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The Justice Department has reportedly agreed to pay $1.25 million to settle a lawsuit brought by former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page over errors and omissions in the FBI’s surveillance warrant applications during the Russia investigation. Page had petitioned the Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari in December 2025 after lower courts dismissed his claims. In a filing on Wednesday, Solicitor General D. John Sauer informed the justices that the parties had reached a settlement. (Brief.) (NYT.) (Politico.)
According to the New York Times, the FBI began investigating a Times journalist after she published a story last month detailing Director Kash Patel’s alleged use of bureau resources to provide his girlfriend with government security and transportation. The bureau told the Times that it is not pursuing a case, though “investigators were concerned about how the aggressive reporting techniques crossed lines of stalking.” (NYT.)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday fired Navy Secretary John Phelan. His departure reportedly follows months of internal tensions. (WSJ.) (NYT.)
Several Democrat lawmakers are urging the acting inspector general of the Transportation Department to investigate whether Federal Aviation Administration Chief Bryan Bedford violated his ethics agreement by delaying the divestment of airline stock and potentially profiting from the timing. (Politico.)
Crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun on Tuesday sued World Liberty Financial, a Trump family-backed crypto firm, in the Northern District of California. The complaint alleges the firm sought to “leverage the Trump brand to profit through fraud” and engaged in “criminal extortion” by threatening to burn Sun’s tokens and report him to U.S. authorities if he sued to recover them. (Complaint.) (WSJ.)
Pending Interim Order Applications Involving the U.S. Government in the Supreme Court
Blanche v. Perlmutter: The government filed an emergency application on October 27 requesting the Supreme Court to stay a district court interlocutory injunction that temporarily reinstated Shira Perlmutter to her role as Register of Copyrights while litigation over her removal continues. Chief Justice Roberts formally set a deadline of November 10 for a response to the application. Perlmutter submitted a response on November 10. Blanche submitted a reply on November 12. The Court deferred the application for stay on November 28 pending the Court’s decisions in Trump v. Slaughter and Trump v. Cook.
Trump v. Cook: The government filed an emergency application on September 18 requesting the Supreme Court to stay a preliminary injunction issued by a district court that blocked President Trump from removing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. Cook filed an opposition to the request on the same day. The Chief Justice formally set a deadline of September 25 for a response to the application. Cook filed a response on September 25. On October 1, the Court deferred action on the stay application pending oral argument in January 2026 and established a supplemental briefing schedule. Additional amicus briefs were filed on October 29. Both sides filed supplemental briefs on November 19 and the Court heard oral argument on Jan. 21, 2026.
Mullin v. Doe: The government filed an application on February 26 requesting the Supreme Court stay pending appeal of a preliminary injunction issued by a district court preliminarily enjoining then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem from terminating temporary protected status designation for Syria. The government asked the Court to construe the application as a petition for a writ of certiorari before judgment and grant the petition. On March 16, the Court consolidated the case with a challenge to the Department of Homeland Security’s termination of Temporary Protected Status designations for Haiti and granted certiorari before judgment of the consolidated cases while deferring action on the government’s request for a stay.
Trump v. Miot: The government filed an application on March 11 requesting the Supreme Court to stay a lower court order postponing then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s decision to terminate temporary protected status designation for Haiti. The government also asked the Court to treat the application as a petition for a writ of certiorari before judgment and grant the petition. On March 16, the Court consolidated the case with Mullin v. Doe.