Abigail DeHart  //  1/15/19  //  Daily Update

Attorney General nominee Bill Barr said in written testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee that Special Counsel Robert Mueller should be allowed to complete his investigation. More than 40,000 immigration hearings across the country have been cancelled because of backlogs due to the government shutdown. President Trump threatened to economically “devastate” Turkey if it attacked U.S. Kurdish partners in Syria following U.S. withdrawal. A federal judge in California temporarily blocked new rules that would have allowed employers to opt out of the ACA's contraceptive mandate from going into effect in several states. The Department of Education is expected to issue a proposal this month which would change work rules for people with disabilities.

TRUMP: INVESTIGATIONS AND LITIGATION

Attorney General nominee Bill Barr said in written testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee that Special Counsel Robert Mueller should be allowed to complete his investigation (WaPo).

A memo about the Mueller investigation written to the DOJ last summer by Attorney General nominee, Bill Barr ought to disqualify him, contends Neil J. Kinkopf at Take Care.

In response to the FBI counterintelligence probe into President Trump, the DOJ Inspector General should be given more authority to investigate, argues Stewart Baker at Lawfare.

IMMIGRATION

On the 24th day of the government shutdown, President Trump seemed to back down from his threat to declare a national emergency to fund his proposed border wall (LATimes).

More than 40,000 immigration hearings across the country have been cancelled because of backlogs due to the government shutdown (CNN).

JUSTICE AND SAFETY 

President Trump threatened to economically “devastate” Turkey if it attacked U.S. Kurdish partners in Syria following U.S. withdrawal (Reuters, WaPo).

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced new proposed rules that would allow drones to fly at night without a waiver and permit flights over populated areas (The Hill).

In addition to the domestic legal implications, there are international issues with President Trump using emergency powers to secure borders in the United States (Just Security).

REGULATION

A federal judge in California temporarily blocked new rules that would have allowed employers to opt out of the ACA's contraceptive mandate from going into effect in several states (NYT, Politico)

• Analysis of this opinion and broader issues with the contraception rules can be found here written by Nick Bagley at Take Care.

The Department of Education is expected to issue a proposal this month which would change work rules for people with disabilities (Disability Scoop).

RULE OF LAW

Democratic politics plays a central role in determining the success or failure of special prosecutor investigations into U.S. presidents, writes Andrew Coan at Take Care.

CHECKS AND BALANCES

Neomi Rao, President Trump's nominee to the DC Circuit, was reported to have published controversial statements about date rape, LGBT rights, race relations, and other sensitive topics during her undergraduate studies (CNN, Buzzfeed).

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