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A federal grand jury convened in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia reportedly refused to indict six Democratic lawmakers who urged service members to resist unlawful military orders. According to the Washington Post, the Department of Justice sought to charge the lawmakers with a felony that makes it illegal to “interfere with, impair, or influence the loyalty, morale, or discipline of the military or naval forces of the United States.” (WaPo.)
A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit on Monday granted the Trump administration’s request for a stay pending appeal of a district court order vacating Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s termination of temporary protected status designations for Nepal, Honduras, and Nicaragua. (Order.) (NYT.)
Judge Hala Y. Jarbou (W.D. Mich.) on Tuesday granted the state of Michigan’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan seeking a copy of the state’s unredacted voter registration data. (Opinion.) (NYT.)
The FBI’s application for a warrant to search an election facility in Georgia’s Fulton County was unsealed on Tuesday. The affidavit states that the FBI’s criminal investigation into “electoral impropriety” in Fulton County originated with a referral from lawyer Kurt Olsen, who “played a central role in Mr. Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election,” according to the New York Times. (Search Warrant Affidavit.) (NYT.)
A Politico review of hundreds of cases brought by ICE detainees concluded that ICE engages in a “pattern of noncompliance” with judicial orders to release detainees. (Politico.)
Andrew C. McCarthy published the fourth installment of a five-part series on President Trump’s entanglements with the United Arab Emirates. (National Review.)
Irene Loewenson argued that the Trump administration’s policy charging a $100,000 fee for the H-1B visa may hold up in court in light of the president’s broad authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to impose entry restrictions on noncitizens. (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.




