House GOP targets 'rogue' activist judges, advancing new bill amid Trump's legal standoffs



As President Donald Trump grapples with more than a dozen injunctions, Republican lawmakers have targeted "rogue" activist judges with two new bills.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) introduced the No Rogue Rulings Act to restrict U.S. district judges' ability to issue broad injunctions. The bill passed the House Rules Committee on Tuesday in a 9-4 vote along party lines.

'700 District Court judges shouldn't each have nationwide veto power over a President's national security decisions.'

"The bill would allow a district court to issue a nationwide injunction in a case in which two separate states from two separate judicial circuits are parties — making clear the nationwide nature of the dispute. In such a case, the bill provides for the establishment of a panel of three randomly chosen judges to determine whether to issue a nationwide injunction. Such injunctions may be appealed directly to the Supreme Court," the proposed bill reads.

Since Trump's January inauguration, his administration has already been hit with 15 injunctions, stalling a wide range of initiatives such as the end of birthright citizenship, deportation flights, and the elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

Issa told the New York Post that his proposed bill is "a constitutional solution to a national problem."

"Time and again, solitary judges have usurped congressional intent and confronted President Trump, rather than dispassionately interpreted the law," he stated.

New York Republican Reps. Claudia Tenney, Nick Langworthy, and Nick LaLota have co-sponsored the bill.

Tenney pointed out that 67% of all injunctions ever issued have been placed against Trump.

"I am supporting the No Rogue Rulings Act to stop radical judges from imposing nationwide injunctions on President Trump's agenda, which 77 million Americans voted for," she wrote in a post on X.

LaLota stated, "700 District Court judges shouldn't each have nationwide veto power over a President's national security decisions."

Rep. Bob Onder (R-Mo.) called the activist judges' actions "unconstitutional lawfare."

Meanwhile, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Monday introduced a similar measure, the Judicial Relief Clarification Act, which aims to "limit federal court orders to parties directly before the court — ending the practice of universal injunctions and clarifying the constitutional role of the judicial branch."

It would require parties to file a class-action lawsuit to receive nationwide injunctive relief.

Grassley stated, "For a number of years, but particularly in the last few months, we've increasingly seen sweeping orders from individual district judges that dictate national policy. Our Founders saw an important role for the judiciary, but the Constitution limits judges to exercising power over 'cases' or 'controversies.' Judges are not policymakers, and allowing them to assume this role is very dangerous."

On Tuesday, two House Judiciary Committee subcommittees held a joint hearing examining judicial overreach. Former Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and Paul Larkin, a senior legal research fellow with the Heritage Foundation, joined the hearing as witnesses.

Larkin told lawmakers, "The practice of issuing nationwide injunctions outside the confines of a certified nationwide class action is mistaken as a matter of law and unwise as a matter of policy."

"It is not the courts that are responsible for creating the laws; the courts are responsible for interpreting it as it applies, but they can only do so in the context of a case or controversy," he added. "Only the Congress can create a law. Any time a court enters a judgment that is tantamount to being a law, the judge has gone too far."

Gingrich called the judges' injunctions against the Trump administration "potentially a judicial coup d'état."

“The notion that unelected lawyers can micromanage the executive branch and override a commander in chief who received 77.3 million votes should trouble every American,” he stated.

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‘Uptick in crime’ near controversial NYC migrant shelter prompts GOP lawmakers to demand vetting process records: Report



An “uptick in crime” near a controversial New York City migrant shelter prompted Republican lawmakers to send a letter, obtained by the New York Post, to the National Park Service demanding information about the vetting process for tenants.

House Republican Bruce Westerman, the chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources, and seven other GOP lawmakers penned a letter to NPS director Charles Sams stating that the House Committee on Natural Resources is examining the decision to house migrants at Floyd Bennett Field, which is located on NPS land.

The city began housing migrants at the Brooklyn airfield in November after its existing shelter system neared capacity. Many of the migrants who were part of the first busload transported to Floyd Bennett Field refused to reside at the makeshift tent city shelter, complaining that the accommodations were too remote.

The shelter, which can house up to 2,000 migrants, became a hotbed for panhandling, according to residents in the area. An increase in begging and criminal activity prompted Democratic Mayor Eric Adams to impose a curfew at some migrant shelter locations.

“Since the establishment of the migrant encampment at Floyd Bennett Field, local and national media have reported an uptick in crime at the migrant encampment and in the immediate neighborhood surrounding the park,” lawmakers wrote to Sams.

The letter stated that the migrant crisis has led to an increase in criminal activity in the city and nationwide.

“The widespread reports of criminality in and around the Floyd Bennett Field migrant encampment include domestic violence, assault, shoplifting, prostitution, and panhandling scams,” the lawmakers said. “The Committee is deeply concerned with the Biden administration’s management of American’s public lands, notably at Floyd Bennett Field, and the inherent safety risks to employees at the park, residents of the surrounding communities, and migrants as a result of the decision to lease national park land for a migrant encampment.”

The lawmakers noted that the lease agreement states that the New York Police Department is the “primary entity responsible for law enforcement issues” at the encampment but that the Adams administration “contracted with a private security firm.”

“[O]n at least one occasion, the private security firm has impeded NYPD officers attempting to access the camp,” the letter claimed.

Lawmakers added that migrant tenants “are not subject to a basic background search during the intake process.”

“All tenants, employees of Floyd Bennett Field, and surrounding residents deserve to know if they are living with migrants who have previous arrest records and/or convictions,” the House Republicans wrote.

The letter requested that the NPS provide lawmakers with “documents and communications” concerning the lease and the shelter’s intake process by April 11.

Lawmakers demanded evidence that shows “how NPS has cooperated, or plans to cooperate, with [Immigration and Customs Enforcement],” “how the migrant tenants at Floyd Bennett Field are screened,” and “how NPS is preventing persons with a history of criminal conduct from residing at Floyd Bennett Field.”

The letter was signed by Republican Representatives Westerman from Arkansas, Paul Gosar from Arizona, and Mike Collins from Georgia. New York Republican Representatives Anthony D'Esposito, Andrew Garbarino, Nick LaLota, Nicole Malliotakis, and Elise Stefanik also signed the correspondence.

Neither the NPS nor Adams’ office responded to a request for comment from the Post.

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Months after being expelled from the House, George Santos announces congressional bid



Former Republican Rep. George Santos of New York, who was expelled from office last year, has announced a congressional bid.

"New York hasn't had a real conservative represent them since I left office arbitrarily, thanks to RINO, empty suits like @nicklalota. He is a willing to risk the future of our majority and the future of this country for his own political gain," Santos tweeted on Thursday night.

"Tonight, I want to announce that I will be returning to the arena of politics and challenging Nick for the battle over #NY1. I look forward to debating him on the issues and on his weak record as a Republican. The fight for our majority is imperative for the survival of the country," he wrote.

— (@)

Santos served as the representative for New York's Third Congressional District during most of last year, but in December was expelled from the House in a 311-114 vote

In February, Democrat Tom Suozzi won the seat during a special election.

"To raise the standard in Congress, and to hold a pathological liar who stole an election accountable, I led the charge to expel George Santos. If finishing the job requires beating him in a primary, count me in," Nick LaLota tweeted.

— (@)

Santos attended President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on Thursday night.

Earlier this year, the former congressman expressed interest in serving as director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement if former President Donald Trump becomes president again.

"My new year resolution is that President Trump returns to the white house and in 2025 I can be appointed Director of ICE," Santos said in a tweet. "ICE has had their hands tied for far too long with the sole exception of the great four years of DJT. The time is now and that's why I'm putting my name in the mix for a role that will take grit and a fearless person and not a coward that will fear media spin."

— (@)

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In now-deleted tweet, Republican claimed the 1st Amendment is limited by 'hate speech'



A post claiming that the First Amendment is limited by "hate speech" has been deleted from Rep. Nick LaLota's (R-N.Y.) @RepLaLota X account.

"Our First Amendment comes with very few limitations. Yet, one of those worthy limitations is hate speech," the post read, according to screenshots of the now-deleted tweet. "A first-year law student understands this and so should the presidents of our 'greatest' institutions of learning."

— (@)

LaLota took office earlier this year and is seeking re-election.

According to his congressional website, the lawmaker has "a Juris Doctor from Hofstra University’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law."

The First Amendment reads, in part, "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech."

People pounced on the congressman's post.

"First Amendment lawyer here. You are laughably wrong, and in saying 'even a first year law student understands it' you smashed a whole carton of eggson [sic] your own face. You're a Congressman. Please educate yourself (lots of CLE might be needed) before spreading misinformation," Ari Cohn tweeted.

"We need a system that doesn’t allow for people like this to be anywhere near the levers of power," Jack Posobiec wrote.

LaLota was one of the 18 House GOP lawmakers who earlier this year voted against a Defense Department appropriations bill amendment that would have prohibited the funds from being spent to observe Pride Month.

The congressman is a member of the House's Climate Solutions Caucus.

"We need to work in a serious and bipartisan manner to tackle pollution and mitigate mankind's negative effect on our environment. I joined the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus to do just that," LaLota said, according to a July press release.

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