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☆ Opinion | Biden Is Right: End Lifetime Tenure on the Supreme Court
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-22 | by ( David Firestone | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It wasn’t that long ago that many Republicans fully supported the most compelling of Biden’s ideas: term limits for justices. Term limits were also supported by Senator Marco Rubio, and Senator Ted Cruz proposed putting justices up for election every eight years. But an 18-year maximum tenure for justices, as Biden and many others have proposed, shouldn’t be ping-ponged around by whatever faction is dissatisfied with the current court. Through the 1960s, the average term on the court was around 15 years; after 1970, it became about 26 years. The founders did not fully anticipate how a justice might become insulated from reality after serving on the court for many decades.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Biden’s, Josh Hawley, John Roberts, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Biden, It’s, —, Clarence Thomas — Organizations: Republicans don’t, Republicans, Republican, it’s Locations: Missouri

☆ AOC rallies to Biden's side as progressives split over backing his 2024 campaign
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-19 | by ( Michael Kosnar | Ken Dilanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

But she warned that things could get more chaotic for Democrats if Biden were to make the extraordinary move to end his campaign just weeks before the Democratic convention. In a twist for the left-leaning Ocasio-Cortez, her comments make her among the more forceful pro-Biden voices in the party right now. Many progressives, including Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., are primarily driven by policy goals and know they have Biden's ear. The strategist said part of the reason progressives like Ocasio-Cortez are backing Biden is the "bird in hand phenomenon" — there's a "comfort level" with Biden in the White House. Ocasio-Cortez also cautioned followers that Biden has unique electoral strengths that other Democrats cannot expect to replicate.

Persons: Joe Biden, Alexandria Ocasio, Donald Trump, Biden, Clarence Thomas, Cortez, wasn't, Sen, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Mark Pocan, Pocan, Harris, Kamala —, Harris —, It's, Lisa Lint, Vander, it's Organizations: Rep, Biden, Democrats, Democratic, Trump, Congressional Progressive Caucus, CPC, Grand Rapids, Twitter Locations: Alexandria, Cortez, Grand

☆ Aileen Cannon: If the Trump classified documents case is reinstated, judge would be difficult to remove
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It also was the capstone of her highly scrutinized handling of the historic Trump case, in which she was known to drag out the pretrial proceedings, entertain long-shot legal theories offered by the former president and issue cumbersome orders that flummoxed lawyers on both sides of the case. Well before Monday’s ruling, outside cheerleaders of the special counsel, including many Trump critics, were calling on Smith to seek Cannon’s removal from the case. None of Thomas’ eight colleagues signed on to his solo concurring opinion, as Smith noted in court filings last week arguing to Cannon that the concurrence should not bear on the classified documents case. The way she has managed her docket has kept the case at a snail’s pace, playing into Trump’s strategy of delay. Or it has happened when the judge has “repeatedly” refused to comply with the appeals court’s instructions on a particular issue in a case, he said.

Persons: Donald Trump, Aileen Cannon, Jack Smith, ”, Jon Sale, Cannon, Trump, Michael Moore, Obama, “ She’s, General Merrick Garland, Smith, Clarence Thomas, Jon May, ’, Thomas ’, Thomas, it’s, ” Moore, She’s, “, Don Samuel, ” Samuel Organizations: CNN, Trump, Circuit, Smith Locations: Florida, Fort Pierce , Florida, Georgia, Mar

☆ Hunter Biden seeks dismissal of criminal cases, cites Trump classified documents ruling
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, walks upon arrival at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, DC, on July 1, 2024. The motions follow the ruling Monday by Florida federal court Judge Aileen Cannon tossing out Smith's prosecution of Trump over his retention of classified documents after leaving the White House. Cannon ruled that Smith's appointment as special counsel violated the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution. He is awaiting trial in Los Angeles federal court on federal tax crime charges, which Biden's lawyers likewise are asking a judge there to toss out. That ruling related to Smith's pending prosecution of Trump in Washington, D.C., federal court for crimes associated with Trump's attempt to reverse his loss to President Biden in the 2020 election.

Persons: Hunter Biden, Joe Biden, Fort Lesley J, McNair, Clarence Thomas, Donald Trump, Jack Smith, Trump, David Weiss, Aileen Cannon, Cannon, Biden, Weiss Organizations: Fort, Supreme, White, U.S . Constitution, of Justice, Washington , D.C Locations: Washington ,, California, Delaware, Florida, U.S ., Los Angeles, Trump

☆ Hunter Biden, Citing Trump’s Classified Documents Ruling, Seeks Dismissal of Cases
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Glenn Thrush | More About Glenn Thrush | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Hunter Biden asked a federal court in Delaware on Thursday to toss out his conviction in his gun case, citing the dismissal of charges against former President Donald J. Trump in his classified documents case in Florida. On Monday, a federal judge in Florida, Aileen M. Cannon, threw out the case against Mr. Trump, saying the special counsel overseeing his prosecution, Jack Smith, had been unconstitutionally appointed. Hunter Biden, President Biden’s younger son, who has been by his father’s side in recent days as the president faces mounting calls to exit the race, also cited a concurring opinion that Justice Clarence Thomas wrote when the Supreme Court expanded presidential immunity. In it, Justice Thomas raised doubts about how Mr. Smith got his job. Those decisions have given rise to unusual alliances: President Biden called the Supreme Court’s ruling “specious” and misguided, and his administration almost immediately signaled that it would appeal Judge Cannon’s decision.

Persons: Hunter Biden, Donald J, Trump, Aileen M, Cannon, Jack Smith, Biden’s, Clarence Thomas, Justice Thomas, Smith, Biden, Cannon’s Locations: Delaware, Florida

☆ Hunter Biden says Aileen Cannon’s ruling that ended Trump’s classified documents case should help him as well
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Marshall Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

A separate special counsel, David Weiss, has been investigating Hunter Biden since 2018 and brought the separate gun and tax indictments against him last year. In fact, Hunter Biden tried but failed to get the gun and tax cases thrown out based on similar arguments. Reviving those arguments, Hunter Biden cited momentum from Trump-appointee Cannon and conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Ironically, while Hunter Biden champions their rulings, many of his father’s allies have condemned them. At his gun trial, Hunter Biden was found guilty of buying and possessing a gun while abusing illegal drugs.

Persons: CNN — Hunter Biden, Aileen Cannon, Donald Trump, Joe Biden’s, Trump, Jack Smith, David Weiss, Hunter Biden, Biden, he’s, Weiss, ”, General Merrick Garland, Smith, Cannon, Clarence Thomas, Hunter, ” Hunter, Weiss ’, ” Cannon’s, Alexander Smirnov, Joe, Smirnov’s Organizations: CNN, Justice Department, Mr, Trump, Court, Hunter Biden, ex, FBI Locations: Delaware, California

CNN —Special counsel Jack Smith said Wednesday that he is appealing a judge’s decision to throw out the indictment against Donald Trump concerning his handling of classified documents. This means the shock ruling would be reviewed by judges from the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals based in Atlanta. Cannon in her ruling on Monday had said that Smith’s appointment as special counsel was unconstitutional, warranting the dismissal of the case against Trump. Her decision was at odds with the rulings of judges across the country that rejected attacks on the legality of special counsel appointments. Absent a move to speed the appeal in the Trump documents case, it will likely take several months for the appeal to play out in the Atlanta-based appeals court.

Persons: Jack Smith, Donald Trump, Aileen Cannon, Cannon, Trump, Mark Meadows, George W, Bush, Smith, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliveira —, Merrick Garland, Smith —, Clarence Thomas, Thomas Organizations: CNN, Trump, FBI, Trump White House, Justice Department, Supreme, Circuit Locations: Atlanta, Mar, Lago, Georgia, Fort Pierce , Florida, Washington ,, Florida , Alabama

CNN —A federal judge on Monday dismissed the classified documents case against Donald Trump, a shock ruling that clears away one of the major legal challenges facing the former president. In a 93-page ruling, District Judge Aileen Cannon said the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith violated the Constitution. She did not rule on whether Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents was proper or not. Even though a trial before the presidential election was considered highly unlikely, many legal experts had viewed the classified documents case as the strongest one of the four cases that were pending against the former president. Smith had charged Trump last year with taking classified documents from the White House and resisting the government’s attempts to retrieve the materials.

Persons: Donald Trump, Aileen Cannon, Jack Smith, ” Cannon, Cannon, Trump, ”, Smith, –, Clarence Thomas, James Pearce, “, Justice Department “, it’s Organizations: CNN, Republican National Convention, Truth Social, Justice Department, White, Trump, DOJ, United, United States Attorney Locations: Washington , DC, Georgia, New York, United States

There may be a path for Smith to revive the case, Cannon noted in her ruling, and Smith can appeal the decision. Cannon left open a potential pathway in her ruling for the classified documents case to be revived. (He is being prosecuted by a separate special counsel, David Weiss.) And during the Trump-Russia investigation, multiple Trump allies similarly attempted to derail special counsel Robert Mueller’s work. Former Attorney General Edwin Meese and Citizens United argued the same, writing that Smith’s appointment “severely undermines” the constitutional order.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Aileen Cannon, Jack Smith, General Merrick Garland, Smith, Cannon, Trump, “, ”, ” Cannon, Garland, Bill Barr, John Durham, Smith’s, it’s, Clarence Thomas The, Clarence Thomas, Thomas ’, Thomas, John Roberts, wasn’t, ” Thomas, Steve Vladeck, Joe Biden’s, Hunter Biden, David Weiss, Robert Mueller’s, James Pearce, Cannon’s, Edwin Meese, ” “ Organizations: Washington CNN, Trump, Republican National Convention, Republican, Justice Department, Senate, United, United States Attorney, Defense, Treasury, The, Prosecutors, CNN, Georgetown University Law Center, FBI, Former, Citizens United Locations: Milwaukee, United States, California, Delaware, Russia, Virginia, Washington, DC, Mar

☆ Florida judge dismisses classified documents case against Trump, ruling appointment of Jack Smith was unconstitutional
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-15 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

US District Judge Aileen Cannon — who was appointed to the bench by Trump while he was president — ruled Monday that the appointment of Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the prosecution, was unconstitutional. The legality of Justice Department special counsels has been the subject of some debate over the past two decades. Since then, the US Attorney General has appointed special counsels with less authority while relying on internal Justice Department regulations. AdvertisementDefense lawyers in special counsel investigations have routinely argued the appointment of these newer special counsels is unconstitutional. His lawyers had signaled that, on appeal, they would challenge the legality of appointing a special counsel in the first place.

Persons: Trump's, Lago, Aileen Cannon —, —, Jack Smith, Smith, Trump, Cannon, Jean Carroll's, Carroll, defaming, Ronald Reagan's, Bill Clinton's, General, Clarence Thomas, Robert Mueller, Hunter Biden, David Weiss Organizations: Trump, Business, White, FBI, Justice, Congress, Justice Department, Appeals, US, Defense Locations: Mar, Lago, Florida, Manhattan, Georgia, Iran, United States

☆ Aileen Cannon’s nuking of the Trump documents case continues her trend of embracing long-shot legal theories
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-15 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

She said Smith was unconstitutionally appointed as special counsel and that the funding of his office also violated the law. “It’s not just that this is an extreme argument about the Appointments Clause of the Constitution, it’s that it’s one that exactly one Supreme Court justice has endorsed and lots of precedent refutes,” said Steve Vladeck, a CNN Supreme Court analyst and professor at Georgetown University of Law. And Cannon’s opinion left open the possibility that the charges could be revived if brought by the Justice Department in a way not reliant on the current special counsel infrastructure. In other special counsel cases, defendants have not even bothered to bring the long-shot claims. The special counsel office has not yet weighed in on Cannon’s decision.

Persons: Aileen Cannon, Jack Smith’s, Donald Trump, Smith, Trump, –, It’s, ”, Steve Vladeck, Clarence Thomas, coronate Trump, Monday’s, Michael Moore, “ She’s, Moore, Obama, Clarence Thomas Just, Cannon, Thomas ’, Thomas, Robert Mueller’s, David Weiss ’, Hunter Biden, “, Justice Thomas, Mark Schnapp, it’s, ” Vladeck Organizations: CNN, Trump, CNN Supreme, Georgetown University of Law, Justice Department, Republican National Convention, House, Saturday, “ CNN, Appeals, Supreme Locations: Fort Pierce , Florida, Washington ,, South Florida, Robert Mueller’s Russia

☆ Donald Trump transformed the federal judiciary. He could push the courts further right in a second term
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-13 | by ( Andrew Seger | Phil Mattingly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“I totally transformed the federal judiciary,” Trump boasted at a summit hosted by the right-wing Moms for Liberty group last summer. “Many presidents never get the opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court justice. But as Trump drives toward a potential second term, one thing is clear: He’s just getting started. (Project 2025 is the policy playbook crafted by the conservative Heritage Foundation for a potential second Trump term.) That intent for vengeance could set the bar for nominations and administration lawyers alike in a second Trump term.

Persons: CNN —, Donald Trump, “, ” Trump, Trump, ” Gregg Nunziata, Joe Biden, ”, Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, It’s, Alito, Thomas aren’t, Skye Perryman, it’s, Trump’s, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett –, “ Will, Hugh Hewitt, Mitch McConnell, I’ve, ” McConnell, Wade, Aileen Cannon –, ” Donald B, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, that’s, they’ve, Fox News ’ Sean Hannity, ” Will Chamberlain, Ron DeSantis, John Eastman, “ We’ve, ” Eastman Organizations: CNN, Liberty, Trump, Republican Party, Society, Federalist Society, Democracy, Heritage Foundation, Republican, EPA, Biden, Fox News, III, Florida Gov, Conservatism Conference Locations: “, Los Angeles, kilter, Dallas, Trump’s, Florida, George H.W ., Washington

☆ Jack Smith says Clarence Thomas’ attack on his appointment should not factor into classified documents case
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-12 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Special counsel Jack Smith told the judge in the classified documents case in Florida that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ criticism of his appointment should have no bearing on the criminal case against former President Donald Trump. In a brief filing Friday, Smith said that Thomas’ writing in the presidential immunity case – in a concurrence that no other justice joined – isn’t binding on US District Judge Aileen Cannon. In a filing last week, Trump’s lawyers brought to Cannon’s attention both the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling and the concurrence that Thomas wrote in that dispute. In response on Friday, Smith said that he agreed with Trump that both sides should file more briefing on how the high court’s immunity ruling affects the documents case. Cannon has not signaled yet how she’ll weigh the Supreme Court’s new ruling in the case before her.

Persons: Jack Smith, Clarence Thomas ’, Donald Trump, Smith, Thomas ’, –, Aileen Cannon, ” Smith, Thomas, Cannon, Trump, CNN’s Holmes Lybrand Organizations: CNN, Trump Locations: Florida, Washington ,

☆ AOC Moves To Impeach Clarence Thomas And Samuel Alito
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Erica Star Domena | Tamara Lindstrom | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.

Organizations: Business

☆ Clarence Thomas accepted a free yacht trip to Russia and got flown out on a complimentary helicopter ride to Putin's hometown, 2 Democratic senators say
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Democratic senators have accused Justice Clarence Thomas of accepting undisclosed gifts and trips. He allegedly accepted gifts like a yacht trip and a chopper ride to St. Petersburg, Putin's hometown. Senators seek investigation into potential tax fraud and financial ties between Thomas and Crow. AdvertisementTwo Democratic senators have accused Associate Justice Clarence Thomas of accepting free trips to Russian President Vladimir Putin's hometown. The letter highlighted the "serious possibility of tax fraud" and accused Thomas of having "secretly accepted gifts and income potentially worth millions of dollars."

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Putin's, Thomas, —, Vladimir Putin's, Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, Ron Wyden, General Merrick Garland, SCOTUS Organizations: Service, Oregon, Business Locations: St . Petersburg, Rhode Island

☆ Democrats go public with fears of GOP ‘landslide’ that could jeopardize US democracy
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —President Joe Biden and his advisers keep issuing unequivocal declarations that he’s staying in the 2024 race, but Democrats aren’t hearing it. “Speaker Pelosi fully supports whatever President Biden decides to do,” a spokesperson said in a subsequent statement. “Donald Trump is on track, I think, to win this election, and maybe win it by a landslide, and take with him the Senate and the House,” he told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. Trump is currently aheadCNN’s Road to 270 assessment of the electoral map shows Trump in position to win the election. “Donald Trump and the Republicans have loved every minute of watching this discussion,” Rep. Debbie Dingell, who represents the battleground state of Michigan, told CNN’s Jessica Dean.

Persons: Joe Biden, “, Nancy Pelosi, ”, Biden, Pelosi, Vermont Sen, Peter Welch, —, Colorado Sen, Michael Bennet, “ Donald Trump, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Adam Smith, ” Smith, Trump, CNN’s Wolf, Ritchie Torres —, Biden —, Clooney, George Clooney, cohosted, “ Joe Biden, ” Clooney, He’s, Rob Reiner, Michael Douglas, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, doesn’t, Lester Holt, ’ Bennet, Sens, Sherrod Brown, Jon Tester, ” Bennet, Donald Trump, CNN’s, Ronald Brownstein, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Harry Enten, CNN’s Jim Acosta, Hakeem Jeffries, Annie Grayer, Manu Raju, Jeffries, Debbie Dingell, CNN’s Jessica Dean Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Democrat, New York Rep, Congressional Black Caucus, The New York Times, Democrats, Trump, Biden, Hollywood, Democratic National Convention, NATO, NBC, Colorado Democrat, Senate, Republicans, White, House Democratic Caucus, ” Locations: Vermont, Washington, Los Angeles, California, Chicago, Russia, New York City, Georgia , Michigan, Nevada, Michigan

☆ Ocasio-Cortez introduces articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Justices Thomas and Alito
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Owen Dahlkamp | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has introduced articles of impeachment against conservative Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas over their failure to disclose gifts they have received while serving on the court – a messaging move that will surely fail in the GOP-controlled House. “Justice Thomas and Alito’s repeated failure over decades to disclose that they received millions of dollars in gifts from individuals with business before the court is explicitly against the law,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement. This is the latest example of House Democrats – led by some of their highest-profile members – prioritizing the Supreme Court in their campaign year messaging. They’ve previously signaled that, if they regain control of the House, they’d use the power of the gavel to investigate alleged ethical lapses by the justices. CNN Tierney Sneed contributed to this report.

Persons: Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Thomas, Alito’s, ” Ocasio, ”, Democrats –, CNN Tierney Sneed Organizations: CNN — Democratic, GOP, “, Democrats Locations: Alexandria, Cortez of New York

☆ Senators seek special counsel probe of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Associate Justice Clarence Thomas during the formal group photograph at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. Two Democratic Senate committee leaders asked the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to investigate whether Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas broke federal tax and ethics laws, the senators said Tuesday. "The evidence assembled thus far plainly suggests that Justice Thomas has committed numerous willful violations of federal ethics and false-statement laws," the senators alleged in the letter. It also "raises significant questions about whether he and his wealthy benefactors have complied with their federal tax obligations," Wyden and Whitehouse wrote. That evidence, they wrote, suggests that Thomas "likely violated federal law by accepting lavish gifts from wealthy benefactors and failing to report them" in violation of the Ethics in Government Act.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Ron Wyden, Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, General Merrick Garland, Thomas, Wyden, Whitehouse Organizations: Democratic, Justice Department Locations: Washington , DC

☆ Senators ask DOJ to investigate 'serious possibility of additional tax fraud' by Clarence Thomas
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewTwo Democratic senators have called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to open a special counsel investigation into Clarence Thomas. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Presented with opportunities to resolve questions about his conduct, Justice Thomas has maintained a suspicious silence." AdvertisementA spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment on the letter when reached by Business Insider. Thomas has previously denied any wrongdoing, arguing gifts from Crow and others fall under a "personal hospitality exemption," meaning they don't require disclosure.

Persons: —, General Merrick Garland, Clarence Thomas, Sheldon Whitehouse, Ron Wyden, Thomas, Harlan Crow, Mark Martin, Whitehouse, Thomas's, he'd, Crow Organizations: Service, Oregon, Supreme, Business, Judicial Conference, Wyden, Finance, Justice Department, Business Insider Locations: Sens, Rhode Island, Crow

☆ Democrats Seek Criminal Investigation of Justice Thomas Over Travel and Gifts
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Maya C. Miller | More About Maya C. Miller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two top Democratic senators have asked the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation of Justice Clarence Thomas for possible violations of federal ethics and tax laws. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Ron Wyden of Oregon sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland last week asking that he appoint a special counsel to investigate Justice Thomas’s failure to disclose lavish gifts, luxury travel, a loan for a recreational vehicle and other perks given to him by wealthy friends. The request further intensified efforts by Senate Democrats to scrutinize Justice Thomas’s conduct at a time when they are trying to force Supreme Court justices to comply with stricter ethics and financial disclosure rules. “We do not make this request lightly,” the senators wrote in a joint statement. “Supreme Court justices are properly expected to obey laws designed to prevent conflicts of interest and the appearance of impropriety and to comply with the federal tax code.”

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Sheldon Whitehouse, Ron Wyden, General Merrick B, Garland, Thomas’s Organizations: Democratic, Justice Department, Oregon Locations: Rhode Island

☆ How Biden’s 2024 choice could reshape the Senate and Supreme Court for years
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-09 | by ( Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

But recent history raises deep questions about whether Democratic Senate candidates can continue to levitate as far above the presidential ticket as polls now show. “A Democratic Senate majority coalition relies on having both Senators from a state such as Michigan,” said Daniel Hopkins, a University of Pennsylvania political scientist. As recently as the 1980s, it was common for voters to split their tickets in Senate races. Still, even that alignment left room for some Senate candidates to swim against this general tide. This history, by itself, doesn’t answer whether Democratic Senate candidates would have better prospects with or without Biden as their presidential nominee.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Donald Trump, Republican Sen, Susan Collins of, Trump, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, ”, Democratic Sen, Evan Bayh, Bayh, “, —, Sen, Joe Manchin, who’s, Democratic Sens, Sherrod Brown of, Jon Tester, Montana, Bob Casey, Tammy Baldwin, Jacky Rosen, Elissa Slotkin, Ruben Gallego, Kyrsten, Martin Heinrich, Nella Domenici, Pete Domenici, Curtis Bashaw, Andy Kim, Bob Menendez, Rick Scott, Ted Cruz, Collins, Ron Johnson, Daniel Hopkins, — hasn’t, David Bergstein, ” Bergstein, ” Mike Berg, ” Lee Drutman, Drutman, Biden’s, ” Drutman, Democratic pollster, ” Jason Kander, Kander, Hillary Clinton, Clinton, Roy Blunt, doesn’t, ” Kander, ” Bayh, Republican Todd Young, it’s, Ronald Reagan’s, Barack Obama, Obama, Republican Dean Heller, Heller —, Steve Bullock, Jesse Hunt, Hunt, Hopkins Organizations: CNN, Senate, Democratic, Republican, White, GOP, West, Republicans, Biden, Democratic Sens, Democrats, Trump, University of Pennsylvania, don’t, Democratic Senatorial, “ Republicans, National Republican Senatorial, Democratic Senate, ”, White House, Indiana Senate, Democratic Gov Locations: Susan Collins of Maine, Indiana, West Virginia, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada, Michigan, Arizona, New Mexico, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, North Carolina, — Maine, Florida , Iowa, Ohio, New America, Missouri, Southern, Maine, Iowa , Kansas , Kentucky, Montana , South Carolina

☆ The Arizona primary where the MAGA movement is devouring itself
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +18 min

"He is running a very bigoted race," Hamadeh told me of Masters, "and MAGA and the America First movement is bigger than that." An anti-Hamadeh yard sign, paid for by the Masters campaign, beside one of Hamadeh's own signs in the 8th district. "This guy, he lost against Mark Kelly because he's a weirdo," Hamadeh told me. "I think that warrants some investigative journalism," Hamadeh told me. "I can't vote for you," one woman, apparently not a prospective constituent, told Hamadeh as she shook hands with him after the event, "but I'll give you a donation."

Persons: Abe Hamadeh, Hamadeh, I've, He's, Donald Trump, Kari Lake, MAGA, Blake Masters, Peter Thiel protégé, who's, It's, Bryan Metzger, Ben Toma, Debbie Lesko, Sen, Anthony Kern, There's, Trent Franks, Israel, there's, Lesko, —, Abraham, Abe, Ron Paul, Prophet Muhammad, Jesus, fashioning, he's, Trent, They're, MAGA bromides, JD Vance, Ohio, Masters, Vance, Ted Kacynski, Blake, Mark Kelly, Kari, Brandon Bell, Trump, Clarence Thomas, Thiel, Hamadeh's, Arizona Republic —, Rebecca Noble, Toma Organizations: Service, Republican, GOP, Arizona, Capitol, Trump, Masters, Supreme, Daily, University of, Maricopa County Attorney's, US Army Reserve, Republican Party, Senate, Sun City, Justice, Republicans, Sun City West, Stanford University, FBI, Thiel Capital, Fox News, Arizona Republic, Sun, Arizona House Locations: Phoenix, Arab American, Arizona, America, Tucson, North Phoenix, Washington, There's, Maricopa County, Mecca, Chicago, Skokie, United States, Saudi Arabia, Jerusalem, Istanbul, Vatican, Thailand, Japan, Sun City, crazies, Scottsdale, it's

☆ Trump's hush-money sentencing will still happen in September despite his new immunity superpowers, New York legal experts predict
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-07 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

It could help former President Donald Trump's hush-money conviction survive the US Supreme Court immunity opinion. Trump's lawyers are about to file what's known as a 330.30 motion to set aside the verdict. The Supreme Court presidential immunity opinion bars official-act evidence. US Supreme Court/BITrump's lawyers now say there were at least four times that the judge improperly let Manhattan prosecutors show official-act evidence to the jury. Trump's hush-money conviction appeal will take years and could even lead back to the US Supreme Court.

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, SCOTUS, Juan Merchan, he'll, John Moscow, Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss, It's, Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Trump, Cohen, Carlos Barria Trump, Diana Florence, Florence, Donald J, Hope Hicks, Andrew Harnik Trump, Joshua Steinglass, he's, Hicks, Said Florence, Charles Solomon, Solomon, Thomas Franczyk, Merchan, Trump's, Moscow, Justice Clarence, Thomas, Cannon, Aileen Cannon Organizations: Service, Business, New, Trump, Trump Organization, Attorney's, BI Trump, White House, White House Communications, AP, Prosecutors, Manhattan, BI Locations: York, Manhattan, New York, Moscow, Florence, Buffalo, Erie County, Florida

☆ A Mark of Shame for 900 Years. Until Now?
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The question now is whether the label will actually tarnish Mr. Trump, as it has so many people over the centuries. President Biden seems to be betting that it will. But in a sense, its power derives from its elastic boundaries: Unlike specific crimes, which hinge on the defendant’s behavior, the felony category is defined only by its punishments. “We don’t have a positive definition,” said Elise Wang, a historian who has traced the word’s origins back to medieval literature. “We only have a tautology.”

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Donald J, Trump, Biden, ”, Trump “, who’s, “, Elise Wang Organizations: Biden Locations: Manhattan

☆ Trump presses Judge Cannon to take up immunity question in classified documents case in Florida
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Paula Reid | Katelyn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Attorneys for former President Donald Trump are now seeking to use the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision to help him in his criminal case in Florida over the mishandling of classified documents. In a new court filing Friday, Trump’s team said they want an updated schedule in the federal classified documents case so they can argue points related to the Supreme Court decision. The decision “guts the Office’s position that President Trump has ‘no immunity’ and further demonstrates the politically-motivated nature of their contention that the motion is ‘frivolous,’” Trump’s attorneys wrote. The Supreme Court’s decision directly applies to the federal case over 2020 election subversion efforts in Washington, DC, but it could impact all four of the criminal cases against the former president. Trump’s attorneys argue the concurrence “adds force” to motions Trump has filed against how Smith was appointed and funded.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump’s, Trump, ”, Clarence Thomas, Jack Smith’s, Smith, Aileen Cannon’s, Cannon, Thomas, Thomas ’, CNN’s Holmes Lybrand Organizations: CNN, White, Trump Locations: Florida, Washington ,, Fort Pierce , Florida

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