Free Republic

A federal judge has paused an attempt by the Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) to imprison Christian pro-life activists for up to ten years. Judge Matthew Leitman, an Obama appointee, paused the DOJ’s FACE Act and felony conspiracy case against seven pro-life activists who are awaiting sentencing over a peaceful protest at a Michigan abortion clinic, citing the results of the 2024 election and the potential for the next presidential administration to handle such cases differently. “As further discussed on the record, the Court will conduct another status conference during the week of March 24, 2025, to receive a...

This post was updated at 4:40 p.m. ET. A federal judge in Detroit has ruled that Democratic Rep. John Conyers, the second-most-senior member of the U.S. House, will appear on the August primary ballot, overturning a decision by Michigan's secretary of state who said the candidacy was invalid.

The man who tackled Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul in 2017 in anger over Paul piling yard waste near their shared property line will serve another 14 months behind bars or on home detention. A federal judge initially sentenced Rene Boucher to 30 days in jail for the attack, along with 100 hours of community service and a $10,000 fine. Prosecutors argued that sentence was unreasonably light given Paul’s injuries, which included six broken ribs. Prosecutors won the right to try to get a longer sentence for Boucher. U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Leitman imposed the additional punishment in a...