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A federal judge named Joe Biden as a possible “witness” along with his son Hunter in a criminal fraud case last year that ended in the convictions of two of Hunter’s business partners, according to little-noticed court documents. The Democratic presidential candidate’s appearance on a witness list casts new doubt on his claims he knew nothing about his son’s shady business dealings. Hunter Biden blamed one of his convicted partners — Devon Archer — for his father's name appearing on a list of potential witnesses in a juror questionnaire in the case, which was filed Jan. 11, 2019. In a...

Judge Karen Geivers ruled Tuesday to extend the recount deadline for Palm Beach County until November 20 in Florida’s U.S. Senate race, according to reports. ===== The extension comes after Sen. Bill Nelson’s (D-FL) legal team filed a lawsuit in a federal court this afternoon in a bid to extend the deadline for recounting votes statewide.

BARRON COUNTY, Wis. -- A Barron County judge has ruled that a temporary restraining order against Gov. Tony Evers' order restricting indoor capacity in Wisconsin bars and restaurants be lifted, meaning that it is once again in effect. Earlier this month, Gov. Evers ordered new restrictions limiting indoor capacity to 25 percent at all bars, restaurants, and stores statewide. Many business owners complained their businesses won't survive. The Tavern League of Wisconsin sued, and last week Sawyer County Judge Don Yackel temporarily blocked the order with a restraining order. Monday, Judge James Babler removed the restraining order, arguing the plaintiffs...

BREAKING: A federal judge has ordered Michael Cohen, former attorney to President Trump, released from prison, agreeing with Cohen's lawyers that he was wrongly taken back into custody for criticizing the president. Cohen, who was serving a federal fraud sentence, was released on home confinement as prisons were emptied to the COVID-19 pandemic. A week after tweeting that he was finishing a tell-all book about Trump, a probation officer told him he would have to agree to a complete ban on speaking in public, including by publishing a book, as a condition of continued home confinement, according to court documents....

A state court in Michigan ruled that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) has the authority to extend the state’s state of emergency, refuting claims made by GOP leaders in the legislature that she overstepped her authority. The judge called claims by the Republican state lawmakers "meritless." Judge Cynthia Stephen noted that Whitmer did exceed her authority by trying to extend the state of emergency under the Emergency Management Act of 1976, which requires approval by the legislature, acccording to the Detroit News. However, the governor did have the constitutional authority to extend the state of emergency under the Emergency Management Act...

Alabama's near-total abortion ban blocked by federal judge By Kate Smith October 29, 2019 / 3:25 PM / CBS News Alabama's near-total ban on abortion has just been blocked from implementation. The ban, dubbed the "Human Life Protection Act," was set to take effect on November 15. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the ban on Tuesday morning, effectively halting the law from taking effect while the lawsuit challenging the ban continues. Steve Marshall, Alabama's attorney general, said the decision "was not unexpected," noting that the point of the law was to potentially overturn Roe v. Wade, the...

Alabama's near-total ban on abortion has just been blocked from implementation. The ban, dubbed the "Human Life Protection Act," was set to take effect on November 15. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the ban on Tuesday morning, effectively halting the law from taking effect while the lawsuit challenging the ban continues.

The Sixth Circuit ruled the light sentence was 'substantively unreasonable' The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the 30-day prison sentence of the man who attacked Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.), ruling that federal guidelines did not permit so lenient a sentence. In 2017, Paul was tackled from behind by his next-door neighbor Rene Boucher over a mundane disagreement about lawn clippings. Paul was left with six broken ribs and a substantial hospital stay that forced him to take a leave of absence from the Senate. Paul testified that he suffered constant "intense pain" as a result of his injuries,...

A Washington, D.C.-based federal judge has sided with House Oversight Committee Democrats seeking to enforce their subpoena of Trump accounting firm Mazars USA, in a major ruling that breathes new life into Democrats' ongoing efforts to probe the president's financial dealings. The subpoena seeks access to a slew of Trump financial documents dating back to 2011, including personal records and records of various affiliated business and entities. Democrats pursued the subpoena after former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen testified to Congress in February that the president's accountants routinely and improperly altered his financial statements -- including some signed by Mazars --...

District Judge Amit Mehta on Monday ruled in favor of a subpoena issued by the House Oversight Committee for President Trump's financial records from the accounting firm Mazars. In a 41-page-long opinion, Mehta found that "President Trump cannot block the subpoena to Mazars." ....Mehta also denied a request from Trump lawyer William Consovoy that he issue a stay on the ruling while they appeal the decision to a higher court, meaning that the House Democrats could quickly obtain the president's financial records if Mazars complies with the request before an appeals court potentially intervenes.

District Judge Amit Mehta on Monday ruled in favor of a subpoena issued by the House Oversight Committee for President Trump's financial records from the accounting firm Mazars. In a 41-page-long opinion, Mehta found that "President Trump cannot block the subpoena to Mazars."

WASHINGTON — A divided Supreme Court stopped Louisiana from enforcing new regulations on abortion clinics in a test of the conservative court’s views on abortion rights. The justices said by a 5-4 vote late Thursday that they will not allow the state to put into effect a law that requires abortion providers to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.

Even as the Senate hits crunch time in the final days of a lame duck session, the chamber will have to divert its attention for a full day Tuesday to hear a rare impeachment trial of a federal judge. The House voted to impeach Louisiana Judge G. Thomas Porteous on all four counts of “high crimes and misdemeanors” in March – charges that include accepting cash gifts from attorneys who argued in his court.

WASHINGTON — The Senate on Monday opens its first impeachment trial since the 1999 case against former President Bill Clinton when it takes up a host of corruption allegations against a Louisiana judge. The House voted unanimously in March to impeach U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Porteous, approving four charges involving payoffs, kickbacks and lying under oath. A two-thirds vote is needed in the Senate to convict him.

Judge G. Thomas Porteous, Jr. was appointed to the federal bench by Bill Clinton in 1994. In March of 2010 he was impeached by the House of Representatives for bribe taking and corruption. I'm just curious, but have you heard this story about this Democrat judge being impeached? On March 11, Porteous, a Clinton appointee to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, was impeached by the House on a startling vote of 423 "yeas" for impeachment to NO votes at all coming to the support of the judge (with 7 not voting). Now his case moves...

The US House of Representatives has voted to impeach District Judge G. Thomas Porteous Jr . a federal judge from Louisiana. The House Judiciary Committee task force charged Porteous with a long-standing pattern of corruption. The House approved the first of four impeachment articles on Thursday, 412-0. The second passed 410-0. Porteous was implicated in a sting operation of Jefferson Parish named Wrinkled Robe. At the time he was a Judge in the 24th Judicial Court of Jefferson Parish. The case now goes to trial in the Senate. A two-thirds vote is needed to convict Porteous of high crimes and...

NEW ORLEANS (CN) - The House of Representatives voted unanimously Thursday to impeach New Orleans Federal Judge G. Thomas Porteous Jr. for allegedly taking payoffs and failing to disclose his "corrupt financial relationships" with lawyers and a bail bondsman. Porteous, 63, is the fifteenth judge to have been found guilty in the House of "high crimes and misdemeanors" -- the constitutional requirement for impeachment -- and the second judge to receive such a vote in 20 years. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson Parish, said impeachment is necessary "so that the Easten District of Louisiana can once again provide the citizens a...

She is short, powerful and understated. And at one time, she was underestimated. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made clear her perspective on some issues when she spoke Sunday at an Atlanta synagogue. It matters that women and minorities are on the high court — if only for the public get equal access to the bathroom, she said in one of the lighter moments of her talk. The court itself, while collegial, has entered a period of turbulence with a series of 5-4 decisions that started with Bush v. Gore, the decision that ended the 2000 presidential election...

The Texas Democratic Party on Thursday won a court order temporarily stopping the Texas Republican Party from replacing outgoing Rep. Tom DeLay on the November ballot. The Democrats sued the GOP in state court in Austin, arguing that Republican officials can't replace the Sugar Land Republican because he technically is still in the race. And if the courts agree that DeLay withdrew, party officials contend, state Republican officials couldn't select a replacement candidate to take on Democrat Nick Lampson in the fall. “The election would continue on — they just wouldn't have a dog in the hunt,” said Boyd Richie,...

Former Creek County District Judge Donald D. Thompson was charged Thursday with three felony counts of indecent exposure in the courthouse where he served almost 23 years. Thompson, 58, made his initial court appearance on the charges shortly before 5 p.m. and was released on his own recognizance pending a preliminary hearing March 22. District Attorney Richard L. Smothermon, the special prosecutor appointed by Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson, did not object to Thompson's release on his own recognizance. TULSA WORLD reports the indecent exposures are alleged to have occurred on May 13, Aug. 22 and Sept. 11, 2003, in...