Kyle Skinner  //  2/11/19  //  Daily Update

Paul Manafort continued political work for Ukraine months after his indictment, and may have lied in the hopes of getting a pardon. The Supreme Court blocks a Louisiana abortion law from going into effect. Georgia voters suing for paper ballots win their appeal to the 11th Circuit. SCOTUS vacates a stay of execution for a man who wanted a Muslim chaplain at his side. 2018 was a record-low year for EPA enforcement. The legal challenge to Trump’s executive order requiring a “two-for-one” elimination of regulations continues to discovery. DHS unveils a new “Remain in Mexico” plan.

TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS & LITIGATION

Robert Mueller argues that a limited gag order is appropriate in the Roger Stone case (The Hill).

Some members of Congress reportedly discussing removing “so help me God” from pre-testimony oath (USA Today).

Joyce Stone asks what the public will find out about Roger Stone’s connections to Wikileaks (Just Security).

Manafort continued political work for Ukraine months after his indictment, and may have lied in the hopes of getting a pardon (WaPo).

IMMIGRATION

Patrick Leahy says deal on border funding “95 to 98 percent done” (NYT).

• Trump offends El Paso with comments on border danger (NYT).
• Work at the border becomes increasingly difficult for journalists, lawyers, and activists (The Volokh Conspiracy).
• Two Congressmen have a poster-based war over immigration (WaPo).
• The Governor of New Mexico doesn’t want a militarized border (NYT).

Obama tripled migrant processing at border, while Trump has halved it, writes David Bier.

DHS unveils a new “Remain in Mexico” plan (Lawfare).

CIVIL RIGHTS

The Supreme Court blocks a Louisiana abortion law from going into effect (SCOTUS Blog).

• Kavanaugh issues the dissent while Roberts joined the liberal wing to block the law (The Hill, Slate, Bloomberg). 
• The decision puts Roe on “life support” (Think Progress).

• Despite the temporary set-back, anti-abortion activists are still closer than ever to achieving their ends (NYT).

• Leah Litman says the so-called victory is a map to how Roe will be overturned (WaPo).

Michael McGough writes that Roberts is simply not ready to “jolt” the legal system, referencing his confirmation testimony (NYT, LA Times, AP, Reuters). 

States are shifting farther apart on abortion rights, reports Jacob Gershman. 

SCOTUS vacates a stay of execution for a man who wanted Muslim chaplain at his side (Religion Clause).

President Trump says his administration has taken “historic action to protect religious liberty” (Religion Clause).

DEMOCRACY

Justice Kagan’s speculations in Whitford on the associational harms of gerrymandering are well-placed, writes Nicholas Stephanopoulos.

NC poll worker pleads guilty to advising noncitizen to register and vote (Election Law Blog).

Georgia voters suing for paper ballots win their appeal to the 11th Circuit (Election Law Blog).

REGULATION

Recent legislation aimed at protecting federal employees may have unintended consequences, writes Sam Wice.

2018 was a record-low year for EPA enforcement (The Hill).

The legal challenge to Trump’s executive order requiring a “two-for-one” elimination of regulations continues to discovery (Notice & Comment).

CHECKS & BALANCES

Lydia Wheeler discusses Noel Francisco’s repeated requests for SCOTUS to grant review before judgement.

Victor Hill argues for changes in Senate confirmation rules (The Hill).

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