Reuters Legal

The Trump administration’s policy of deporting some foreign nationals who participate in pro-Palestinian protests is unconstitutional, lawyers for a detained Columbia University student said. In their first filing since U.S. authorities articulated the legal basis for arresting Mahmoud Khalil, his lawyers urged U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman to immediately release him from immigration detention because his free speech rights were violated. Khalil’s legal team is led by Amy Belsher of the New York Civil Liberties Foundation.   Subscribe to the Afternoon Docket here: reut.rs/3XzNBq2

The U.S. Department of Education said its office for civil rights is investigating 45 universities, citing complaints that the schools engaged with a program that set eligibility based on race. Since Donald Trump returned to the presidency in January, his administration has sought to limit efforts to provide support to people based on race, gender or ethnicity. The Department of Education said the new probe announced followed allegations that the universities partnered with a program that seeks to increase diversity in college business schools. Read more: https://reut.rs/3R9xA6F

The Trump administration has told Columbia University that it must make a series of policy changes as a precondition for talks on restoring $400 million in canceled federal contracts and grants, ratcheting up its crackdown on the school and others where pro-Palestinian protests flourished last year. The demands, made in a letter dated on March 13, coincided with a search of two student dormitory rooms by federal agents at the New York City campus, its interim president said. The searches came a week after immigration agents detained Mahmoud Khalil, the leader of last year's protests at Columbia, in a bid to deport him that so far has been blocked in court. The developments are the latest signals that the Trump administration has no plans to ease up on efforts to reshape the policies on how U.S. college campuses deal with protests. Read more: https://reut.rs/3XSjlqx

LIVE: Sean 'Diddy' Combs is due back in Manhattan federal court Sean 'Diddy' Combs is due back in Manhattan federal court to be arraigned on new indictment, which added accusations that the hip-hop mogul forced employees to work long hours and threatened to punish those who did not assist in his two-decade sex trafficking scheme. Combs previously pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. While the new indictment added no new charges, it described what prosecutors called the 'forced labor' that Combs demanded in connection with the racketeering conspiracy. #Reuters #News #SeanDiddyCombs #Court #Manhattan #Indictment Keep up with the latest news from around the world: https://www.reuters.com/

The FDA's chief counsel Hilary Perkins has resigned, just two days after her appointment was announced.   The resignation comes after Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri openly criticized Martin Makary, President Donald Trump's nominee for FDA Commissioner, for Perkins' appointment.   Hawley also criticized Perkins for being pro-abortion and having supported vaccine mandates.   Subscribe to The Daily Docket for more: https://reut.rs/4aBvwvO

U.S. agencies are defying a court order blocking President Donald Trump's ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programs at businesses and organizations that contract with the federal government, groups suing over the ban said in a court filing on March 13. The groups, along with the city of Baltimore, told U.S. District Judge Adam Abelson in Maryland that federal agencies are continuing to threaten contractors with loss of funding if they do not sign contracts with anti-DEI language, despite the judge's order last month barring enforcement of the policy while the lawsuit proceeds. The lawsuit was brought by the NADOHE - National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, the American Association of University Professors, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United and the city of Baltimore. They argue that the anti-DEI policy violates their freedom of speech under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Brendan Pierson has more: https://reut.rs/3DSz8il

In a year of strong bar exam results nationwide, Harvard Law School emerged with the highest first-time pass rate in 2024 — with 97.86% of its Juris Doctor graduates passing the attorney licensing exam on their first attempt. Federal judges in California and Maryland on ordered the Trump administration to reinstate thousands of probationary federal workers who lost their jobs as part of mass firings carried out at 19 agencies. After 15 years of litigation, a copyright law battle between software support company Rimini Street and tech giant Oracle is headed back to a U.S. appeals court, as Rimini fights to overturn $58 million in legal fees awarded to Oracle in the case in September. With CFPB sidelined, can other consumer lawsuits fill the watchdog void? Here's your Legal File ➡️

A U.S. judge on March 12 ordered Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency to turn over a variety of records and answer questions describing their efforts to slash federal spending.   The decision by U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, D.C., came in a lawsuit by 14 Democratic state attorneys general against Musk, DOGE and Republican President Donald Trump.   The states argued that Musk violated the Constitution by wielding power that only officials confirmed by the Senate can exercise under the Appointments Clause, and sought materials from him through a process known as discovery.   Subscribe to The Daily Docket for more: https://reut.rs/4aBvwvO

Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard who is serving a 15-year prison sentence for leaking classified U.S. national security documents online, was sentenced by a military judge to a dishonorable discharge on March 13 after pleading guilty to obstructing justice. Teixeira, 23, was sentenced by a judge at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts after he entered a plea pursuant to a deal that called for him to serve no additional time in custody, bringing an end to court-martial proceedings that began this week. The military charges were filed last year following what U.S. authorities say was one of the largest leaks of classified documents in years, including some related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Nate Raymond has more: https://reut.rs/3XPnoE4

LIVE: ICC hearing for former Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte Former President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, is expected to make his first appearance at the International Criminal Court. Duterte said he takes full responsibility for his administration's ‘war on drugs,’ in a video message posted on his Facebook account, as he braces for a legal battle at the International Criminal Court. #Philippines #RodrigoDuterte #InternationalCriminalCourt #Duterte #warondrugs #legalbattle #ICC #live #news #reuters Keep up with the latest news from around the world: https://www.reuters.com/