Free Republic

A federal judge this week denied a temporary restraining order sought by environmental groups that would block grazing in six eastern Oregon pastures. The Capital Press reports U.S. District Judge Michael Simon said the plaintiffs haven’t shown that turning cattle out on the pastures will cause irreparable harm to sage grouse or to rangeland research. He said continued grazing isn’t likely to irreparably harm the ability of environmental plaintiffs to enjoy undisturbed sagebrush grassland, since the pastures have long been grazed and are rested on a rotating basis. The case was filed against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management by...

A tale of two judges. – Chief Justice John Roberts – the clearly-compromised former conservative jurist who now does the bidding of the progressive left whenever they demand it, apparently – famously stated in 2017 that there are no “Obama judges” or “Bush judges,” there are only federal judges. That, of course, is abject bullshit, but hey, it’s what the Chief does these days. Late this week, we saw the dichotomy between the kinds of decisions we get out of Bush/Reagan/Trump judges and Obama/Clinton judges in two decisions related the ongoing rioting taking place in Portland. It is a classic...

A review of lawsuits on livestock grazing  Hammond grazing permits On December 20 of 2019, federal judge Michael H. Simon revoked the grazing permit for Hammond Ranches Inc., finding that former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s order renewing it earlier this year was an “abuse of discretion.'' Background: The Hammonds had 4 different grazing permits on BLM lands. In June of 2012 Steve and Dwight Hammond were convicted of intentionally setting fires on BLM land. On Oct. 30, 2012 federal judge Michael. H. Hogan sentenced Steve Hammond to 12 months and one day of imprisonment and 3 years of supervised...

We strongly disagree with the district court’s decision to impose a nationwide injunction against the President’s policy on a preliminary, emergency basis over the weekend without even affording the government an opportunity to provide a written defense. Once again, a nationwide injunction is permitting a single judge to thwart the President’s policy judgment on a matter where Congress expressly gave the President authority. Section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act plainly states that, “[w]henever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens would be detrimental to the interests of the United States,”...

A federal judge in Oregon blocked the Trump administration Saturday afternoon from enacting a policy that would require new immigrants to demonstrate they have health care or are able to afford it. According to Wall Street Journal, the order, handed down by U.S. District Judge Michael Simon, prohibits the policy from taking effect for 28 days. The next hearing is set for Nov. 22. The policy, which would have taken effect Monday, was introduced last month and primarily affects people attempting to immigrate to the U.S. to join family members. The White House has described the policy as a healthcare...

arlier this month, the Trump administration signed a proclamation requiring individuals seeking immigrant visas to show proof of health insurance coverage or the financial means of paying for healthcare before entering the United States. The rule was scheduled to take effect on Sunday, but activists are always able to find a judge willing to block the president. On Sunday, they found him. U.S. District Judge Michael Simon granted a preliminary injunction preventing the rule from taking effect. The federal lawsuit was filed in Portland, Oregon, and claims the healthcare requirement prevents foreign family members of Americans from moving to the...