Tag: judges

Federal Judge Rules Houston Violated First Amendment Rights of Food Not Bombs Activists

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the city of Houston violated the First Amendment when it tried to stop activists from giving away free food outside a downtown library and issued more than 100 tickets to them.

U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Texas Andrew S. Hanen found that Houston’s enforcement of an ordinance prohibiting charitable food giveaways in public was unconstitutional as applied to the Houston chapter of Food Not Bombs (FNBH), a volunteer group that distributes free food in cities worldwide.

The ruling is the latest in a series of legal battles between Food Not Bombs chapters across the country—who argue that feeding the needy is expressive conduct under the First Amendment—and city officials, who say that unpermitted food distribution creates safety, liability, and litter problems.

“This week’s ruling confirms what we have known all along: feeding our neighbors should not be a crime,” Randy Hiroshige, a staff attorney at the Texas Civil Rights Project, said in a press release. “In the face of the City’s cruel crackdown on charitable feeding, Food Not Bombs Houston had the courage to continue sharing its message and sharing meals, and we are proud to see that courage vindicated today.”

The Texas Civil Rights Project filed a First Amendment lawsuit on behalf of the FNBH in 2024, a year after Houston police started issuing citations to FNBH members for violating a 2012 ordinance that outlaws providing free food to more than five people “in need” at outdoor locations without permission. The suit argued that Houston’s anti–food sharing ordinance was unconstitutional both on its face and as applied to the FNBH by imposing an invalid prior restraint on the activists’ First Amendment rights.

FNBH activists had operated at a downtown public park for more than a decade without incident—until 2023, when Houston officials wanted the FNBH to move to a city-approved parking lot for all homeless services. The activists insisted they had a First Amendment right to give out free food in public, with or without the city’s permission. Houston police ultimately issued 111 citations for violating the ordinance.

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Activist Judge Boasberg Orders Trump DOJ and DHS to Hand Over Full List of States Targeted for Noncitizen Voter Removal and Ballot Segregation — Deadline is Noon Today

In a last-minute move to protect against illegal voting ahead of the midterms, Obama-appointed U.S. District Chief Judge James E. Boasberg has ordered the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to identify every state that has received federal demands to remove alleged non-citizens from the voter rolls, withhold mail ballots, or segregate those ballots rather than count them.

The order, issued after a Thursday hearing in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, requires the Trump administration to deliver the complete list to the plaintiffs by noon on Friday, October 30, MS NOW reported.

According to Roll Call, Boasberg ordered federal officials to disclose which states, beyond California and Washington, have received demands involving suspected noncitizen voters.

Boasberg, long criticized by President Trump and allies as a “Radical Left Lunatic of a Judge,” declined to immediately block further letters but signaled he will rule by Monday, November 2, one day before Election Day, on the Democrat request for a broader injunction.

The lawsuit was filed October 20 by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the Nevada Democratic Party, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and the Democratic Governors Association.

Defendants include President Donald Trump, Attorney General Todd Blanche, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and the respective departments.

Plaintiffs argue the letters violate the Constitution’s Elections Clause and the anti-commandeering doctrine by coercing states. The administration maintains the letters simply notify states of potential violations of federal law barring non-citizens from voting in federal elections and do not force action absent a court order. Boasberg noted the government could end the case by stating it will send no further such letters before the election.

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Investigation Launched Into Federal Judge Who Hurled Racial Insults at Lawyer Over His “White Mediocrity” – Said He Was Intimidated by “Black Excellence”

A Texas-based federal judge’s abuse and racial insults toward a lawyer have sparked a judicial investigation.

A lawyer filed a misconduct complaint against US District Judge Ada Brown, a Trump appointee, for berating him with racial insults during an April 2026 hearing in Dallas.

Bloomberg Law reviewed court transcripts that revealed Judge Brown directed shockingly abusive racial insults toward attorney Ezra Young.

Ezra Young represented a black female professor who was suing over the denial of tenure.

During the hearing, Judge Brown, a black and Native American woman, berated Young and repeatedly referred to him as a white man even though he is Latino.

“I think what’s happening here, quite candidly, is you are very intimidated for some reason, Mr. Young, with Black excellence, in light of your White mediocrity. Yeah. Right?,” Brown said, according to the transcript obtained by Bloomberg Law. “You should write that down. I mean, you — I’m — you look like a White man, right?”

“I’m not White, Your Honor,” Young replied, explaining that he is Latino.

“Well, you are White-presenting; is that fair to say?” Judge Brown said.

Young told the judge that he is a “fair-skinned” Latino. Judge Brown insisted that Young had “White privilege.”

“You’re the White savior, come to save all the stupid Black lawyers in Texas who need your help, from New York,” Judge Brown later said, according to Bloomberg.

Ezra Young said he believes Judge Brown could be suffering from a mental health condition. Judge Brown was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

Judge Brown responded to Ezra Young’s complaint in a 76-page response and defended her racial attacks.

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Clinton Judge Denies DOJ’s Bid to Force California to Remove 20,000 Ballots Mailed to Non-Citizens

US District Court Judge David Carter, a Clinton appointee, denied the Justice Department’s effort to force California to remove 20,000 ballots mailed to non-citizens.

The Justice Department recently sued California and Los Angeles County over 20,000 suspected non-citizens registered to vote who have already been mailed ballots.

First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli said that voter rolls were compared to USCIS immigration, Social Security and passport records.

On Monday, the Ninth Circuit Court denied the government’s appeal because the DOJ improperly skipped over the district court judge so the DOJ was forced to attend a hearing on Tuesday with Judge David Carter.

On Tuesday evening, before he issued his decision, Judge Carter warned First Assistant US Attorney Bill Essayli and told that it would be wise that “any threats” to California elected employees “cease immediately.”

On Wednesday evening, as expected, Judge Carter denied the Justice Department’s request for a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO).

The Judge said that the Department of Justice can prosecute the individuals.

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DHS Blasts Minnesota Officials After Serial Sex Assault Suspect is Released Despite ICE Detainer, Then Tries to Drag Woman Out of Her Apartment Window

Department of Homeland Security officials are blasting Minnesota authorities after a Mexican illegal alien with a long record of sexual assaults and violence was released after ICE lodged a detainer against him in May.

Eduart Gomez Ochoa, 28, who first entered the United States illegally in November 2000, was arrested on October 24 after a two-day manhunt.

Ochoa is now charged with first-degree burglary and attempted kidnapping for allegedly reaching through a ground-level apartment window in St. Paul last Thursday, grabbing a 21-year-old woman who was cooking near the window, and trying to pull her outside before she kicked and screamed until he fled.

Police recovered a hat and headband at the scene that the victim said belonged to him.

The victim later identified him from a photo lineup.

In a post on X about the case, DHS wrote, “This criminal alien should have NEVER been released. Eduart Gomez Ochoa, a Mexican national with a rap sheet a mile long, was recently RELEASED by local officials in Minnesota. Shortly after his release, he reoffended and has been apprehended again.”

“ICE first lodged a detainer for Gomez Ochoa in May. Minnesota officials should honor this detainer so that this serial sexual assaulter can be finally be deported,” the post continued.

In May, Ochoa was charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct, first-degree burglary, and third-degree assault after allegedly entering another apartment in St. Paul through a window and sexually assaulting a girl by sucking on her foot while holding her down.

Ochoa was arrested about ten days later and admitted to assaulting the girl but claimed he had met her at a gas station.

Within days of that arrest, he was also accused of two additional sexual assaults in Maplewood in which he allegedly approached women, groped them, and in one case bit a victim’s face.

Court records and local reporting show he has prior arrests for domestic abuse in violation of a protection order, multiple domestic assaults, felony threats of violence, felony fleeing a police officer, felony burglary, providing a false name, leaving the scene of a collision, dangerous weapons, theft, obstruction, and third-degree assault.

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Democrat Activist Judge Allows Honduran Illegal Alien Who Shot Tennessee Man in the Face to Walk with Probation, ICE Takes Him Into Custody

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested Aldo David Herrera-Andino, a 22-year-old illegal alien from Honduras who was released into the United States under the Biden administration’s catch-and-release policies, after he pleaded guilty to shooting a Tennessee man in the face and leaving him fighting for his life.

ICE announced the arrest on Tuesday, stating that Herrera-Andino had been convicted of felony reckless aggravated assault in Davidson County and received just five years of probation.

“Herrera-Andino shot a man in the face, left him fighting for his life, and fled the scene,” ICE spokesperson Micah Bock told Breitbart News. “He later admitted to the shooting and pleaded guilty to felony aggravated assault.”

“Violent offenders like Herrera-Andino have no business remaining in our communities,” Bock added. “ICE will continue holding them accountable and removing those who threaten Americans. The Trump administration’s message is simple: If you come to this country illegally and commit violent crimes, ICE will find you, arrest you, and pursue your removal.”

Herrera-Andino illegally crossed the border and was arrested by Border Patrol agents in March 2021 before being released into the country under Biden-era policies, according to ICE and reporting from Breitbart News.

The shooting occurred during an altercation at a residence on Preserve Circle in Nashville.

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Federal Court Says No ‘Get Out of Jail’ Card for Illegal Aliens

A federal appeals court ruled Friday that illegal immigrants detained inside the United States have no constitutional right to a bond hearing, no matter how long they have lived in the country.

A bond hearing allows detained migrants to ask an immigration judge for release on bond while their immigration cases proceed.

In a 10-7 decision, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans reversed a lower panel and sided with the Trump administration. The ruling closed the main legal route that judges in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi had used to free detained migrants who challenged how long they were being held.

The ruling backs a policy, put in place last year, that lets the government hold immigrants arrested in the interior until their deportation cases end, without giving them a chance to argue for release before a judge. It is a sharp break from how previous administrations handled such cases, when migrants who were not flight risks or dangers could often post bond.

Writing for the majority, Judge Cory Wilson, a Trump appointee, said the men challenging their detention were still legally seeking admission to the country and were not entitled to a hearing on due-process grounds. The judge wrote that they could end their confinement “at any moment by agreeing to leave the country.”

The three men at the center of the case came from Mexico and Honduras, have U.S.-citizen children, and were picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after traffic stops. One of them had lived in the United States for more than 22 years.

In a concurring opinion, Judge James Ho said the court was defending basic national authority. “A nation ceases to be a nation if it can’t protect its borders,” he wrote, adding that the dissenting judges would hand illegal immigrants an incentive to settle in the country unlawfully.

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Tribunal Watch: Quebec tribunal upholds federally funded job ad that excluded white applicants, calls complainant’s position “ideological”

A Quebec Human Rights Tribunal judge has dismissed a complaint against a bird conservation group whose federally funded job posting was open only to applicants aged 30 or under who identify as Indigenous, black or a person of colour.

Judge Magali Lewis ruled that the posting was discriminatory on its face, but that it was not discriminatory under Quebec’s Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms because it came from a government “ameliorative” program. She also ruled that the complainant, Stéphanie Salagan, never really intended to apply and had no standing to sue. The decision, 2026 QCTDP 7, was issued March 12, 2026.

In October 2021, Regroupement QuébecOiseaux advertised a 20-week, part-time project officer job promoting Nature Canada’s “Bird Friendly City” certification. The job paid $17.50 an hour for 28 hours a week. The ad said that, because the funding program aimed to promote diversity, the position was open only to people 30 and under who identify as Indigenous, black or people of colour.

(Quotes from the decision are translated from French.)

According to the decision, QuébecOiseaux had 12 employees at the time: 11 white women and one biologist of South American origin.

The money came through a chain of federal programs. Employment and Social Development Canada runs the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy. Under it, Parks Canada signed a contribution agreement with Nature Canada in June 2021. Nature Canada then launched a wage subsidy program called Work to Grow and encouraged QuébecOiseaux to apply.

The approval email from Nature Canada dictated the sentence restricting the job by race. The tribunal found that the age limit came from the Parks Canada agreement.

Nature Canada executive director Emily McMillan testified that the decision rested partly on her own observation over 30 years that audiences at environmental conferences are often entirely white, and partly on a study Nature Canada sponsored.

The program hired 351 young people, according to Nature Canada’s final report. Of those, 81 were Indigenous and 214 were black or people of colour, which leaves 56 who were neither.

McMillan testified that Nature Canada sometimes waived the eligibility criteria when employers told it they weren’t getting applications from youth facing barriers. Nature Canada removed the race requirement from the program in June 2023. McMillan testified that the change was a response to Salagan’s complaint, made to avoid similar lawsuits.

Salagan filed her complaint with Quebec’s human rights commission in October 2021, alleging discrimination based on age, race, colour and ethnic origin. The commission sided with her.

It found the ad violated the Charter and proposed that QuébecOiseaux pay her $4,000. It then declined to take the case to the tribunal itself, saying it did not raise public interest concerns, and authorized Salagan to sue on her own. She represented herself and sought $7,500.

Most of the decision deals with whether Salagan really wanted the job.

To answer that, the tribunal examined her university transcript, internship agreement, invoices, T4 slip and student financial aid application. It found that in fall 2021 she was a full-time law student at UQAM with a one-day-a-week internship, and that she was president of an animal rights committee. She was also teaching green-wall construction at a Laval horticulture centre at $80 an hour, which the tribunal noted is more than four and a half times what QuébecOiseaux was offering.

It concluded that “all of these elements make it implausible that she really wanted to apply.”

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Federal Judge Orders CIA to Release Records Related to Jan 6 Protests Including Information on Whether CIA Had Personnel Deployed Like the 274 Undercover FBI Agents That Day

A federal judge has ordered the CIA to begin releasing records related to January 6 by November 16, including documents on shots fired inside the Capitol, requests for bomb technicians and detection dogs, and whether CIA personnel were deployed. The ruling follows a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by Judicial Watch.

OANN reported:

“The CIA must begin releasing records related to January 6th by November 16th.

In a recent ruling, the U.S. District Court for the D.C.— for the District of Columbia ordered the CIA to begin releasing records related to shots fired inside the Capitol.

The agency must also release requests for bomb technicians and bomb-detecting dogs and whether CIA personnel were deployed. The order stems from a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit Filed by conservative legal watchdog Judicial Watch.

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Transgender Neo-Nazi Accused of Plotting Mass Shooting at Hindu Temple in Chicago Suburb Will Receive Gender-Transition Hormone Injections in Jail, Judge Rules

A Cook County judge ordered the 19-year-old Palatine, Illinois, Taco Bell cashier held without bail on Wednesday after he was charged with plotting a racist mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Aurora, but the same order ensures that he will continue receiving hormone injections for gender transition while he sits in jail awaiting trial.

Alexandros Paporakis, a self-described white supremacist and neo-Nazi from Palatine, Illinois, was ordered held in custody by a Cook County judge on Wednesday, October 14, as he awaits trial on felony charges stemming from an alleged plot to massacre worshippers at a Hindu temple in Aurora.

But the judge also issued a healthcare order addressing the suspect’s ongoing medical treatment, including hormone injections associated with gender transition, according to the New York Post.

The order also addresses medications for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, and anxiety.

The ruling has brought renewed attention to the provision of medical treatment for defendants accused of violent crimes while they remain in taxpayer-funded custody.

Meanwhile, disturbing details emerging from the investigation suggest the alleged attack could have turned into a bloodbath if the suspect’s weapon had not malfunctioned.

According to prosecutors, Paporakis spent years fantasizing about carrying out mass murder and had allegedly identified the Hindu temple as a target months before the planned attack.

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