Stephen Dinan
Articles by Stephen Dinan
AOC’s ‘Tax the Rich’ Met Gala dress broke ethics rules
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez received a gentle reprimand from the House Ethics Committee, which ruled she broke congressional rules with her 2021 appearance at the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York -- and the attention-grabbing "Tax the Rich" dress she wore. Published July 25, 2025
Feds bring gun-related charges against illegal immigrants accused in shooting of border officer
Federal prosecutors have announced gun and accessory charges against two illegal immigrants accused of being part of shooting an off-duty border officer in the face during a botched robbery in New York last week. Published July 25, 2025
DOJ sues Mayor Eric Adams over NYC sanctuary policy
The Justice Department opened a new front in its legal war on sanctuary jurisdictions Thursday, filing a lawsuit seeking to shut down New York City's policies that protect illegal immigrants from the reach of federal deportation authorities. Published July 24, 2025
Appeals court challenges Supreme Court’s ruling on universal injunctions
Less than a month after the Supreme Court told federal judges to restrain themselves from issuing nationwide injunctions, a federal appeals court ruled that those injunctions can be legal if states are the plaintiffs. Published July 24, 2025
Senate Republicans advance nomination of Trump’s personal defense lawyer for appeals court post
Senate Republicans surmounted a Democrat-led filibuster attempt Thursday to advance the nomination of Emil Bove, President Trump's personal defense lawyer and deeply controversial pick for a federal appeals court judgeship. Published July 24, 2025
Appeals Court rules Trump’s birthright citizenship order violates Constitution
President Trump's attempt to block the U.S. from recognizing birthright citizenship for children born to illegal immigrants runs afoul of the Constitution, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday, becoming the highest court to reach that conclusion. Published July 23, 2025
Supreme Court backs Trump’s ability to fire independent agency leaders as legal battles take shape
The Supreme Court expressed displeasure Wednesday with lower court judges who continue to block President Trump's firing of agency heads, saying it has made clear the president can carry out firings while the legal battles develop. Published July 23, 2025
Judge forbids Homeland Security from trying to immediately deport Abrego Garcia
Kilmar Abrego Garcia was a "Maryland man" before he was arrested and deported in March, and a federal judge on Wednesday ordered that he must become a Maryland man again once he is released from pre-trial detention. Published July 23, 2025
Trump opens new front in battle with Harvard over exchange students
The State Department said Wednesday it has opened an investigation into Harvard University's eligibility to host foreign exchange visitors, marking a new front in the Trump administration's war with the country's oldest college. Published July 23, 2025
Legislation would allow national parks to raise entry fees for foreign visitors
Go deep enough into the trails at some of America's national parks and you'll notice the other patrons there with you are, as often as not, speaking a foreign language. Published July 23, 2025
Trump slashes 25% of IRS workforce with buyouts, firings of nearly 26,000 agency staff
Through buyouts and firings, the administration has already slashed the IRS's workforce by nearly 26,000 people, marking a 25% reduction in staffing as President Trump works to erase President Biden's buildup at the tax agency. Published July 22, 2025
Appeals court blocks ruling that Trump illegally fired FTC commissioners
A federal appeals court issued a temporary block Tuesday on a lower decision that found President Trump illegally fired two members of the Federal Trade Commission. Published July 22, 2025
Appeals court sides with ICE, blocking New Jersey’s sanctuary law banning migrant detention
States cannot actively try to thwart federal immigration enforcement, an appeals court ruled Tuesday, blocking a New Jersey law that sought to ban ICE from contracting with facilities to detain migrants within its boundaries. Published July 22, 2025
Judge forces Miami to hold regularly scheduled election
A Florida judge has ordered the City of Miami to hold its regular elections later this year, as called for under the city charter, overruling commissioners who had attempted to delay the vote and to extend some of their own terms -- as well as the mayor -- for an extra year. Published July 22, 2025
Federal judges, Trump administration accuse the other of overreach on short-term deportation amnesty
Federal judges in Maryland complained Monday that the Trump administration's lawsuit against their short-term deportation amnesty policy violates the Constitution and insisted they must have wide-ranging powers to stop a president from acting. Published July 21, 2025
Judge orders Trump to restore taxpayer-funded legal advocates for incompetent migrants
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Monday to restore a program that provides legal assistance to migrants facing deportation hearings who are deemed too mentally incompetent to face the proceedings on their own. Published July 21, 2025
Judge orders White House to restore transparency website on budget
A federal judge ruled Monday that the White House budget office broke the law by taking down a website that gave Congress and the public detailed data on how the administration is spending taxpayers' money. Published July 21, 2025
Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s own lawyers oppose his pretrial release
Lawyers for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man at the center of the fierce deportation battle, renewed their call Monday that their client remain in pretrial detention, saying they fear he'll be quickly deported if he is released in the criminal case against him. Published July 21, 2025
ICE to ‘flood’ New York with agents after border officer shot by illegal immigrant
The Trump administration vowed Monday to "flood" New York City with ICE agents to round up illegal immigrant criminals after an off-duty border officer was shot in the face during what authorities say was a botched robbery attempt by two illegal immigrants. Published July 21, 2025
Trump is losing 75% of federal cases challenging his executive actions
President Trump has tamed Congress and largely defanged the federal bureaucracy as he pursues his vigorous second-term agenda, but federal district judges have rushed to the battlements to take him on. Published July 20, 2025
