Business A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday upheld a 2018 lower court ruling that said President Donald Trump could not block people from following him on Twitter. 09 Jul 2019 10:25PM (Updated: 09 Jul 2019 10:45PM) Bookmark NEW YORK/WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump cannot block critics whose views he dislikes from following his Twitter account, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday.In a 3-0 decision, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment forbids Trump from using Twitter's "blocking" function to limit access to his account, which is otherwise open to the public."The First Amendment does not permit a public official who utilizes a social media account for all manner of official purposes to exclude persons from an otherwise-open online dialogue because they expressed views with which the official disagrees," Circuit Judge Barrington Parker wrote.The White House and the U.S. Department of Justice did not … [Read more...] about Trump cannot block Twitter opponents: US appeals court
Us district court for the district of columbia
Four more US states join lawsuit to stop T-Mobile-Sprint deal
NEW YORK: Four more U.S. states have joined an unusual effort by state attorneys general to stop T-Mobile US Inc's acquisition of Sprint Corp, a New York official said at a court hearing on Friday.Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Nevada will be included in an amended complaint being filed Friday, said Beau Buffier, chief of the antitrust bureau in the New York attorney general's office.Lawyers for the states and the companies also proposed Oct. 7 for the start of a trial, which could last two to three weeks.Sprint was down 4.5per cent percent on Friday while T-Mobile slipped 1.5per cent.The four states will join ten state attorneys general, led by New York and California and including the District of Columbia.They filed a lawsuit on June 11 aimed at stopping the purchase by No. 3 U.S. wireless operator T-Mobile of No. 4 Sprint, saying the deal would cost their subscribers more than US$4.5 billion annually.The attorneys general from all of the states involved are Democrats.If the … [Read more...] about Four more US states join lawsuit to stop T-Mobile-Sprint deal
For battles with US Congress, Trump reshapes legal defence team
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump is restructuring his legal team with lawyers more at home in a courtroom than a television studio as he shifts from dealing with Special Counsel Robert Mueller to battling Democratic-led investigations in the US Congress.The long-time leaders of Trump's team - Jay Sekulow and Rudy Giuliani - remain in place. But other attorneys, known for their litigation skills, are taking on larger roles on the team: William Consovoy, Patrick Strawbridge, Marc Mukasey and Stefan Passantino.The first legal offensive from Consovoy and Strawbridge has encountered early setbacks. Their law firm, Consovoy McCarthy, filed two lawsuits in April on behalf of Trump intended to block congressional subpoenas seeking the Republican president's personal financial records, but both were rejected last week by federal judges. Trump is appealing those decisions, and House Democrats agreed not to enforce the subpoenas during that process. Some lawyers scoffed at … [Read more...] about For battles with US Congress, Trump reshapes legal defence team
Judge blocks some funds Trump sought for US-Mexico border wall
WILMINGTON, Delaware: The Trump administration must temporarily halt the use of some Defense Department funds for a border wall with Mexico, a judge ruled on Friday (May 25), because the money was not specifically authorized by Congress for construction of the barrier.The order blocks the use of US$1 billion from the Department of Defense in Arizona and Texas, out of US$6.7 billion that Trump administration said it planned to direct toward building the wall."The position that when Congress declines the Executive's request to appropriate funds, the Executive nonetheless may simply find a way to spend those funds 'without Congress' does not square with the fundamental separation of powers principles dating back to the earliest days of our Republic," Haywood Gilliam Jr, a U.S. judge in California, wrote in the order.Separately, Gilliam denied a preliminary injunction against the border wall sought by a coalition of sixteen states, but said they could move forward with their … [Read more...] about Judge blocks some funds Trump sought for US-Mexico border wall
Ex-White House lawyer defies House subpoena for Mueller docs
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By Mary Clare Jalonick And Lisa Mascaro The Associated Press Tues., May 7, 2019 WASHINGTON - A former White House lawyer defied a congressional subpoena Tuesday, setting the Trump administration on course for another collision with the Democratic-led House over its pursuit of documents related to the Russia investigation. Don McGahn’s refusal to provide the documents to the House Judiciary Committee came at the instruction of the White House, which suggested they could be subject to executive privilege. Such a claim can shield some presidential material from disclosure. President Donald Trump has defied requests from House Democrats since the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report last month. Republicans have largely united behind the president, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday declaring “case closed” on Mueller’s Russia probe and potential obstruction by Trump. McConnell said Democrats are … [Read more...] about Ex-White House lawyer defies House subpoena for Mueller docs