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News outlets reported that the Supreme Court “appeared closely divided” over the Trump administration’s efforts to terminate Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian nationals during oral argument on Wednesday. (Transcript.) (NYT.) (WSJ.)
Federal prosecutors in Illinois on Wednesday dropped felony conspiracy charges against protestors involved in a demonstration outside an ICE facility in the Chicago area last September. The prosecutors indicated they will proceed with a case on misdemeanor counts of impeding a federal agent against four of the six individuals formerly charged. (Notification of Docket Entry.) (NYT.)
According to the Wall Street Journal, the White House opposes a plan from Anthropic to expand access to its powerful new model, Mythos, to an additional 70 companies and organizations. (WSJ.)
In an indictment unsealed on Wednesday, prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York alleged that a Mexican governor and nine other current and former Mexican officials conspired to import drugs into the United States by assisting the Sinaloa cartel in exchange for bribes. (Indictment.) (NYT.)
House Republicans on Wednesday narrowly passed a budget plan enabling up to $70 billion in new funding for ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection through the reconciliation process, which allows certain fiscal legislation to pass the Senate with a simple majority. (NYT.)
The Justice Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives announced Wednesday a set of 34 regulatory changes to roll back federal gun restrictions following a review directed by an executive order entitled “Protecting Second Amendment Rights.” (Press Release.) (NYT.)
Eric Columbus and Molly Roberts argued the case involving President Trump’s ballroom project “may test just how far national security deference by the courts to the executive can stretch.” (Lawfare.)
Andrew McCarthy wrote that the new indictment against James Comey, if it results in conviction, “would eradicate the people’s First Amendment right to free political expression.” (National Review.)
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.