Latest News
Trump Incites Opposition with Nomination of Todd Blanche as U.S. Attorney General
President Donald Trump’s announcement last week that he would nominate his former personal lawyer as U.S. attorney general is creating skepticism even among a few Republicans in Congress.
Todd Blanche has been serving as acting attorney general for the past two months. Trump said at a White House event that he would nominate him to take over leadership of the Justice Department.
“We are going to make him permanent attorney general,” Trump said at a private dinner. Later on social media he praised Blanche as “a very talented and respected Legal Mind.”
Despite the president’s backing, the nomination is igniting intense controversy on Capitol Hill.
Blanche’s critics in Congress say he has weaponized the Justice Department to assist Trump in personal reprisals.
Nonprofit Sues to Block Martial Arts Fight on South Lawn of White House
A federal lawsuit filed last Saturday by a nonprofit organization is challenging plans for a large mixed martial arts event scheduled for June 14 on the White House South Lawn as part of America 250 celebrations.
The plaintiffs argue that the event violates federal rules on use of public lands and historic sites.
They also say President Donald Trump bypassed required environmental and regulatory reviews for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event.
The White House has dismissed the lawsuit as politically motivated.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents says the event is a for-profit enterprise using government property. Trump is an investor in stock of TKO Group Holdings, a publicly traded company that owns the UFC, according to his financial disclosure filings.
Pentagon Bars Journalists From Press Office Amid Security Concerns
The Defense Department is banning journalists from the Pentagon press room amid tightening of security protocols and the escalating conflict with Iran.
The policy revokes physical access to the briefing room and limits attendance to highly vetted media members who have agreed to publish only pre-approved stories.
The announcement last week met with condemnation from major press freedom advocacy organizations.
Watchdog groups like the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press denounced the restriction as an unconstitutional assault on First Amendment rights.
Mark Schoeff Jr., president of the National Press Club, said in a statement, "Calling a press workspace 'classified' does not make the government more transparent. It creates yet another obstacle between journalists and the information Americans have a right to know, especially at a moment when the public needs clear, unfiltered information about the U.S. military."
Legal Briefs
Legal Aid Advocates Tell D.C. Council Renters Often Lack Representation
Legal aid organizations are urging the District of Columbia Council to preserve funding for housing-related legal services as they advocate for thousands of residents who face eviction, foreclosure and similar disputes without the help of attorneys.
Their testimony was part of recent council hearings examining the District's Access to Justice Initiative.
Molly Catchen, an attorney for the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, referred to the city’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), when she said that "in a time of unprecedented need, rising rents, and a continued affordability crisis, ERAP remains one of the only locally-funded programs standing between many families facing an emergency and homelessness."
The D.C. Access to Justice Commission said in a statement that "the vast majority of landlords (95 percent) benefit from legal representation, as opposed to the [vast majority] of tenants who go without representation."
The recent hearings are expected to influence budget proposals as the Council decides whether to continue legal aid funding.
A D.C. Council Judiciary Committee report found that attorneys supported by the District's Access to Justice Initiative helped 82 percent of represented tenants either avoid eviction or regain possession of their housing.
Some of the housing advocates argued that failing to provide legal assistance could be the more costly option.
They said that providing legal representation to low income residents could reduce homelessness and limit dependence on social services, such as emergency shelters. They also said preventing housing instability often costs the government less than the consequences after families have been displaced.
Housing has emerged as a significant issue in the upcoming midterm elections for Washington.
D.C. in Brief
D.C. Cannabis Board Approves Retail License Despite Daycare Center’s Opposition
A District of Columbia administrative board cleared the way last week for a new medical cannabis dispensary to open in Northeast Washington.
The board dismissed objections from neighborhood residents who argued the storefront sits too close to a local daycare facility.
The decision renewed ongoing tension between the city’s rapidly expanding legal cannabis market and local zoning protections for children.
The District’s Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Board voted unanimously to approve the retailer's license application, concluding that the establishment met all municipal distance requirements.
Under current District law, cannabis retailers are prohibited from operating within 300 feet of schools and recreation centers. The statutory language does not extend the same restriction to privately owned daycare centers.
"The board is bound by the plain language of the existing statute, which clearly delineates the types of protected facilities," said ABC Board Chairperson Donovan Anderson in the written ruling. "While the board acknowledges the community's deeply felt anxieties regarding the proximity of cannabis businesses to spaces frequented by toddlers and infants, we cannot unilaterally rewrite District law to expand those definitions."
The dispute centered around a planned retail location on a busy commercial corridor, located doors away from a licensed early childhood development center. For months, anxious parents and neighborhood activists petitioned the board to deny the license, warning that the business would expose young children to secondhand smoke, loitering, and advertising inappropriate for their ages.
"We are incredibly disappointed that bureaucratic semantics are being prioritized over the safety and well-being of our youngest residents," said Eleanor Vance, executive director of the neighboring Little Sprouts Learning Center. "Every single day, dozens of parents drop off infants and toddlers at our facility, and they should not have to navigate a perimeter of cannabis commerce just to get their children to preschool."
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We Could Use Your Help
Thousands of DC residents need a lawyer, but can’t afford one. They could be illegally evicted from their homes, lose custody of their children, experience domestic violence, and more, all because they lack legal representation.
You could make a difference. By making a donation to the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, you will provide free, high-quality, zealous legal representation to low-income DC residents.
Your support could prevent homelessness, domestic violence, hunger, or family separation. In fact, if just 10 people who see this ad give $28 to Legal Aid, it will be enough to staff an experienced attorney at the courthouse for a day.
That way, DC residents like Keith King (pictured above) can get the legal representation they need to win their cases. As Mr. King put it, if it wasn’t for his Legal Aid lawyer, “I would have been homeless again.”
Here is the link to the Legal Aid website for donations: https://www.legalaiddc.org/donate-to-legal-aid/
For more information, contact Rob Pergament at Legal Aid at rpergament@legalaiddc.org
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We fight alongside people facing the effects of gentrification like Amira Moore. Our work empowers the people and communities who need it most, “We can do more than we think. There’s a path to equity, we just have to step to it.” –Ms. Moore
For more than 50 years, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee has been on the frontlines of the fight for civil rights in our community. We deploy the best legal talent, we tackle the tough cases, we fight, and we win.
Our work is as important today as it has ever been. Through your support, you can play a role in creating justice for thousands of marginalized members of our community. Together, we will dismantle injustice and pursue lasting change.
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