Latest News
Justice Dept. Sues D.C. Bar Over Disciplinary Action Against Trump Attorneys
The Justice Department is suing to block disciplinary proceedings by the District of Columbia Bar against attorneys who served in the Trump administration in a lawsuit that asserts politics not ethics violations is the key issue.
The lawsuit argues that local authorities lack constitutional authority to police federal lawyers for conduct performed in their official roles.
The dispute is a test of local jurisdiction over attorney accountability in Washington and has major implications for former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and others who assisted Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The D.C. Bar counsel argues that Clark and other Trump administration attorneys violated Rules of Professional Responsibility that ban dishonesty, fraud and deceit.
Clark drafted a letter urging Georgia officials to reconsider election results based on claims of voter fraud that started with President Donald Trump.
Supreme Court Justice Jackson Alleges Politicization of Recent Rulings
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is publicly warning that the Supreme Court risks losing public confidence because of perceptions that recent rulings appear politically driven.
Her remarks came after contentious decisions involving voting rights and redistricting.
The comments have intensified debate in Congress over what some lawmakers claim is the increasingly partisan nature of major constitutional rulings.
Jackson made the remarks during an appearance last week before the American Law Institute in Washington, where she discussed the Supreme Court decision in Louisiana v. Callais.
The court ruled April 29 that Louisiana’s congressional map containing a second majority-Black district was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander because the 1965 Voting Rights Act did not require the state to create the district.
Justice Dept. Plans “Summer Surge” in D.C. During 250th U.S. Anniversary
The Justice Department announced last week that it is embarking on a law enforcement “summer surge” for Washington, D.C., in preparation for the U.S. 250th anniversary celebration in July.
Officials said their goal is to deter crime and ensure that visitors can safely attend the America 250 festivities on the National Mall and surrounding areas. The celebration is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to Washington for fireworks, concerts and other commemorative events.
They did not identify a specific threat, only a desire to be preventive.
Operation D.C. Safe and Beautiful includes a controversial plan to prosecute parents who fail to control their teenagers.
Parents whose kids violate the city’s late-night curfew face fines and possible jail, Interim U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said.
Legal Briefs
Charges Dismissed Against School Administrator After 6-year-old Shoots Teacher
A Virginia judge last week dismissed criminal charges against a former school administrator accused of failing to prevent a 6-year-old student from shooting a first-grade teacher.
The case drew national attention on school safety and the liability of administrators.
The ruling ended the prosecution of former Richneck Elementary assistant principal Ebony Parker midway through her trial in Newport News.
Judge Rebecca Robinson dismissed eight felony child neglect charges. Prosecutors argued Parker ignored repeated warnings from staff members that the child may have brought a handgun to school on Jan. 6, 2023, before he shot teacher Abby Zwerner during class.
“The court is of the legal opinion that this is not a crime,” Robinson said in court while dismissing the charges.
Special prosecutor Josh Jenkins told jurors during the trial that “warning after warning after warning, she did nothing.” She should have searched the student, removed him from class, or contacted police, he said.
One teacher testified that another student claimed to have seen the weapon.
Defense attorneys argued Parker made mistakes but did not commit a crime. They said prosecutors were interpreting Virginia law beyond its intended scope by criminalizing omissions rather than deliberate harm to children.
The boy brought his mother’s legally purchased 9mm handgun to school and fired a single shot that seriously wounded Zwerner. She survived but suffered serious injuries.
D.C. in Brief
D.C. and Maryland Join Lawsuit Against Education Dept. Loan Restrictions
The District of Columbia joined a coalition of 25 states in filing a lawsuit May 19 against the U.S. Department of Education that accuses the agency of unlawfully restricting access to federal student loans.
The lawsuit challenges loan restrictions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for healthcare students pursuing advanced degrees. The restrictions are scheduled to take effect July 1.
A new rule drastically narrows the definition of what constitutes a "professional degree" eligible for the highest loan amounts.
Hardest hit would be thousands of students studying to become nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physical and occupational therapists and speech pathologists. They are no longer considered to be pursuing professional degrees.
The One Big Beautiful Bill sought to protect students from loans that could keep them indebted for decades.
Total U.S. student debt from public and private lenders is estimated at $1.83 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve System. The federal government’s share of it is about $1.7 trillion.
The lawsuit argues that the rule would instead prevent students from getting the degrees they need to enter the workforce in their chosen professions.
Under the new rule, non-professional degree graduate students would be limited to $20,500 annually, or a $100,000 lifetime aggregate. Professional Degree Students would be granted higher borrowing caps of up to $50,000 annually, or a $200,000 lifetime aggregate.
The rule says an eligible professional degree requires at least six years of postsecondary education, must be "generally at the doctoral level," and require specific state licensure to practice.
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