Articles about Judge

• A New York federal judge dismissed Blake Lively's sexual harassment claims against Justin Baldoni related to the film It Ends With Us on April 3, 2026. • The ruling comes amid ongoing disputes from the movie's production. • This decision impacts Hollywood's #MeToo era accountability efforts.

Decision came after hearing in which Subramanyam Vedam, 64, said he didn’t kill Thomas Kinser when he was 19A judge has cleared the way for the potential release of an Indian citizen who was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody last year after his Pennsylvania murder conviction was overturned following four decades in prison.The decision came the day after the four-hour hearing in which Subramanyam Vedam insisted he did not fatally shoot Thomas Kinser in 1980 and was questioned by a US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lawyer. Vedam participated in the hearing remotely from the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. Continue reading...

Judge Lewis Liman dismissed 10 of Lively’s 13 claims against Baldoni, including claim of sexual harassmentSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA federal judge has thrown out the majority of Blake Lively’s claims against Justin Baldoni.In a court ruling on Thursday, Judge Lewis Liman dismissed 10 of the 13 claims in Lively’s lawsuit against her co-star and director of the domestic violence film It Ends With Us. Continue reading...

The National Capital Planning Commission had previously delayed the vote after thousands of negative public commentsHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.The National Capital Planning Commission will meet this afternoon to decide on Donald Trump’s White House $400m ballroom project, after a federal judge halted construction earlier this week.House Republicans announced that they will pass a bill, advanced by the Senate last week, to end the record-breaking partial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown after previously rejecting the measure.Democrats quickly celebrated the win with Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer saying “House Republicans caved” after previously “[derailing] a bipartisan agreement, making American families pay the price for their dysfunction”.Nasa’s lunar rocket successfully launched and the astronauts on the first crewed lunar rocket in more than 50 years received praise from across the US.Attorney general Pam Bondi’s job with the Trump administration is reportedly at risk. The president is said to be unhappy with Bondi’s performance as the head of the justice department and the controversy surrounding the Epstein files, according to a New York Times report.Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida signed legislation on Wednesday to require documented proof of citizenship to register to vote and to begin a process that will eventually unenroll voters who have not provided citizenship documentation.Supreme court justices appeared skeptical of the Trump administration’s argument to restrict birthright citizenship for hundreds of thousands of children born to undocumented immigrants of temporary foreign nationals. Trump himself attended the hearing, widely considered to be the first time a sitting president has attended arguments at the supreme court. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Justice Jim Henry published data from his own court revealing recent cases took more than a year to reach committalGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA Queensland supreme court judge says serious criminal cases are taking “excruciatingly longer” to finalise due to “glacial” delays in the state’s magistrates court, where some matters are spending several years in procedural limbo.Justice Jim Henry, who is based at the supreme court in Cairns, published data from his own court revealing that of 31 recent criminal cases he finalised between November and February, on average each case took more than a year (370 days) in the lower courts before a committal. Continue reading...

US president demolished East Wing of White House last year to make way for 90,000-sq-ft projectSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA US judge has halted the construction of Donald Trump’s $400m White House ballroom.The US president demolished the historic East Wing of the White House last year to make way for the project. Continue reading...

Trump administration claims list is part of an EEOC investigation into antisemitic discrimination at universityA federal judge on Tuesday ordered the University of Pennsylvania to hand over records about Jewish employees on campus to a federal agency as part of an investigation into antisemitic discrimination but said it did not have to reveal any employee’s affiliation with a specific group.US district judge Gerald Pappert said employees can refuse to take part in the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigation but the agency “needs the opportunity to talk to them directly to learn if they have evidence of discrimination”. Continue reading...

Citing the first amendment, judge says president’s executive order is unlawful and unenforceableSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxCiting the first amendment, a federal judge on Tuesday agreed to permanently block the Trump administration from implementing a presidential directive to end federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), two media entities that the White House has said are counterproductive to American priorities.The operational impact of US district judge Randolph Moss’s decision was not immediately clear – both because it will probably be appealed and because too much damage to the public-broadcasting system has already been done, both by the president and Congress. Continue reading...

Kimberly Carroll ‘truly sorry’ after calling in to court hearing via Zoom from behind the wheel of a moving vehicleA woman who dialed into a court hearing in Detroit while in her car this week was berated by the judge, who asked “Do you think I’m that stupid?” when she appeared on video apparently driving the vehicle.Fox2 Detroit reported that defendant Kimberly Carroll called late into a hearing relating to a financial matter, and was asked by the judge, Michael K McNally, to turn on her camera. Continue reading...

• U.S. District Judge Rita Lin ruled in favor of AI firm Anthropic, temporarily blocking the Pentagon from branding it a supply chain risk after failed defense contract talks. • The ruling also halts President Trump's directive for federal agencies to stop using Anthropic's Claude AI, following a hearing on March 24 in San Francisco federal court. • Judge Lin criticized the measures as punitive rather than protective, noting the government could simply cease using Claude without broader actions.

Face-off is over company’s refusal to let defense department use its Claude AI model in autonomous weapons systemsA federal judge in California sided with Anthropic in its case against the Department of Defense on Thursday, ordering a temporary pause on the government’s punitive measures against the artificial intelligence firm.Judge Rita Lin granted Anthropic’s request for a temporary injunction while the northern district court of California hears the company’s case. Anthropic argued that the Department of Defense and Donald Trump violated its first amendment rights in declaring the company a supply chain risk and ordering government agencies to cease using its technology. Continue reading...

Removal of Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez after arrest during green-card appointment decried as ‘flagrant violation’ of legal rightsA federal judge ordered the Trump administration to return a recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) to the United States, ruling that her deportation to Mexico last month was a “flagrant violation” of the legal protections afforded to immigrants who arrived in the country as children.Judge Dena Coggins said in her Monday ruling the administration must return Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez, a Daca recipient, to the United States within seven days. She was arrested on 18 February in Sacramento during her green-card appointment, and was deported to Mexico the next day. Continue reading...

• A federal judge blocked sweeping changes to U.S. vaccine recommendations, including reductions in childhood immunizations and removal of COVID-19 guidance for certain groups, in a lawsuit brought by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups. • The ruling paused a reconstituted vaccine advisory committee and signals a forthcoming decision on broader legal questions, with the case expected to reach the U.S. Supreme Court soon. • Changes were driven by RFK's authority over federal vaccine policy, which critics argue lack scientific basis and threaten public health.

• U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman ruled on Friday to block the Pentagon's policy mandating media outlets pledge not to gather information without defense officials' formal authorization, siding with The New York Times. • Friedman wrote, 'Those who drafted the First Amendment believed that the nation’s security requires a free press and an informed people and that such security is endangered by governmental suppression of political speech.' • The decision upholds First Amendment principles amid tensions over government transparency during the shutdown and foreign policy escalations.

• U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth ruled on March 7, 2026, that Kari Lake lacked authority to reduce Voice of America to a skeleton crew, ordering hundreds of employees back to work. • The government appealed the order on Thursday, as the White House nominated Sarah Rogers to lead the parent U.S. Agency for Global Media and appointed Newsmax executive Christopher Wallace as VOA deputy director. • Congress allocated $200 million in the February budget bill, a 25% cut but bipartisan support; experts question if objective journalism will persist under State Department influence.

National referendum is being seen as a de facto confidence vote on the government – and the polls are neck and neckIn the run-up to a referendum in Italy on a government quest to overhaul the judiciary, a campaign flyer circulated online quoting Giorgia Meloni, the prime minister, taking aim at judges and feminists. “Judges block the deportations of rapists. Where are the feminists? Vote yes – there will not be another opportunity,” it read.The flyer, posted on the Facebook page of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy, a party with neofascist roots, was subsequently removed. But its tone has defined a campaign dominated by inflammatory rhetoric rather than meaningful debate. Continue reading...

• A federal judge on Friday ruled against the Pentagon's press access overhaul that had withdrawn accreditations from prominent media outlets, ordering the restoration of media access. • The decision represents a significant legal victory for press freedom advocates challenging the Defense Department's restrictions on journalist credentials and Pentagon facility access. • The ruling underscores ongoing tensions between the Trump administration's approach to media access and constitutional protections for a free press.

Lawsuit alleged changes gave DoD free rein to punish reporters and outlets over coverage it did not likeSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA federal judge on Friday blocked the Trump administration’s restrictive Pentagon press access policy, which threatens journalists with being branded security risks if they seek information not authorized for public release.The lawsuit by the New York Times in the Washington DC federal court alleged that policy changes by the defense department last year gave it free rein to freeze out reporters and news outlets over coverage the department did not like, in violation of the constitution’s protections for free speech and due process. Continue reading...

Judge rules that Trump’s health secretary did not go through proper procedures when issuing declarationRobert F Kennedy Jr, the health secretary, overstepped his power when he declared that gender-affirming treatments are unsafe, a federal judge has ruled.In a blow to the Trump administration’s attempts to limit access to gender transition procedures, Judge Mustafa Kasubhai ruled Thursday that Kennedy did not go through the proper procedures when issuing his 12-page declaration last December. Continue reading...

• A federal judge in Oregon ruled on March 20, 2026, that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. overreached by issuing a December declaration labeling puberty blockers and surgeries for gender dysphoria as unsafe without proper procedures. • The declaration warned doctors of exclusion from Medicare and Medicaid for providing such treatments, prompting a lawsuit led by New York Attorney General Letitia James alleging coercion and lack of public notice or comment period. • The ruling provides legal clarity for patients, families, and providers, affirming that transgender health services remain available despite major medical groups like the AMA opposing restrictions.

• President Donald Trump lashed out at the Supreme Court and District Judge Boasberg in a social media post full of falsehoods, claiming courts treat him unfairly. • Chief Justice John Roberts defended the Supreme Court, stating 'It’s got to stop' regarding personal invective against judges. • The attacks coincide with increased violent threats against federal judges ruling against the administration, as reported by multiple outlets.

• A federal judge on Monday blocked HHS from implementing vaccine policy changes made by RFK Jr.'s revamped CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), reversing all recent decisions. • The ruling leaves unresolved the status of the RSV vaccine for infants, potentially making it no longer free for children who need it, as its inclusion was authorized by the current advisers. • Public health experts are scrambling to understand ramifications, with health groups concerned about unintended harms and weakened vaccination recommendations for hepatitis B and COVID-19.

Roberts did not name Donald Trump, but US president has decried ‘corrupt judges’ who ruled against himSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe chief justice of the United States, John Roberts, said on Tuesday that hostility directed in personal terms at judges is “dangerous, and it’s got to stop”.The comment came just days after Donald Trump’s latest social media broadside against judges who have ruled against him and his administration. Continue reading...

• A federal judge in Massachusetts ruled on Monday to block Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recent changes to the nation's childhood vaccine schedule, following a lawsuit by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups. • The plaintiffs argued that Kennedy's alterations to vaccine recommendations and the influential vaccine advisory committee violated federal law, marking a significant setback to his health policy agenda. • This ruling highlights ongoing tensions between the Department of Health and Human Services and medical organizations over public health guidelines and federal compliance.

Jonathan Powell thought Tehran’s ‘surprising’ offer on its nuclear programme could prevent rush to war Middle East crisis – live updatesBritain’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, attended the final talks between the US and Iran and judged that the offer made by Tehran on its nuclear programme was significant enough to prevent a rush to war, the Guardian can reveal.Powell thought that progress had been made in Geneva and that the deal proposed by Iran was “surprising”, according to sources. Continue reading...

• A federal judge in Boston on March 16, 2026, temporarily blocked U.S. health officials from reducing the number of universally recommended childhood vaccines, halting changes announced by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in January. • The ruling stems from a lawsuit by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other groups challenging cuts to flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A and B, meningitis, and RSV vaccines, with ACIP meetings postponed as a result. • Medical organizations hailed the decision as restoring science-based policy, while HHS spokesman Andrew Nixon stated 'HHS looks forward to this judge’s decision being overturned,' amid concerns over confusion and weakened protections in 30 states.

Arrest of asylum seeker Elvis Joel TE and his two-year-old, without a warrant, had sparked widespread outrageA federal judge ruled on Friday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) must release a Minneapolis man and asylum seeker who has been unlawfully detained for 50 days.The man, identified as Elvis Joel TE in court filings, was arrested on 22 January at the height of ICE’s aggressive raids in Minneapolis. The case sparked widespread outrage as Elvis TE was detained with his two-year-old daughter while they were returning home from the store, and ICE quickly flew both of them to Texas despite a court order barring their transfer out of Minnesota. Continue reading...

Unprecedented changes to routine US immunization recommendations ‘arbitrary and capricious’, court saysSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe appointment of a controversial slate of vaccine advisers by Robert F Kennedy Jr likely violated federal law, and all votes taken by the committee over the past year have been stayed, a federal judge ruled on Monday.The advisory committee on immunization practices (ACIP) is not able to meet later this week, since its membership has been invalidated, the judge said. Continue reading...