Appeals Court Reverses Ruling on Texas Law Granting Police Broad Powers in Arresting Migrants

Houston, Texas – The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned a lower court ruling that temporarily halted a Texas law allowing police to arrest migrants suspected of illegally entering the United States. The decision has granted a temporary administrative stay for seven days, giving the federal government time to appeal to the Supreme Court. If the Supreme Court does not intervene, the law will go into effect on March 9. Last week, U.S. District Judge David Ezra blocked the Texas law, which was supposed to take effect on March 5, marking a victory … Read more

Federal Judge Blocks Controversial Texas Law Granting Broad Powers to Arrest Migrants Entering the US

Del Rio, Texas – A federal judge in Texas has issued a preliminary injunction blocking a controversial state law that granted police wide-ranging powers to arrest migrants suspected of unlawfully entering the United States. The ruling represents a victory for the Biden administration in its ongoing dispute with Republican Governor Greg Abbott over immigration enforcement. The law, which was set to take effect on March 5, drew comparisons to Arizona’s “Show Me Your Papers” law of 2010. However, the U.S. Supreme Court partially struck down the Arizona law, leading some Texas Republican leaders to call … Read more

Florida House Unanimously Passes Bill Granting Excusal from Jury Duty for New Mothers

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida lawmakers unanimously passed a bill in the state House that would grant new mothers the ability to be excused from jury duty. The measure, known as HB 461 and sponsored by Rep. Carolina Amesty of Windermere, aims to provide relief to women who have given birth within six months prior to their scheduled jury service. Currently, mothers are not automatically exempt from jury duty based on recent childbirth, prompting concerns about the difficulties and burdens they may face while trying to fulfill their civic duty. The proposed legislation would allow eligible … Read more

Judge Orders Partial Release of DNA Records in Idaho Murder Trial, Granting Small Victory to Defense Attorneys

MOSCOW, Idaho – A judge in Idaho’s 2nd Judicial District has issued a late filing regarding the disclosure of information related to the use of advanced DNA technology. The technology in question is investigative genetic genealogy (IGG), which involves using DNA from a crime scene to build a family tree through online genealogy services. This allows investigators to potentially identify suspects connected to crimes. The judge’s order, posted on a repository of court records, grants the defense attorneys representing the accused, Kohberger, access to some of the requested DNA records. The defense team had been … Read more