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Judge Richard Leon (D.D.C.) on Wednesday issued a preliminary injunction blocking U.S. sanctions against United Nations official Francesca Albanese. The sanctions followed Albanese’s recommendation that the International Criminal Court pursue war-crimes investigations into Israeli officials. (Memorandum Opinion.) (Politico.)
Judge Richard Leon (D.D.C.) on Wednesday ordered the government to return a Colombian woman deported to the Democratic Republic of the Congo despite that country’s refusal to accept her. (Docket.) (NYT.)
Federal courts have now rejected the Trump administration’s immigration detention policy more than 10,000 times, according to a Politico analysis. (Politico.)
The Department of Justice on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the D.C. Bar Association stemming from the Bar’s recommendation that former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark be disbarred over efforts to overturn the 2020 election. (Complaint.) (WaPo.)
The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general has begun an investigation into a now-paused $38 billion program of purchasing warehouses and converting them into detention centers. (WSJ.)
Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday announced that the Trump administration would withhold $1.3 billion in Medicaid payments to California over alleged failures by the state to combat fraud in the program. (NYT.)
The Senate on Wednesday blocked a Democrat-led attempt to stop the Iran war. This is the first such attempt since the War Powers Resolution’s 60-day deadline for congressional approval or the end of hostilities passed. (WaPo.)
The White House is reportedly considering celebrating the country’s 250th birthday with 250 pardons. (WSJ.)
The chief spokesman for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. resigned on Wednesday in protest of recent efforts by senior HHS officials to seek “Food and Drug Administration marketing approval of e-cigarette flavors that would appeal to children.” (Letter.) (NYT.)
DHS General Counsel James Percival defended the department’s refusal to take down a website attacking a judge for ordering the release of an ICE detainee allegedly wanted for murder in the Dominican Republic, something that the government had not communicated to the judge. Percival argued that DHS did not need to inform the judge, Melissa DuBose (D.R.I.), of the arrest warrant since it was distinct from the “narrow legal question” in front of the court. (The Federalist.) See previous Roundups for background.
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. The Court heard oral argument on April 29, 2026.
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. The Court heard oral argument on April 29, 2026.