Latest News
Judge Stops Trump from Requiring Election Changes to Get Terrorism Grants
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., last week blocked the Trump administration from conditioning federal counterterrorism grants on state and local governments adopting policies that conform with the president’s preferences on how elections are administered.
The case was filed by six local governments in Texas, Ohio and Tennessee against the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“Congress did not create the [Homeland Security Grant Program] to empower the federal government to control state and local election procedures,” their lawsuit says.
Under the Elections Clause of the Constitution, states control how elections are administered. President Donald Trump wants more federal control.
The court ruling addressed the constitutional question of whether the executive branch can use federal spending to influence state elections.
Senate Panel Examines Rogue AI Threats as Trump Backs Industry Self-Policing
A Georgetown University law professor advocated last week during a Senate hearing for new laws to protect the United States from potentially harmful artificial intelligence that acts outside its intended instructions.
The hearing coincided with lawmakers trying to confront problems with autonomous AI systems – known as rogues – that penetrated government computer networks.
The federal government is trying to decide between voluntary safeguards developed by the technology industry or congressional intervention to protect national security and infrastructure.
“Every day you turn on the television it seems like AI is doing something else bad,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Disaster Management.
He said he preferred a policy toward AI companies that followed the idea, “If you break it, you pay for it. If you cause damage, you clean it up.”
Trump Seeks to Cancel $810 Million Congress Approved for Domestic Programs
The Trump administration set up another constitutional challenge late last month by trying to cancel or withhold $810 million in congressionally approved funding for domestic programs.
The move is prompting a dispute over the balance between the authority of Congress to appropriate funding and the authority of the president to control federal spending
Article 1 of the Constitution requires that money be spent from the U.S. Treasury after Congress approves it. Article 2 requires the president to abide by the laws passed by Congress.
A Trump administration statement said the president does not believe the money would be spent wisely. President Donald Trump claimed discretion to cancel the funding under a rarely employed budgetary maneuver known as a “pocket rescission.”
Much of the money would be used to assist refugees and migrants, as well as for education, housing counseling and minority business programs.
Legal Briefs
D.C. Judge Permanently Dismisses Case Against Olympian Accused of Reflecting Pool Vandalism
A Washington, D.C. Superior Court judge permanently dismissed the vandalism case last week against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn after he was accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
Later evidence proved the damage was caused by errors in the way workers installed a lining along the bottom of the pool.
The dismissal was with prejudice, meaning prosecutors are permanently barred from bringing the same charges again.
The case became politically significant after President Donald Trump criticized prosecutors' earlier decision to drop the charges.
The dispute raised legal questions on whether prosecutorial decisions in Washington are influenced by political pressure. If true, the political influence could create a civil rights violation against the accused persons.
Judge Todd Edelman said the case created “exceptional circumstances” as a result of the underlying politics.
The contractor worked under pressure from the White House to complete the $14 million renovation of the Reflecting Pool before the America 250 celebrations in early July.
Trump said he wanted the Reflecting Pool renovated because it was leaking and unattractive. He chose the “American flag blue” liner partly for aesthetic reasons.
The liner also is supposed to create a watertight barrier between the pool water and the underlying structure, preventing water from leaking into the ground and helping maintain the water level.
Interior Department disclosures of mistakes in the lining installation meant any hope by prosecutors of reviving the case against Hearn were “simply fanciful,” Edelman wrote in his decision.
D.C. in Brief
D.C., Amazon Reach $8.25 Million Settlement Over Ward 7, 8 Deliveries
Amazon agreed last week to pay $8.25 million to settle a lawsuit accusing the company of secretly excluding two predominantly Black Washington, D.C., neighborhoods from its own faster delivery network while continuing to charge the residents the full price for Prime memberships.
Amazon agreed to provide $7.25 million in refunds to eligible Prime members who lived in ZIP codes 20019 and 20020 in Wards 7 and 8 during the period of the alleged delivery exclusion.
The company also will pay $1 million in penalties to the District of Columbia. It must notify customers and the attorney general's office if it imposes similar delivery exclusions in the future.
The District sued Amazon in 2024, alleging the company began in 2022 using third-party carriers, including UPS and the U.S. Postal Service, instead of its own branded delivery vehicles for the two ZIP codes east of the Anacostia River.
The D.C. attorney general's office said the contract carriers generally provided slower service, while Amazon continued charging affected customers the same Prime membership price as customers elsewhere in the District.
The lawsuit alleged that Amazon did not tell existing or prospective Prime customers about the change, instead attributing delayed deliveries to other circumstances. About 69,000 Prime members were affected, the lawsuit said.
“Amazon deceived thousands of its customers who live East of the River, collecting their Prime membership fees while secretly excluding them from full Prime membership benefits,” D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb said in announcing the settlement. “No company is above the law, no matter how big or powerful.”
Amazon denied wrongdoing. Steve Kelly, an Amazon spokesman, said the company had changed its delivery operations because of safety concerns involving drivers.
“We chose to resolve this matter so we can stay focused on what we do best: delivering great service to every customer across Washington D.C.,” Kelly said.
The District's lawsuit was filed under the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act, which prohibits deceptive and unfair business practices.
Letters to the Editor
The Legal Forum welcomes letters to the editor at tramstack@gmail.com, which will be published here.
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
Power the Civil Rights Work of Our Time
Each day members of our community are experiencing wage theft, the effects of gentrification, discriminatory policing, collateral consequences, marginalization in schools, and barriers to public accommodations.
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.
Join us! Donate & subscribe: https://www.washlaw.org/support-us
Volunteer with us: https://www.washlaw.org/get-involved/
For more information, contact Gregg Kelley at gregg_kelley@washlaw.org
About Us
The Legal Forum is a nonprofit news service for the Washington area's legal community that also offers attorney job listings as well as amicus briefs and grant information for charitable organizations. If you have questions, please Contact Us