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President Trump announced on Saturday that the U.S. had launched attacks on Iran “to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime.” (WSJ.) Four U.S. service members have been killed thus far, and Trump has warned that more American casualties are likely. (WSJ.)
President Trump told the New York Times that the U.S. military initially projected its assault on Iran to last “four to five weeks,” but added that “we have the capability to go far longer than that.” (NYT.) The president separately told The Atlantic that Iran’s leadership has reached out to the White House and that he has agreed to negotiate. (The Atlantic.)
The United States and Israel exploited sensitive intelligence to launch a three-wave attack that destroyed the Iranian high command and damaged Iran’s air defenses. (NYT.)
Top Democratic lawmakers pushed for a vote under the War Powers Resolution to halt President Trump from taking further military action in Iran. (Press Release.) (WaPo.)
Jack Goldsmith argued that debates about the legality of President Trump’s military campaign in Iran are empty because only political constraints exist to rein in presidential use of force. (Executive Functions.) Ilya Somin argued that “Trump’s attack on Iran is obviously unconstitutional.” (Volokh Conspiracy.) Andrew C. McCarthy wrote that “the question whether Trump’s use of force was legal does not turn on whether the threat was, in fact, imminent.” (National Review.)
Republican lawmakers are pressuring Democrats to vote to fund the Department of Homeland Security, arguing that the U.S. military’s operations in Iran increase the chances of a retaliatory terrorist attack within the U.S. (Politico.) Democrats have blocked funding bills to reopen DHS that they have asserted failed to include effective restraints on federal immigration enforcement. For background on the dispute, see previous Roundups.
Judge John R. Tunheim (D. Minn.) on Friday granted in part a preliminary injunction blocking the Department of Homeland Security from arresting or detaining refugees who have not yet adjusted to lawful permanent resident status solely on that basis. The order bars enforcement of DHS’s new policy in Minnesota and applies to a certified class of refugees residing in the state who have not been charged with removability. (Opinion and Order.) Chris Geidner summarized the ruling. (Law Dork.)
Four of the five federal judges in the Southern District of West Virginia have sharply rebuked ICE enforcement tactics tied to “Operation Country Roads,” a recent immigration operation in the state. The judges have warned in a series of rulings that warrantless arrests and detention without meaningful due process could result in sanctions. (Politico.)
The federal government will stop using Anthropic’s artificial intelligence software and will designate the company a supply-chain risk. The move comes after its CEO clashed with the Pentagon during contract negotiations over guardrails to regulate the military’s use of AI. Anthropic’s competitor, OpenAI, announced Friday that it had reached a deal with the government to use its technology on the military’s classified systems. (WSJ.) For background, see previous Roundups.
The Washington Post reports that House Democrats are preparing an aggressive oversight strategy if they retake the majority in November, including issuing subpoenas to President Trump and pursuing impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. (WaPo.)
The Pentagon’s new inspector general has reportedly put on hold a proposed review of the Trump administration’s boat-strike operations, telling his staff that further consultation with department leadership is needed. (NYT.)
Beginning in the 2026-2027 academic year, the Defense Department will eliminate certain Senior Service College fellowship placements at selected universities and think tanks. (Memorandum.) (NYT.)
According to the New York Times, the Trump administration has stalled a weapons sale to Taiwan that cleared informal congressional review to avoid upsetting Chinese leadership ahead of President Trump’s planned visit to Beijing in April. (NYT.)
Government lawyers on Friday asked a Pentagon appellate panel to overturn a military judge’s ruling that suppressed a 9/11 defendant’s confession as the product of C.I.A. torture. The statements are considered to be key evidence in the government’s death penalty trial of men accused of conspiring in the 9/11 attacks. (NYT.)
FBI Director Kash Patel last week reportedly fired more than a dozen FBI agents who participated in the agency’s investigation of Donald Trump’s mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. (WaPo.)
Andrew C. McCarthy argued that a Democratic-controlled Congress could attempt to force disclosure of special counsel Jack Smith’s Mar-a-Lago report despite an order by Judge Aileen Cannon (S.D. Fla.) barring its release. (National Review.)
Vivian Salama reported that Trump is “already eyeing” Cuba as the next target in a broader campaign to topple or reshape adversarial regimes. (The Atlantic.)
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.
Noem 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 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.