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Judge Patrick J. Schiltz (D. Minn.) wrote in a Thursday order that he would, “if necessary, mov[e] to the use of criminal contempt” to compel ICE to comply with court orders. Judge Schiltz’s comments arose after the U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Daniel Rosen challenged the judge’s methods for identifying 96 orders in the district that ICE had disobeyed. (Supplemental Order.) (Law Dork.) (NYT.) For background on the dispute, see a previous Roundup.
Judge Jeffrey M. Bryan (D. Minn.) on Thursday scheduled a combined contempt hearing in more than two dozen immigration cases where ICE agents did not comply with court orders to return property to immigrants released from detention. The order requires officials, including U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, to appear in person on March 3 to show cause for why they should not be held in civil or criminal contempt. (Order.)
Citing numerous immigration cases in the District of New Jersey in which the government has not complied with court orders, Judge Zahid Quraishi (D.N.J.) wrote in a Thursday order that the government’s noncompliance “can now only be deemed intentional” and said he may order officials to testify in person under oath to justify arrests and detentions on a basis that has been “roundly rejected” by federal courts. (Opinion.) (NYT.)
Judge Richard J. Leon (D.D.C.) on Thursday denied the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s request to block President Trump’s construction of a ballroom in the East Wing of the White House. Judge Leon said the plaintiff’s legal challenge failed under the Administrative Procedure Act but invited the plaintiff to amend its complaint to bring an ultra vires claim challenging President Trump’s statutory authority. (Memorandum Opinion.) (WSJ.)
A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit on Thursday vacated a district court’s preliminary injunction barring President Trump from stripping union protections to certain federal workers on the basis of national security concerns. (Opinion.)
The Justice Department on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to issue a stay pending appeal of a district court orderpreliminarily 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. (Application.) (NYT.)
The family of a U.N. expert filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the Trump administration, contending President Trump unlawfully imposed sanctions against her for advocating for the criminal prosecution of Israeli leaders and international companies involved in the war in Gaza. (Complaint.) (NYT.)
The Justice Department on Thursday sued five states—Utah, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Kentucky, and New Jersey—for unredacted voter registration data. (NYT.)
The Washington Post reported that pro-Trump activists are urging the president to issue an executive order claiming emergency powers over voting to combat foreign interference in the midterm elections, citing alleged Chinese interference in the 2020 election. (WaPo.)
Anthropic on Thursday rejected the Pentagon’s demand that the AI company agree to allow the U.S. military to use its technology in all lawful cases. “We cannot in good conscience accede to their request,” Chief Executive Dario Amodei said. (WSJ.) For background on the dispute, see a previous Roundup.
ICE agents on Thursday reportedly misrepresented themselves as local police searching for a missing child to gain entrance into a Columbia University-owned apartment building and arrest a student. Hours later, the student was released from custody following a meeting between New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump. (NYT.)
Vice President JD Vance announced on Wednesday that the federal government is withholding $259 million in funding for medicaid from Minnesota. (NYT.)
Denver Mayor Mike Johnson plans to issue an executive order Thursday restricting federal immigration enforcement within the city. The order would ban ICE agents from city property, direct local law enforcement to protect peaceful protestors at the scene of immigration operations, and allow the city to criminally investigate complaints against federal immigration agents. (NYT.)
Bob Bauer argued it is a serious possibility that the president will defy court orders if necessary to achieve interference in the midterm elections and prevent Democratic control of either or both houses of Congress. (Executive Functions.)
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.