Roberts courts

It’s no secret that Americans are deeply divided over immigration. For both Democrats and Republicans, beliefs about immigration have become sacred, leaving little room for compromise. But one thing many Americans share, regardless of political affiliation, is pride in our nation’s court system and the belief that U.S. courts should be a model of fair and impartial justice to the rest of the world. From that shared principle, there is one urgently needed aspect of immigration law reform that deserves bipartisan support: creation of independent, Article I immigration courts. What we now call the immigration courts are not actually courts at all, at least not in the usual sense of the word. Rather than being part of the federal judiciary, the immigration courts are an office of the Department of Justice (DOJ). Immigration judges are actually lawyers who work for the attorney general who can decide on any immigration case, at any time. This power was exploited by the Trump … [Read more...] about Biden should call for Article I immigration courts

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to consider a major new gun control case, whether there is a constitutional right to carry a weapon outside the home for self-defense. As it stands now, Americans have the right to gun ownership for self-defense in their homes. But the court said that in its term that begins next October, it would hear a National Rifle Association-supported challenge to a century-old New York state law that requires those seeking a permit to carry a concealed weapon outside the home to show a special need for self-defense. New York is one of eight states that limit who has the right to carry a weapon in public, while in the country’s other 42 states, gun owners can mostly carry their weapons when they leave their homes. The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees gun ownership rights. Americans and Guns - Differing Perspectives In a five part series, VOA's Deepak Dobhal profiles gun owners, people affected by … [Read more...] about US Supreme Court to Consider Gun Rights Case for Self-Defense

The White House has issued a statement saying that President Joe Biden plans to sign an executive order to create a dedicated commission that will examine reform of the US Supreme Court, such as changing the "length of service and turnover" of justices, the court’s case selection, and the prospects of changing the size of the top legal body. The Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court will comprise a "bipartisan group of experts", legal and other scholars, former federal judges and practitioners. The group will be co-chaired by former President Barack Obama's White House Counsel, Robert Bauer, and Cristina M. Rodríguez - a Yale Law School professor and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General at Department of Justice, also during Obama's tenure. "To ensure that the Commission’s report is comprehensive and informed by a diverse spectrum of views, it will hold public meetings to hear the views of other experts, and groups and interested individuals with varied perspectives … [Read more...] about Biden to Create Commission to Study Need of Expanding US Supreme Court

A group of 48 House Democrats called on leaders in the Appropriations Committee to assign $75 million in funding to pay for legal representation for immigrants facing potential removal proceedings in immigration court. In a letter led by Rep. Norma Torres Norma Judith Torres Immigration and border initiatives test political alliances The Hill's 12:30 Report - Presented by Facebook - All US adults now eligible for COVID vaccines The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Facebook - All US adults can get vaccine; decision Friday on J&J vax MORE (D-Calif.), the lawmakers called on Rep. Matt Cartwright Matthew (Matt) Alton Cartwright House Democrats call for paid legal representation in immigration court Lawmakers brace for battles with colleagues as redistricting kicks off House Democrats hit Republicans on mobile billboard at GOP retreat MORE (D-Pa.), chair of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, and Rep. … [Read more...] about House Democrats call for paid legal representation in immigration court

Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for DVF Ruth Bader Ginsburg , associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court since 1993, has died at the age of 87. The Supreme Court announced her death on Friday, the result of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer. In their statement, the Court said the late justice passed away at home, surrounded by family. “Our nation has lost a justice of historic stature,” said Chief Justice John Roberts. “We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her, a tireless and resolute champion of justice.” Before being nominated for the Court by then-President Bill Clinton, becoming the second woman ever to take the bench, Ginsburg co-founded the Women’s Rights Project at the ACLU, which took on hundreds of sex discrimination cases, six of which she argued herself against the Court, in addition to becoming the first female … [Read more...] about U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dead at 87