Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
Inside job: For Uncle Sam, the fraud is coming from government employees
Congress and President Trump have complained about massive fraud by immigrants, street gangs, international organized crime syndicates and everyday Americans. But in many cases the fraud is actually coming from inside the house. Published May 2, 2026
Appeals court limits access to abortion drug by telemedicine
A federal appeals court has curtailed access to an abortion-inducing drug by telemedicine appointment and mail, putting on hold a Biden-era policy that had allowed mifepristone to be prescribed online and delivered by post. Published May 1, 2026
ICE failed to tell Justice Dept. it could reveal warrant to judge; murder suspect went free
An illegal immigrant wanted for murder in another country was set free from immigration detention after ICE failed to tell the Justice Department that it could tell a federal judge about the arrest warrant, government lawyers said. Published May 1, 2026
Democrats rush to court to stop GOP states’ new redistricting push
The Supreme Court's ruling on the Voting Rights Act may eventually cost Democrats some seats in Congress -- but they're determined to limit the damage this year. Published May 1, 2026
Rollback of Voting Rights Act beckons states across the South to redraw congressional districts
Key conservative voices on Wednesday urged Republican-led states in the South to take the Supreme Court's invitation to redraw their legislative maps to delete Democrat-leaning Black-majority districts and replace them with GOP seats. Published April 29, 2026
Justices ponder limits to Trump’s power to end deportation amnesties for Haitians, Syrians
The Supreme Court sought to draw lines Wednesday for how much power the executive branch has to end Temporary Protected Status -- a deportation amnesty -- for citizens of Syria, Haiti and other troubled countries. Published April 29, 2026
Supreme Court limits racial challenges under Voting Rights Act, hands GOP states new mapmaking power
The Supreme Court issued a seismic ruling Wednesday, preserving but tightening the use of the Voting Rights Act, saying the iconic law can't be used to force states to add more minority districts to their maps unless there is clear evidence of racial discrimination. Published April 29, 2026
Officers seize nearly $3 million worth of fentanyl, meth at California border
Customs and Border Protection officers manning the San Ysidro Port of Entry from Mexico into California detected $2.8 million worth of fentanyl and methamphetamine in two busts this month. Published April 29, 2026
Illegal immigrant admits to impersonating Border Patrol agent to try to stop ICE deportations
An illegal immigrant from Mexico admitted in court to a harebrained scheme where he was impersonating a Border Patrol agent to try to thwart federal agents from carrying out arrests and deportations in southern California. Published April 29, 2026
DOJ’s ballroom case briefs sound like Trump wrote them
The government's latest filing in the lawsuit over President Trump's ballroom project sounds like it was written by the top man himself. Published April 28, 2026
Appeals court rules against ICE’s expansive detention policy
A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that illegal immigrants who make it across the border and aren't immediately caught but are arrested later cannot be subject to mandatory detention by ICE. Published April 28, 2026
Feds charge top Fauci aide with conspiracy to hide origins of COVID
The Justice Department announced a groundbreaking criminal case Tuesday against Dr. Anthony Fauci's former top aide at the National Institutes of Health, accusing him of suppressing information about the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Published April 28, 2026
Appeals court defends ICE in suppressing Portland riots; says sanctuary laws forced agency to act
A federal appeals court blocked a lower court ruling that had found ICE went too far in suppressing riots in Portland, Oregon, saying the officers weren't retaliating against protesters but rather trying to clear out an unruly crowd. Published April 27, 2026
Court revives Pentagon’s ban on reporters having unescorted access
A federal appeals court on Monday allowed the Pentagon to reinstate its ban on journalists being able to enter the building without an escort, marking the latest in a back-and-forth battle between Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the press. Published April 27, 2026
Taking photo of Muslim inmate without hijab violated her religious rights, court rules
A federal judge has ruled that a federal prison must destroy all mug shots of a Muslim woman who was photographed without her hijab, ruling it a violation of her religious rights. Published April 27, 2026
Supreme Court weighs ‘geofence warrants’ for police to get cellphone users’ location data
The Supreme Court probed the trickiest corners of modern technology, convenience and privacy law on Monday as the justices tried to figure out how far police may go in asking Google to turn over users' location data to help solve crimes. Published April 27, 2026
Medical workers at border stole millions from DHS by fabricating travel expenses
Contractors who were providing medical services to illegal immigrants at the border bilked the Department of Homeland Security out of more than $1 million by asking for travel reimbursement payments for which they didn't qualify. Published April 27, 2026
Supreme Court backs Texas’ GOP-friendly congressional map
The Supreme Court on Monday erased a lower court ruling that had found Texas's new congressional district map to be an illegal racial gerrymander. Published April 27, 2026
Chief Justice Roberts gets DACA do-over as Supreme Court ponders migrant deportation protections
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. rode to the rescue of illegal immigrant Dreamers six years ago, ruling that President Trump's attempt to roll back the Obama-era DACA program broke the rules. Published April 26, 2026
Immigration court rules DACA is no longer an automatic block to deporting ‘Dreamers’
Having DACA status is no longer an automatic blockade on being deported, the Board of Immigration Appeals has ruled, tossing hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant "Dreamers" into a new and more complicated situation. Published April 25, 2026
