Daily Update | August 3, 2017

8/3/17  //  Daily Update

DOJ will investigate race-based university admissions practices. Secretary of State Tillerson refuses to spend funds already appropriated by Congress to fight terrorist propaganda and Russian disinformation. DOE Secretary Betsy DeVos is no longer pursuing plans to overhaul student loan servicing. The White House threatened to end subsidies for insurance payments under the Affordable Care Act. President Trump signed the Russia sanctions bill but expressed concerns about it. Analysis continues of reports that President Trump helped shape Donald Trump Jr.’s statement about a meeting with a Russian lawyer during the election.

Daily Update | August 2, 2017

8/2/17  //  Daily Update

The Department of Justice is seeking lawyers to work on a project on “investigations and possible litigation related to intentional race-based discrimination in college and university admissions” that will likely target affirmative action programs. Retired Generals and Admirals have spoken out against President Trump’s ban on transgender individuals in the military. The United States sanctioned Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by freezing his American assets and banning Americans from doing business with him. The Senate confirmed Christopher Wray, President Trump’s nominee for FBI Director.

Daily Update | August 1, 2017

8/1/17  //  Daily Update

Controversial ex-Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio has been convicted of criminal contempt for refusing to follow court’s orders to stop detaining people he thought were undocumented. After 10 days, Anthony Scaramucci is out as director of communications. Meanwhile, President Trump says there’s no chaos at the White House and continues to threaten to cut funding for lawmakers’ health care.

Daily Update | July 31, 2017

7/31/17  //  Daily Update

The EEOC and the DOJ have filed amicus briefs on opposite sides of a case on whether sexual orientation is protected under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In a speech at the Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood, President Trump vowed to end gang violence while also endorsing police brutality. A new Republican health care effort being led by Senator Lindsey Graham would block grant federal funding. Chief of Staff Reince Priebus has resigned and will be replaced by the Secretary of Homeland Security, John F. Kelly.

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Daily Update | July 28, 2017

7/28/17  //  Daily Update

Pentagon officials have declined to reinstitute a ban on transgender troops serving in the military in the absence of formal policy guidelines. The DOJ has filed an amicus brief in the Second Circuit arguing that employers are not prohibited from discriminating against employees on the basis of sexual orientation. The Trump Administration has asked the Ninth Circuit to again limit immigrants who fall under the definition of a bona fide relationship for immigration purposes. Senate movement on a “Skinny Repeal” bill has prompted numerous analyses.

Daily Update | July 27, 2017

7/27/17  //  Daily Update

President Trump tweets a new prohibition on transgender individuals serving in the military. Congress pushes forward with a “skinny repeal” of the Affordable Care Act. And the Trump Administration attempts to pull federal funding from sanctuary cities.

Daily Update | July 26, 2017

7/26/17  //  Daily Update

President Trump continues to criticize his Attorney General. The Senate takes another step towards repealing the Affordable Care Act. And Jared Kushner faces another day of testimony before the House Intelligence Committee.

Daily Update | July 25, 2017

7/25/17  //  Daily Update

A federal district court refuses to halt the Election Integrity Commission’s requests to states for certain voter data. Massachusetts’ highest court rules that the federal government cannot ask the state to detain individuals solely to enforce federal immigration law. President Trump’s attorneys ask the Sixth Circuit to halt a pending case against him arising from his conduct at a campaign rally. And the New York Times reports on a Clinton-era memo arguing that a sitting President may, in fact, be criminally indicted.

Daily Update | July 24, 2017

7/24/17  //  Daily Update

Commentators continue to criticize the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. The Department of Justice will prosecute an al-Qaeda suspect in Philadelphia. The White House will likely accept Congress’ Russia sanctions bill. President Trump has targeted the Robert Mueller investigation and has considered pardoning himself and those in his immediate circle.

Daily Update | July 21, 2017

7/21/17  //  Daily Update

The Senate has confirmed John Bush to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. The ACLU has filed suit against the Trump administration to get details on plans to roll back civil rights in the name of religious freedom. Attorney General Jeff Sessions plans to remain in his position, despite criticism from President Trump about his recusal from the Russia investigation. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has expanded his investigation to include a range of business transactions involving the President and his associates.

Daily Update | July 20, 2017

7/20/17  //  Daily Update

In litigation over the revised travel ban, the Supreme Court stayed portions of Judge Watson’s order granting relief to refugees, but declined to block relief to relatives. President Trump regrets appointing Attorney General Jeff Sessions given Sessions’ decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. Jared Kushner will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on ties to Russia. President Trump is working to transform the judiciary.

Daily Update | July 20, 2017

7/20/17  //  Daily Update

In litigation over the revised travel ban, the Supreme Court stayed portions of Judge Watson’s order granting relief to refugees, but declined to block relief concerning relatives. President Trump regrets appointing Attorney General Jeff Sessions given Sessions’ decision to recuse himself from the Russia investigation. Jared Kushner will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on ties to Russia. President Trump is working to transform the judiciary.

Daily Update | July 19, 2017

7/19/17  //  Daily Update

Hawaii has urged the Supreme Court to disregard the federal government’s request for clarification on a bona fide relationship. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund has filed a lawsuit alleging that the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity intends to discriminate against voters of color. An effort to repeal aspects of the Affordable Care Act without replacing them in the Senate has failed. More details have emerged about the June 9, 2016 meeting held by Donald Trump Jr., which has spurred legal analyses about the implications of these new details.

Daily Update | July 18, 2017

7/18/17  //  Daily Update

Senators Jerry Moran and Mike Lee announced their opposition to the Republican healthcare reconciliation bill, all but guaranteeing its failure. The White House Voter Fraud commission is hoping to propose federal legislation that would put new restrictions on voting. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that he will issue a directive on civil asset-forfeiture encouraging police departments to seize more property from criminal defendants. And Special Counsel Robert Mueller is likely to investigate the President’s senior advisor (and son-in-law) Jared Kushner’s repeated failure to disclose meetings with Russians on his security-clearance forms.

Daily Update | July 17, 2017

7/17/17  //  Daily Update

The government has asked the Supreme Court to clarify its June 26th ruling partially blocking the revised entry ban after a Hawaii district court issued a revised injunction in the case. The Presidential Commission on Election Integrity has published comments critical of its work, as well as the names and contact information of their authors, and Commission Vice Chair Kris Kobach was revealed to have proposed revisions to the National Voter Registration Act requiring proof of citizenship from all registrants. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has published an op-ed defending the DOJ policy requiring prosecutors to seek the most serious charges possible. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has asked the Senate to roll back rules to allow the DOJ to impose a federal ban on medical marijuana.