Free Republic

A New York federal judge on Friday dismissed murder and weapons charges against alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione, a major blow to prosecutors that means Mangione no longer faces a possible death penalty if convicted. Mangione, 27, previously pleaded not guilty to murder, weapons and stalking charges for allegedly gunning down the CEO of UnitedHealthcare in Midtown Manhattan in 2024. Public officials condemned the shocking killing, but Mangione became a folk hero of sorts to some Americans who decry steep healthcare costs and insurance practices. U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett in Manhattan said she dismissed the murder and...

Luigi Mangione won’t face the death penalty for allegedly executing UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, a judge ruled Friday — dealing an embarrassing blow to the Justice Department. The 27-year-old still faces the possibility of life in prison without parole if convicted of executing health care honcho Brian Thompson in a December 2024 targeted hit on a Manhattan sidewalk. But Manhattan federal Judge Margaret Garnett threw out the charges against Mangione that could have led to a rare death penalty trial in New York. The jurist found that the death penalty-eligible parts of the case, brought by the US Attorney’s Office for the...

A federal judge in Oregon dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit seeking Oregon’s unredacted voter rolls on Monday in another setback to wide-ranging efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to get detailed voter data from states. In a hearing, U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai said he would dismiss the suit and issue a final written opinion in the coming days. The updated docket for the case showed that Oregon’s move to dismiss the case was granted. Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield welcomed the move. “The court dismissed this case because the federal government never met the legal standard to get these...

A federal judge on Friday shut down the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) investigation into far-left Media Matters. US District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan, a Biden appointee, issued an injunction against the FTC and blocked its investigation into Media Matters. The judge said the Trump Administration illegally retaliated against Media Matters.

A federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration’s lawsuit against Illinois and Chicago over sanctuary policies that the government has said interfere with federal immigration enforcement. In a ruling released Friday, U.S. District Judge Lindsay Jenkins said the government lacked standing to override local laws that limit cooperation and information-sharing between law enforcement. Jenkins said the government doesn’t have the legal authority “to commandeer states under the guise of intergovernmental immunity.” The Justice Department didn’t respond to a request for comment.

A federal judge on Friday dismissed President Trump’s lawsuit against the state of Illinois and Governor Pritzker over sanctuary city laws. US District Judge Lindsay Jenkins, a Biden appointee, dismissed the lawsuit and said federal laws do not force states to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. “Defendants’ motions to dismiss are granted. The individual defendants are dismissed because the United States lacks standing to sue them with respect to the Sanctuary Policies; Cook County Board of Commissioners is dismissed because it is not a suable entity separate from Cook County,” the judge wrote. Politico reported:

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Education Department and ordered the agency to reinstate employees who were fired in mass layoffs. The administration said it would challenge the ruling.U.S. District Judge Myong Joun in Boston granted a preliminary injunction stopping the Trump administration from carrying out plans announced in March that sought to work toward Trump’s goal to shut down the department. It marks a setback to one of the Republican president’s campaign promises.The ruling came in two consolidated lawsuits that said Trump’s plan amounted to an illegal closure...

The admin filed a brief telling the justices that a federal judge in Massachusetts had exceeded his authority by interfering in “a contract dispute.” The Supreme Court has granted President Donald Trump’s request to halt the reinstatement of millions of dollars in Department of Education grants that the government targeted over concerns about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Chief Justice John Roberts would have denied the administration’s request for relief, according to a court document. Justice Elena Kagan issued a dissent, as did Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, whose dissent was joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor. This is a breaking...