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President Trump on Tuesday repeated his belief that “the federal government should get involved” in elections that he claimed are compromised by fraud. He delivered his remarks in the Oval Office after Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president was actually referring to legislation that would condition voting on proof of U.S. citizenship. (NYT.) David A. Graham argued that as the midterms approach, “the reasons to worry about election integrity are becoming more urgent.” (The Atlantic.)
According to the New York Times, Judge Richard J. Leon (D.D.C.) on Tuesday appeared likely to temporarily block the Trump administration from disciplining Sen. Mark Kelly for appearing in a video in which he called for service members to resist unlawful military orders. (NYT.) For background on Kelly’s lawsuit against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, see a previous Roundup.
Judge Michael H. Simon (D. Or.) on Tuesday issued a temporary restraining order barring ICE agents from deploying “chemical or projectile munitions,” such as tear gas and paint balls, on protesters gathered outside an ICE building in Portland. (Opinion and Order.) (WaPo.)
The U.S. military said a Navy fighter jet on Tuesday shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. (NYT.)
President Trump on Tuesday signed a bill to fund major parts of the government, including the Department of Homeland Security, as Democrats and Republicans continue to negotiate reforms to immigration enforcement. Lawmakers have 10 days to reach a deal before funding for the Department of Homeland Security will lapse. (NYT.) (WaPo.)
The Washington Post reports that Maryland is likely to pass legislation preventing state law enforcement from facilitating immigration arrests. Maryland would join a list of states that have barred or limited local law enforcement from entering into 287(g) partnerships with ICE, which expand local agencies’ authority to enforce federal immigration laws. (WaPo.)
According to the Washington Post, the Department of Homeland Security used an administrative subpoena to obtain data on a retired U.S. citizen after he emailed a DHS prosecutor urging leniency for an asylum seeker. (WaPo.)
A coalition of immigrants and academics on Tuesday sued President Trump in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia over his “gold card” visa policy. The lawsuit contends the program unlawfully prioritizes wealth over congressionally prescribed eligibility criteria for EB-1 and EB-2 visas. (Complaint.) (NYT.)
A Justice Department lawyer on Tuesday said the “system sucks” after a federal judge in St. Paul, Minnesota pressed her on why the Trump administration had failed to comply with court orders to release detained migrants. (WSJ.)
Eugene Volokh, Seth Stern, and Jane Bambauer discussed the federal prosecution of former CNN anchor Don Lemon. (Volokh Conspiracy.)
Scott R. Anderson and Alex Zerden examined the Trump administration’s mechanism for managing proceeds from the sale of Venezuelan oil and argued that the contours of the plan “follow a familiar and reasonable policy logic.” (Lawfare.)
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.