EXPLAINER: Biden inaction, mixed signals on death penalty
President Joe Biden campaigned on a pledge to work toward abolishing federal capital punishment but has taken no major steps to that end.
Barack Obama
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Shifting sands: Without congressional action, immigration attorneys deal with fallout from ‘political whims’
Although immigration law has not changed since Congress passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act of 1996, presidential administrations have implemented new policies that have sometimes created drastic changes.
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Web Exclusive: Supreme Court commission goes beyond ‘court packing’
President Joe Biden has created the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, a group tasked with studying court reforms ranging from the number of justices to their tenure to their jurisdiction. But will the work of the commission lead to sweeping reforms?
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Articles
US settles with Mexican man arrested despite DACA status
A Mexican man who was arrested by U.S. immigration agents in 2017 will be allowed to remain in the country for at least the next four years under a settlement with the Justice Department.
Pryor garners praise, makes history as she prepares to join 7th Circuit
The bipartisan vote of 60-31 by the U.S. Senate in favor of her confirmation to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals provided another example of how much people like and respect Judge Doris Pryor.
Judge rules new DACA program can continue temporarily
A federal judge ruled Friday that the current version of a federal policy that prevents the deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the U.S. as children can continue, at least temporarily.
Revised ‘Dreamers’ program to get another review by court
A federal appeals court Wednesday ordered a lower court review of Biden administration revisions to a program preventing the deportation of hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought into the United States as children.
No longer young, ‘dreamers’ uneasily watch a legal challenge
“Dreamers,” long a symbol of immigrant youth, are increasingly easing into middle age as eligibility requirements have been frozen since 2012, when the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was introduced.
Appeals court sides with Biden’s deportation priorities
A federal appeals court on Wednesday allowed the Biden administration’s selective criteria on who should be deported to remain in effect, rejecting one of Texas’ challenges to the president’s immigration policies.
Special event offers Hoosiers’ insider stories from the White House
Hoosiers who have formerly served in the White House will be dishing out stories and behind-the-scenes insights into what working in the executive branch is really like during a special brunch hosted by the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site.
Last troops exit Afghanistan, ending America’s longest war
The United States has completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan, ending America’s longest war and closing a chapter in military history likely to be remembered for colossal failures, unfulfilled promises and a frantic final exit that cost the lives of more than 180 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members, some barely older than the war.
Supreme Court dismisses challenge to Obama era health law
The Supreme Court has dismissed a challenge to the Obama era health care law, preserving insurance coverage for millions of Americans.
Conservatives push big issues to fore at Supreme Court
Abortion. Guns. Religion. A Trump-fortified conservative majority is making its presence felt at the Supreme Court by quickly wading into high-profile social issues that have been a goal of the right for decades.
Census Bureau: 70% of voters cast ballots early or by mail
More than two-thirds of all U.S. citizens of the voting age population participated in the 2020 presidential election, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report, and 69% of those cast ballots by mail or early in-person voting — methods that Republicans in some states are curtailing.
What to watch during Biden’s 1st big speech to Congress
President Joe Biden is putting the finishing touches on his first address to a joint session of Congress, a prime-time speech on Wednesday night on the eve of his 100th day in office.
Democrats begin long-shot push to expand the Supreme Court
A group of congressional Democrats introduced legislation Thursday to add four seats to the Supreme Court, a long-shot bid designed to counter the court’s rightward tilt during the Trump administration and criticized by Republicans as a potential power grab that would reduce the public’s trust in the judiciary.
Breyer mum as some liberals urge him to quit Supreme Court
With spring comes the start of the period in which many justices have announced their retirement from the United States Supreme Court. Some progressives say it is time for Justice Stephen Breyer to go, without delay. Other liberal voices have said Breyer, the oldest justice, should retire when the court finishes its work for the term, usually by early summer.
Biden backs changes to filibuster; GOP vows ‘scorched earth’
President Joe Biden is calling for changes to the filibuster to require lawmakers to speak on the floor of the Senate to hold up a bill, while the chamber’s Republican leader warns of “scorched-earth” tactics if Democrats use their new majority to bring an end to the legislative roadblock entirely.
Barrett’s 1st opinion breaks informal SCOTUS precedent
When Justice Amy Coney Barrett delivered her first Supreme Court majority opinion Thursday, ruling against an environmental group that had sought access to government records, it strayed from informal precedent that new justices’ first opinions be unanimous.
Kelln and Harrell: Hoosier McCabe’s EPA nomination elevates climate change policies
A little more than four years ago, Hoosier Janet McCabe ended her service as assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. Since then, the most significant aspects of the Obama-era climate change regulations, namely the Clean Power Plan, have been unwound. Biden’s selection of McCabe signals a doubling down on regulating greenhouse gas emissions.
Tinder, Williams support Garland’s nomination for AG
A coalition of former federal judges, including two from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, is urging the U.S. Senate to confirm Judge Merrick Garland as the U.S. Attorney General, describing him as having a “strong moral compass and abiding integrity.”
IU McKinney’s McCabe tapped as second-in-command at EPA
President-elect Joe Biden on Friday tapped Janet McCabe, an environmental law and policy expert and Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law professor, to return to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as deputy administrator.