Collecting and Recording - Attacks on the Judiciary and Responses

Hi all, here's the week's batch of articles. Tomorrow I'm working on the next Bernie's event, March 9.

Best,

Meredith

Amid Mass ICE Arrests, Trump Pardon Recipient Juan Orlando Hernández Given Special Treatment - After the former Honduran president was pardoned, ICE dropped its detainer on him, and he was whisked away to a luxury hotel in New York City. https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-ice-pardon-juan-orlando-hernandez-honduras-prison-special-treatment

White House Scrambles to Rein in Felon Trump’s Pardons www.thedailybeast.com/white-house-scrambles-to-rein-in-felon-donald-trumps-presidential-pardons/

Republican Joins With Dems on Constitutional Amendment to Give Congress Power to Reject Trump Pardons www.mediaite.com/media/news/republican-joins-with-dems-on-constitutional-amendment-to-give-congress-power-to-reje ct-trump-pardons/

Our running list of judges who have ruled on ICE’s mass detention policy POLITICO is keeping track of the federal judges who have ruled on the administration’s effort to systematically lock up thousands of people. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/18/trump-judges-immigration-detention-00784614

Judge Gives Blistering Review of Trump Policy in New Ruling www.thedailybeast.com/judge-gives-blistering-review-of-trump-policy-in-new-ruling/

A Judge Made Trump Officials Investigate Themselves. They Came Back With a Stunning Admission. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/02/trump-doj-confession-new-jersey-court-deportations-ice.html

DOJ acknowledges violating dozens of recent court orders in New Jersey The self-assessment came amid rising concern among judges managing a flood of immigration cases. https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/18/trump-ice-immigration-new-jersey-00785998

Judge Finds DOJ Lawyer in Contempt in Major Escalation www.thedailybeast.com/trump-doj-lawyer-reprimanded-by-judge-just-weeks-into-job/

Judges decry treatment of nursing and pregnant detainees in ICE custody The agency has declined to say whether a Biden-era policy largely barring detention for pregnant and nursing mothers remains in force. www.politico.com/news/2026/02/18/pregnant-nursing-ice-detainees-00784683

Minnesotans Just Won a Huge Court Victory Against ICE https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/02/minnesota-court-victory-against-ice-detention.html

Federal Judge Rules Kilmar Abrego Garcia Can’t Be Re-Detained By Immigration Authorities A 90-day detention period has expired and the government has no viable plan for deporting him, the judge concluded. www.huffpost.com/entry/kilmar-abrego-garcia-deportation-ruling_n_6994b29ee4b018d1523a8c24?origin=home-latest-news-unit

 U.S. Reportedly Deports 9 People To Cameroon Despite Court Protections The Trump administration has not announced any deal in which Cameroon agreed to accept deportees from other nations. www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-administration-reportedly-deports-9-people-to-cameroon-despite-court-protections_n_69912dc2e4b03fabab9f60f2

An ICE Agent Accidentally Shot Him. He’s Still Detained, Nearly Four Months Later A judge dismissed ICE's case against Carlitos Ricardo Parias, but despite being shot he's still languishing in ICE detention since October. https://www.jezebel.com/ice-shootings-accidental-carlitos-ricardo-parias-case-dismissed-detention-immigration

ICE Killed Another American Citizen Last Year, but No One Reported It Ruben Ray Martinez was 23. Like Renee Good, he was shot behind the wheel of his car. www.jezebel.com/ice-killings-american-citizens-ruben-ray-martinez-shooting-texas-2025-south-padre-island

 Trump’s Sinister Plot to Remake America’s Judiciary www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-sinister-plot-to-remake-americas-judiciary

The Justice Department is not acting like it used to, criminal defense lawyers note www.npr.org/2026/02/18/g-s1-110397/justice-department-tracker-abnormal-criminal-charges

Longtime Virginia Lawyer Chosen by Judges as U.S. Attorney, and Then Fired It was the second time this month that the administration had gotten rid of a top federal prosecutor appointed to his post by federal judges. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/20/us/politics/us-attorney-eastern-district-of-virginia.html

Judge Rebukes U.S. Over Application to Search Reporter’s Home A prosecutor apologized for failing to alert the magistrate to a 1980 law that restricts searches for reporting materials. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/20/us/politics/washington-post-reporter-home-search.html

Judge Delivers Blow To Democrats' Redistricting Efforts In Virginia Virginia Democratic Attorney General Jay Jones has already vowed to appeal the ruling. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/judge-delivers-blow-to-dems-virginia-redistricting-effort_n_69984191e4b069f4556b2e92?origin=home-latest-news-unit

Court Clears Way for Louisiana Law Requiring Ten Commandments in Classrooms A federal appeals court vacated a temporary block on the 2024 law, tossing a previous decision that called it “plainly unconstitutional.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/20/us/louisiana-classrooms-ten-commandments.html

Judge orders restoration of Philadelphia slavery exhibits Cynthia Rufe, a George W. Bush appointee, compared the administration’s effort to remove the panels to Orwell’s “1984.” www.politico.com/news/2026/02/16/judge-orders-restoration-philadelphia-slavery-exhibits-00783293?_bhlid=223ef8e23cbbd45c87b69a19a8a76526a63c4a6b

Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s tariffs The court ruled the tariffs "extend beyond the president’s 'legitimate reach.'" www.salon.com/2026/02/20/supreme-court-strikes-down-trumps-tariffs/

Judge Blasts Zuckerberg’s Team Over Bonkers Courtroom Antics https://www.thedailybeast.com/judge-blasts-mark-zuckerbergs-team-over-bonkers-courtroom-antics/

Meta Team Scolded For Wearing Those Ray-Ban Glasses In Court During Zuckerberg Testimony www.sfist.com/2026/02/19/meta-team-scolded-for-wearing-those-ray-ban-glasses-in-court-during-zuckerberg-testimony/

 Republican Gov Hits Back At Trump Official Trying to Limit States’ Rights: I’ll ‘Beat You In Court’ https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/republican-gov-hits-back-at-trump-official-trying-to-limit-states-rights-ill-beat-you-in-court/

Vietnam War veterans sue to block construction of Trump’s triumphal arch The veterans argued the project would encroach on the nearby Arlington National Cemetery. www.politico.com/news/2026/02/19/trump-arlington-arch-lawsuit-00789763

The legal battle over EPA finding is underway www.axios.com/2026/02/18/epa-endangerment-finding-lawsuit

New lawsuit challenges Trump order to remove ‘corrosive ideology’ from national parks The suit alleges dozens of instances of signage or displays being altered or removed entirely from national parks www.politico.com/news/2026/02/17/trump-national-parks-signage-removed-lawsuit-00784009

Insurer Agrees to Pay Millions for Failing to Fix Errors That Made It Harder for Customers to Get Mental Health Care EmblemHealth will compensate customers who paid out of pocket for mental health care because they couldn’t secure an appointment with a provider listed as being in-network. It also pledged to take additional steps to fix its provider directory www.propublica.org/article/emblem-health-ghost-network-settlement-mental-health

Man Opposing Data Center Arrested for Speaking Slightly Too Long An Oklahoma man tried to talk about a data center coming to his community. Police arrested him when he went a few seconds over his time limit. www.404media.co/man-opposing-data-center-arrested-for-speaking-slightly-too-long/

Texas Is Prosecuting a Midwife for Abortion. Its Case Is Already Falling Apart. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/02/texas-midwife-abortion-prosecution-ken-paxton-fail.html