Latest News
Justice Dept. Tries to Free Jan. 6 Rioters And Investigate Federal Reserve Chief
The Justice Department is awaiting a judgment on whether its politically-charged motion filed last week will succeed in vacating seditious conspiracy convictions for leaders of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.
The motion is adding to allegations the Trump administration is using criminal courts to advance the president’s personal political agenda.
This time, it is supporters of President Donald Trump who appear to be benefiting. Other times, it has been his critics who have been targeted by the Justice Department, such as Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell.
The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers led the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. More than 1,000 rioters were charged with crimes initially but Trump later granted most of them clemency.
The Justice Department wants to wipe away jury verdicts against the groups’ last 12 leaders for organizing a plot to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election in favor of Joe Biden.
Judge Orders Pentagon to Restore Media Credentials and Access
Defense Department attorneys are preparing an appeal this week of a federal judge’s order for the Pentagon to restore media access to journalists who refused to seek clearance for their news stories.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took away their media credentials in a policy shift last October.
Since then, only journalists who sign agreements requiring greater cooperation with military officials were allowed routine access to the Pentagon.
U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman's order this month said, "The curtailment of First Amendment rights is dangerous at any time, and even more so in time of war."
The ruling resulted from a lawsuit filed by reporters and editors from The New York Times and other news outlets that regularly cover the Pentagon.
Trump Plans to Refile Defamation Suit Against The Wall Street Journal
April 27 is Donald Trump’s deadline to refile a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch after they published stories saying the president sent a suggestive birthday letter to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
A federal judge in Florida dismissed the lawsuit earlier this month but said the president could refile it if it had additional allegations that avoid entanglements with the First Amendment.
The birthday letter included a rough drawing of a naked woman's torso.
Trump denied sending the letter, despite a signature on it that appeared to match his own.
The judge who dismissed the lawsuit said Trump failed to prove the "actual malice" required before public figures can successfully sue for defamation.
Legal Briefs
Shock Follows News of Justin Fairfax’s Murder-Suicide with His Wife in Annandale
Virginia’s legal community is expressing amazement at the death last week of former lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax and his wife in a murder-suicide squabble.
Fairfax was once a rising star in Democratic politics who was considered a possible candidate for governor of Virginia until he was accused of sexual assault in 2019 by two women. The allegations compelled him to resign from politics and apparently sent him into an emotional tailspin.
Police said Fairfax fatally shot his wife before taking his own life at their home in Annandale, Va. The couple’s teenage children were in the house. One of the couple’s sons called 911.
Police said they believe the violence resulted from a domestic dispute tied to the divorce proceedings between Fairfax, 47, and his wife, Cerina, 49. The two were separated but still living together in the house with their children.
Court filings showed Fairfax was recently served documents connected to the divorce and a custody dispute. A judge had ordered him to move out of the family home by the end of April.
Cerina Fairfax was a dentist who ran a family dental practice and was recognized as a distinguished alumna of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry. Friends and neighbors described her as devoted to her family and active in the community.
Justin Fairfax served as Virginia’s lieutenant governor from 2018 to 2022 during the administration of former Gov. Ralph Northam. A former federal prosecutor and civil litigator, he once appeared poised for higher office but saw his political career unravel after the 2019 accusations of sexual assault.
U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine said in a joint statement that they were praying for the couple’s children and relatives as they processed “this shocking and horrifying news.”
D.C. in Brief
Teen Curfew Expires While City Officials Consider Options on Violence
An emergency juvenile curfew that was ordered by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is set to expire May 1 but the search by city officials for a long-term solution to disruptive behavior in some neighborhoods continues.
Bowser issued an emergency order April 16 to reinstate a citywide juvenile curfew in response to a recent surge in teenage violence.
The mayor’s reinstatement order follows the expiration of similar emergency legislation on April 15 after the D.C. Council failed to secure the votes necessary for an extension.
Bowser invoked her executive powers to prohibit all youth under the age of 18 from being in public spaces or on the premises of any establishment between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. seven days a week.
The order restores the Metropolitan Police Department's power to designate "curfew zones" as early as 8 p.m. in areas where large groups are expected to gather.
Bowser cited "several weeks of disorderly behavior." The mayor’s office mentioned "teen takeovers" in neighborhoods like Navy Yard and U Street, where large gatherings have frequently escalated into fights, robberies, and vandalism.
"The safety of our young people is the most important thing to me," Interim Chief of Police Jeffery W. Carroll said in a statement. Carroll noted that the 11 p.m. citywide curfew and targeted zones have helped maintain order and prevent violence.
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