The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in a Second Amendment case involving a federal law that prohibits "unlawful users" of drugs from owning firearms, a case that has united gun rights groups and marijuana legalization advocates in opposition to the law. The case centers on Ali Danial Hemani, who was indicted after an FBI search found a handgun and marijuana at his home, and raises questions about whether the 1968 Gun Control Act can constitutionally disarm millions of recreational cannabis users in states where marijuana is now legal. The Trump administration is defending the law, arguing there is a historical tradition of disarming "habitual drunkards," while Hemani's legal team — which includes the ACLU — contends no such tradition exists for disarming sober individuals based on past drug use. Lower courts dismissed the charge against Hemani, ruling that history supports restrictions only on those who are actively intoxicated, not habitual users.
The article's full content is behind a paywall, limiting available details. Based on the title and summary provided, the article reports that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled some of the Trump administration's tariffs illegal, prompting consideration of alternative trade measures. The replacement duties being explored are described as potentially less vulnerable to legal challenge than the original tariffs.
U.S. Representative Shri Thanedar held a town hall and led a protest in Romulus, Michigan, on Sunday against a proposed ICE detention facility planned for the area. Thanedar outlined plans to fight the facility through lawsuits and zoning laws in coordination with the Romulus mayor, and reiterated his support for abolishing ICE, which he introduced legislation for in mid-January. Local residents also voiced opposition at the rally, while ICE has stated the facility could generate nearly 1,500 jobs and approximately $150 million for the local economy. No opening date for the facility has been publicly announced.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) is continuing to push for accountability over the Epstein files, stating that at least 50 percent of the materials remain withheld, while calling those involved the "Epstein class" — wealthy and powerful individuals who used their privilege to evade legal consequences. Khanna acknowledged that Democratic donors appear among those implicated, which he believes discouraged the political class from acting sooner, though he stopped short of calling it a deliberate conspiracy. He distinguished between broad suspicion of the wealthy and specific concern about those who used money and influence to obstruct justice or escape prosecution. While dismissing fears of a witch hunt, Khanna emphasized that the greater problem remains a lack of investigations and prosecutions against those who abused or enabled abuse through Epstein's network.
El Refugio Ministries operates a hospitality house in Lumpkin, Georgia, near the Stewart ICE Detention Center, providing meals, childcare, clothing, and lodging to families visiting detained loved ones, who are permitted only one hour of visitation per week. Founded in 2010, the organization hosts between 30 and 60 visitors weekly and also sends volunteers into Stewart to visit detainees who have no family support. The Stewart facility, run by private prison company CoreCivic, has seen its average daily population nearly double in recent years to approximately 2,200 detainees. El Refugio's leaders urge community members to volunteer, donate, and contact elected officials to demand accountability over reported inhumane conditions at the facility.
Resistencia en Acción, a volunteer-led nonprofit based in Princeton, New Jersey, has organized a Rapid Response Team of over 100 volunteers to monitor and document ICE activity across Mercer County. The team operates a 24-hour hotline, conducts neighborhood patrols, and films ICE encounters — practices that volunteers say often prompt agents to leave without making arrests. Volunteers also support affected families by ensuring children are cared for and connecting them with legal services. Following high-profile incidents involving immigration agents in Minnesota, the organization reports an increase in volunteer recruitment rather than a decline.
Following two fatal shootings by ICE agents in Minneapolis and reports of increased ICE activity in Arizona, officials in Phoenix and Pima County are developing policies to hold federal immigration enforcement accountable locally. The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to advance two resolutions opposing masked federal agents and barring ICE from county property without a judicial warrant, though both remain non-binding for now. Phoenix City Council is working on an ordinance to investigate alleged crimes by ICE agents, a process complicated by questions about prosecutorial authority and agent identification. Legal experts note that similar policies in other states have already faced federal court challenges, leaving the enforceability of such local measures uncertain.
The U.S. Justice Department has charged 30 additional people in connection with a January 18 protest that disrupted a church service at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, bringing the total number of defendants to 39. All are charged with conspiracy against the right of religious worship and obstructing access to a house of worship, with Attorney General Pam Bondi stating that 25 had already been arrested. The protest, which included former CNN anchor Don Lemon among the original nine defendants, targeted the church because organizers believed a senior pastor was an ICE official, and took place amid a broader federal immigration enforcement operation in the region. Several defendants, including Lemon, have pleaded not guilty and argue the charges are politically motivated and violate First Amendment rights.
Family members, clergy, and immigrant rights advocates held a press conference at a Trenton church one week after a February 20 law enforcement operation at an auto-repair shop, during which U.S. Marshals arrested a man wanted on criminal warrants and federal authorities detained two additional individuals. Advocates raised concerns about the conduct of the arrest, citing surveillance footage showing boxes placed in front of security cameras, and called for a transparent review of coordination between local and federal agencies. The wife of one detained man, who has no criminal record, described her family's hardship and her young daughter asking for her father. Separately, Governor Mikie Sherrill sent a letter opposing a federal plan to convert a Roxbury warehouse into an ICE detention facility for up to 1,500 people, citing concerns about transparency, infrastructure, environmental impact, and conditions in existing detention centers.
The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a case challenging a federal law that makes it a crime for drug users to possess firearms, specifically as it applies to Ali Danial Hemani, a marijuana user who legally purchased a gun. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals previously struck down the indictment against Hemani, ruling the law violated his Second Amendment rights, prompting the Justice Department to appeal. The case has drawn an unusual coalition of both conservative gun rights groups and liberal civil liberties organizations in opposition to the law, while gun-safety advocates warn that weakening it could disrupt the national background check system. A ruling is expected by summer.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court this week urging justices to strike down President Trump's Executive Order 14,160, which would deny birthright citizenship to children born in the U.S. to undocumented or temporarily-present mothers whose fathers are not citizens or permanent residents. The brief, filed on behalf of the USCCB and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, calls the order "immoral" and unconstitutional, arguing it contradicts the Fourteenth Amendment and centuries of Western legal tradition supporting birthright citizenship. The bishops also warn that the order could render millions of U.S.-born children stateless by 2045, exposing them to denial of basic rights and vulnerability to exploitation. The case, Trump v. Barbara, is proceeding on an expedited schedule before the Supreme Court.
In Minneapolis, volunteer doctors and nurses have formed underground healthcare networks to provide medical care directly in the homes of immigrant families who are afraid to seek help at medical facilities due to fears of immigration enforcement. These informal networks aim to ensure vulnerable families can still access healthcare despite concerns about ICE.
