A group of Democratic voters in Pennsylvania told a federal court on Friday that, if it barred the use of a congressional election map drawn up by the state’s Supreme Court, candidates seeking all 18 of the state’s seats in the U.S. House of Representatives would have to run statewide rather than in 18 separate… Read More
Justices review of second immigration case opposed
The Trump Administration on Wednesday urged the Supreme Court to turn down a request that it move swiftly to review a second case testing the White House order limiting immigration from six Muslim-majority nations. In a brief filing submitted one day before it was due, Administration lawyers argued that adding a new case would complicate… Read More
A second setback for Trump team on DACA
In a second significant setback this week for the Trump Administration on its immigration policy, a federal judge in Los Angeles has barred government officials from taking away legal protection of “DACA” immigrants without using a fair procedure. The judge’s ruling Monday night in favor of those covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals… Read More
Justices won’t review DACA for now
In a setback for the Trump Administration, the Supreme Court refused on Monday to adopt a special, fast procedure to rule on the government’s power to shut down the program of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The brief order urged a federal appeals court to move “expeditiously” to decide an Administration appeal pending there,… Read More
Second appeal pressed on Trump immigration limits
A group of challengers who succeeded in a lower court on their claim that President Trump acted unconstitutionally in issuing the third version of his plan to block entry into the U.S. of foreign nationals from Muslim-majority nations asked the Supreme Court on Friday to review their case, too. This group specifically asked the Justices… Read More
Federal court won’t block Pa. voting map — for now
A three-judge federal court in Harrisburg, PA, has refused – for now – to block Pennsylvania officials from going forward with plans to hold congressional elections this year using new districts drafted by the state’s Supreme Court. In a three-page order issued Friday afternoon, the panel indicated that it probably will not take any further… Read More
Trump immigration case hearing set for April 25
The Supreme Court on Friday picked the last scheduled day this term for hearings – April 25 – to hear lawyers argue the validity of President Trump’s plan to deny future entry to the U.S. of tens of millions of foreign nationals from six Muslim-majority nations. The April argument list issued Friday morning still left… Read More