in the courts

On Tuesday, Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Casper in Boston sided with nine clean energy organizations that sued to stop the federal government’s ​“arbitrary and capricious” efforts to hinder wind and solar development on public land or wherever federal permits are required — even as fossil fuels and other energy sources carried on as usual.

“The Court finds that Figliuzzi’s statement is rhetorical hyperbole that cannot constitute defamation,” U.S. District Court Judge George Hanks Jr. wrote in his decision. “Accordingly, Dir. Patel has failed to state a claim against Figliuzzi, and his lawsuit must be dismissed.”

In a statement, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson called the decision “a victory for military servicemembers, their families, and the rule of law.”

“Every U.S. citizen has the Constitutional right to freely cast their vote in every election – that should be a basic, nonpartisan position shared by every American, regardless of political preference,” Benson said. “I hope the court’s dismissal of this case marks the end of the RNC’s deliberate, well-funded attack on military and overseas citizen voting. But I’m prepared to continue the fight to defend the voting rights of every eligible citizen in our state and across the nation.”

“Lopez Soza’s detention without bond violated his liberty interest, which cannot be casually tossed aside. Thus, Lopez Soza is entitled to immediate release,” she wrote.

The American Civil Liberties Union, National Immigrant Justice Center, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, Texas Civil Rights Project, ACLU of the District of Columbia, and ACLU of Texas brought the federal lawsuit on behalf of Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, and the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project, which provide legal services to asylum seekers, and a nationwide class of people barred from seeking protection in the United States under this proclamation.

A federal judge overturned the Trump administration’s ban on gender-affirming care for children on Saturday, decrying Robert F Kennedy Jr’s “wanton disregard” for the law that “causes very real harm to very real people”.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington DC, seeks to represent all employees fired by the FBI since 1 January 2025, as well as those who may be terminated in the future, “on the basis of perceived political affiliation, without being afforded due process”. At least 50 former agents could be part of the proposed class, lawyers wrote in court papers.

The plaintiffs in the case include the national and Massachusetts chapters of the League of Women Voters, as well as advocacy groups for Americans living abroad. OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority are also plaintiffs. They are represented by a slew of civil rights and voting organizations, including the ACLU, NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Brennan Center for Justice, and Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC.

A judge has cleared the way for the potential release of an Indian citizen who was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody last year after his Pennsylvania murder conviction was overturned following four decades in prison.

The complaint seeks a court order requiring the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and private prison contractor CoreCivic to allow county health officials inside to conduct a full inspection. According to the lawsuit, ICE initially cleared county officials to enter the facility but reversed that decision when the inspection team arrived.