Free Republic

A federal court on Thursday nixed a Trump-era rule that limited state and tribal authority to block projects that could impact their waters, including pipelines. California Federal Judge William Alsup vacated the rule and sent it back to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for further proceedings. The Clinton appointee's move came after the agency asked the court to remand the issue back to the EPA amid litigation filed by states and environmental groups... ...The now-vacated rule had limited states’ authorities to block projects by giving them a strict one-year time limit to do so before the federal government could decide...

On Friday, a federal judge imposed the largest fine yet in any Capitol riot case. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton sentenced husband and wife Thomas Vinson and Lori Vinson to five years of probation and 120 hours of community service for their participation in the January 6 insurrection. The Kentucky couple was also ordered to pay $5,000 each, which Buzzfeed's Zoe Tillman noted is the largest fine so far. "I know that's a lot, but I want the sentence to hurt," Walton said. In July, the Vinsons pleaded guilty to charges of entering and remaining in a restricted building; disorderly...

From the very beginning of his tenure at the White House, questions about how resident Biden’s Catholic faith square with most of his policy and personnel choices have been met with the response: “the President is a devout Catholic.” To paraphrase Inigo Montoya in the classic movie The Princess Bride: “You keep using that phrase, I do not think it means what you think it means.” Few personnel choices stand out for their record of hostility towards the Catholics more than Beth Robinson, Joe Biden’s nominee to be a Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second...

Grand Prairie Officers Shoot Man Who Rammed Squad Cars During Chase: Police Astros' Dusty Baker drops an 'Oh, Lord' on TV after Red Sox homer CHICAGO — A judge late Friday issued a temporary restraining order against the Chicago police union president, prohibiting him from making public statements that encourage members not to report their COVID-19 vaccine status to the city. Cook County Circuit Judge Cecilia Horan ruled there was potential irreparable harm if local Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara persisted in making such statements. City attorneys argued they were tantamount to him advocating “sedition” and “anarchy” because...

A judge late Friday issued a temporary restraining order against the Chicago police union president, prohibiting him from making public statements that encourage members not to report their COVID-19 vaccine status to the city. Cook County Circuit Judge Cecilia Horan ruled there was potential irreparable harm if local Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara persisted in making such statements. City attorneys argued they were tantamount to him advocating “sedition” and “anarchy” because he was directing members to disobey an order from their superiors. It was the latest twist in the high-stakes standoff between Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the...