Political Wire

Judge Fumes as Trump Golf Course Fight Escalates

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“A legal fight over a public golf course near the National Mall is quickly turning into one of the most heated clashes between the Trump administration and the judiciary,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“A preservation group’s lawsuit challenging President Trump’s plans to overhaul the East Potomac Golf Links recently boiled over when the administration cut down more than 400 trees on short notice. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee, has spent the days since conveying her outrage—and trying to understand who ordered the removals and why.”

“The plot thickened Monday after Trump said the renovation work was starting immediately—while the Justice Department said it wasn’t.”

The New Republic: Trump crashes out after failing to remove judge in golf course case.

Mahmoud Khalil Appeals to Halt Deportation

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“Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University graduate arrested last year by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents amid campus protests, appealed to the Supreme Court on Monday in an attempt to prevent his deportation,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Khalil, a legal permanent U.S. resident who is married to an American, became an early and high-profile example of President Trump’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses.”

Fired FBI Employees Who Worked on Trump Case Sue

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“Nine former FBI employees sued the bureau on Thursday, saying they were unlawfully terminated merely for working on former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into President Trump’s retention of classified records after his first term in the White House,” CBS News reports.

“The former special agents, intelligence analysts and staff operation specialists worked on counterintelligence investigations and were fired over the course of two days in February 2026 — just as the United States and Israel were set to begin military strikes against Iran.”

Supreme Court Again Sides with Republicans on TV Ads

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“The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with the Trump administration in a monthslong fight over who is entitled to low rates for political ads,” the New York Times reports.

“The emergency order, which was unsigned and did not give a vote count, marked the latest time that the justices have weighed in on an obscure but critical part of the rules surrounding political advertising and whether political parties should be able to take advantage of the same low rates as candidates.”

“The court’s decision was a win for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections. Democrats have typically been thought to benefit from the old rules, which limited access to lower rates for ads to political candidates. That’s because Democratic candidates have tended to raise more money than their party’s committees. The opposite is true for Republicans.”

Judge Limited Access to Ilhan Omar’s Records

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“The Trump administration pushed for an unusually aggressive search of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s house in recent days in an immigration fraud probe that targets the congresswoman, possible false statements made on government documents, and a potential conspiracy, according to multiple people familiar with the investigation,” CNN reports.

“Prosecutors, however, first had to contend with a federal magistrate judge, in a prolonged back-and-forth that hasn’t previously been reported. Judge Matthew Sharbaugh of the DC District Court ultimately limited how the Justice Department could access Omar’s documents in Monday’s search, before he would approve the warrant, because of her role as a member of Congress and the Constitutional protections that affords.”

Trump’s Taxpayer-Funded Ads Kept Running

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“The Trump administration appears to have continued running campaign-style ads funded by taxpayer dollars after a federal judge ordered them to stop over the weekend,” the Washington Sun reports.

“The spots aired on ’60 Minutes,’ ‘ABC World News Tonight’ and ‘America’s Funniest Home Videos’ on Sunday night into Monday morning.”

Trump Asks Justices to Revive Lawsuit Against Clinton

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“President Donald Trump urged the Supreme Court on Friday to wade into his years long legal battle with former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and ex-Justice Department officials over the 2016 election, appealing a case that a lower court concluded was ‘frivolous,'” CNN reports.

“Trump filed the lawsuit in 2022 against Clinton, the Democratic National Committee and dozens of other people and entities he said conspired to undermine his 2016 campaign by falsely tying him to Russia.”

Justices Again Intervene in Political Ad Rate Dispute

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“The Supreme Court on Thursday once again quickly stepped into a legal clash regarding the rules governing the price of political television ads ahead of the midterms,” the Washington Sun reports.

“The Trump administration and Republican campaign committees asked the justices to halt a ruling from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which gave the Federal Communications Commission until noon Friday to resolve a challenge from Democratic Senate nominees to the agency’s March guidance granting political party committees access to lower ad rates when coordinating with candidates.”

“Chief Justice John Roberts quickly did so — at least for now.”

Republicans Are Ready to Act on Supreme Court Vacancy

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“Senate Republicans are unlikely to get a Supreme Court vacancy this year. They’re privately prepared for one, just in case,” Politico reports.

”A Democratic midterm triumph would carry massive implications for the final years of President Donald Trump’s presidency, including the prospect that the Senate could essentially shut down confirmations of his favored nominees. That’s a nightmare scenario for Republicans, who have viewed their reshaping of the federal judiciary as a crown jewel of Trump’s legacy.”

Mediaite: Senate Democrats suggest they would block any Trump SCOTUS noms for 2 years if.

Alito Is ‘Not Pleased’ with What Trump Has Been Saying

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“Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said he was not happy about some remarks from President Donald Trump and his administration about the court, in a rare expression of disagreement with the executive branch,” MS NOW reports.

Said Alito: “I personally am not pleased with that. Everybody in this country has the right to criticize what we do. The substance of their criticism can be quite harsh. If we deserve it, then that’s fine. But rhetoric is a different story.”

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

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