Latest news with #ruleOfLaw
Fox News
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Ignore outrageous attacks on Trump's DOJ champion. He belongs on the bench
In recent weeks, some public commentary has accused the Department of Justice of defying court orders and insinuated that Emil Bove's confirmation will undermine the rule of law. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Department of Justice follows court orders—even when those orders are legally unsound or deeply flawed. And Emil is the most capable and principled lawyer I have ever known. His legal acumen is extraordinary, and his moral clarity is above reproach. The Senate should swiftly confirm him to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. This administration has repeatedly been targeted with sweeping, overreaching injunctions, often issued by ideologically aligned judges in defiance of settled law—including orders of the Supreme Court. Time and again, these rulings have been reversed on appeal, and easily so. The pattern is familiar by now: aggressive district court orders grab headlines, only to be walked back when subjected to the slightest judicial scrutiny. Despite this consistent trend, the persistent narrative in the media and in the legal community is that it is the Department of Justice that ignores courts. That is plainly wrong. Disagreements over interpretation do not constitute defiance, any more than does filing an appeal. And, histrionics aside, good-faith disputes over timing and implementation of court orders do not represent insubordination—especially given the very difficult and novel problems presented by implementing the unprecedentedly overbroad and vague court orders imposed on this administration. The Department of Justice invariably complies with court orders no matter how much it disagrees with the underlying reasoning or the egregiousness of the judicial error. The appellate process has always been the means of securing relief from an erroneous order, and it still is. You will search in vain for any critique of district judges who abuse their power and issue baseless injunctions in the editorial pages of The New York Times, CNN, or even the WSJ—even where those injunctions are reversed or stayed on appeal. The same commentators who foment anger over the Department of Justice's good-faith efforts to comply with legally unsound court orders are silent when Article III judges overreach and issue rulings that interfere with the President's authority and undermine the rule of law. That brings me to my friend and colleague, Emil. The dedicated lawyers of the Department of Justice work tirelessly to comply with court orders and to promote the rule of law. There is no finer example of that dedication than Emil. In a thankless job, Emil expects excellence and courage from every lawyer in the Department, no matter the opposition faced. He pushes our dedicated lawyers to meet the moment and the mission of defending this administration against those who seek to block President Donald Trump from fulfilling his promises to the American people. And he consistently requires the highest level of integrity from all Department employees. Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, the media has recently amplified slanderous attacks on Emil's character based on a foundation of selective leaks, misleading reporting, and falsehoods. I am taking this opportunity to clear up a few of those misconceptions. First, as to the termination of the leaker, it was Attorney General Pam Bondi and I who decided to terminate his employment. It was not Emil's decision. And contrary to media spin, the employee was terminated for failing to defend his client—the United States of America—in open court; he was not dismissed for admitting an error in court. In his courtroom statements, the leaker distanced himself from the Department's position and attempted to undermine the credibility of his own client. That is not zealous representation. That is an unethical dereliction of duty, which no client should be required to countenance. Moreover, Emil has never encouraged lawyers or anyone else to act in defiance of a court order. There was no order to violate at the time of the alleged statements. No injunctive relief had been granted—oral or written. No directive was issued to reverse any executive action. These facts are not in dispute, not even by the leaker. And most critically, after Judge Boasberg did issue an order in the relevant case, the Department fastidiously complied. That is not speculation. That is the explicit position taken by the leaker himself, who signed the government's brief affirming the United States' compliance on March 25, 2025. The same kind of distortions are being used to attack the Department's lawful dismissal of the irreparably flawed case against New York Mayor Eric Adams. That decision was reviewed and approved by Department leadership and grounded in sound legal judgment. The judge agreed, granting the government's motion to dismiss. That should end the conversation. But for those who insist on rehashing internal dissent and resignations, it should be obvious that disagreements within the Department do not render a decision unlawful or unethical. To the contrary, Emil's integrity was displayed when he himself argued the case in favor of dismissal, even as his former colleagues in SDNY retreated. Before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Emil attested what those lucky enough to work with him already know to be true: he believes deeply in the rule of law, and in the importance of court orders. And what he has done time and again over the course of his career is bring rigor, integrity, and decency to his work. Emil has the backbone for hard cases, the restraint to wield judicial authority judiciously, and the intellect to master complexity. He will decide cases fairly. He will apply the law as written. He will not bend to political pressure. And that is exactly the kind of judge our country needs. Emil is a dedicated public servant, an exemplary lawyer, and a person of quiet strength and deep character. The Senate should reject the smear campaign and vote to confirm him to the Third Circuit. Justice demands nothing less.
Irish Times
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Hungary's failure to tackle high-level corruption a concern, EU report says
A continued failure by Hungary to tackle cases of high-level corruption remains a 'concern' for the European Union , a new report has said. Hungary's far-right government, led by populist prime minister Viktor Orban , was criticised for overseeing a 'deteriorating environment' for civil-society organisations in the central European country. A report assessing the rule of law across the EU said judges in Hungary faced 'undue pressure' and people believed there was a high level of corruption in the public sector. EU commissioner for justice Michael McGrath said it was 'deeply disappointing' that the situation in Hungary had not improved over the last year. READ MORE The recent attempt to ban the LGBT+ Pride parade in Budapest was a further example that Hungary had slipped backwards, he said. The EU's annual rule of law report said the number of people convicted in Hungary over corruption charges had decreased, though the number of initial indictments remained high. The risk of 'political influence and undue interference' on police investigators and prosecutors was worrying, the report said. The lack of investigations into alleged corruption by high-ranking Hungarian officials and those in their close circles 'remain areas of concern', the report said. It also raised fears about 'clientelism, favouritism and nepotism' in the Hungarian public administration. Ongoing concerns about the government undermining the rule of law and civil society has led to €18 billion of EU funding due to Hungary being frozen by the European Commission , the union's executive arm that proposes and enforces EU laws. 'Concerns related to the absence of procedural safeguards and effective oversight in case of secret surveillance measures outside criminal proceedings have not been addressed,' the report said. The commission's report criticised prime minister Robert Fico 's populist government in Slovakia for putting further pressure on civil-society groups and making it more difficult for independent journalists to work. There had been no progress made to improve the investigation and prosecution of cases involving high-level corruption, the report said. The power of a prosecutor general in Slovakia to annul the final decisions of lower-level prosecutors was concerning, it added. Speaking in Strasbourg, Mr McGrath said work to improve the rule of law had picked 'the low-hanging fruit' over recent years. Progress national capitals were being asked to make on other recommendations for 'deeper, more structural' reforms would take longer. The EU report said large publicly-funded contracts and infrastructure projects were sectors vulnerable to corruption in Spain. It noted that a previous survey had found many companies felt corruption had prevented them from winning public contracts in the last three years. There had been 'limited progress' bringing in comprehensive rules governing political lobbying in Italy, the report said. There were similar shortcomings in Bulgaria's effort to ensure a higher standard of integrity across government.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EU justice chief laments democratic standards in Hungary
BRUSSELS (AP) — Hungary has made virtually no progress in addressing European Union concerns about democratic backsliding over the last year, the EU's justice commissioner said Tuesday, as he unveiled the bloc's annual rule of law report. The section on Hungary highlighted concern about party financing, secret surveillance, media pluralism, the excessive use of government emergency powers, as well as pressure put on judges and members of civil society, among other shortcomings. The only positive noted was 'significant progress' in increasing the salaries of judges, prosecutors and other legal staff. But even that was done without proper consideration for 'European standards on remuneration for the justice system.' 'It is deeply disappointing that we're not in a position to report further progress on the recommendations that have been made last year,' Justice Commissioner Michael McGrath told reporters at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. 'We stand ready to take further steps, in relation to Hungary, as necessary,' he said, but did not elaborate on what those measures might involve. The European Commission proposes EU laws and supervises whether they are respected. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's stridently nationalist government has become a pariah among the 26 other EU member countries. It has consistently sought to veto support to Ukraine, although the rest of the EU has begun to bypass Hungary. For the last decade, tensions have simmered between Orbán and the EU's powerful executive branch, from his handling of migrants in 2015 to last month's Budapest Pride event which saw marchers risk possible arrest and heavy fines to take part. In 2022, the European Commission blocked substantial amounts of money out of concern that Orban's government might put the EU budget at risk. 'Approximately 18 billion euros ($21 billion) of loans and grants are not available to Hungary because of rule of law issues. I wish it were otherwise,' McGrath told reporters. The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
LBCI
04-07-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
President Joseph Aoun urges judicial integrity during visit to Justice Ministry
President Joseph Aoun conducted an inspection visit to the Justice Ministry in Beirut on Friday, where he reviewed operations within the ministry and assessed the current state of Lebanon's judicial sector amid what he described as a critical period. During his meeting with judges, Aoun called for strict adherence to justice and the rule of law, urging them to resist external pressure and intimidation. "Judge fairly, based on the law. Do not acquit the guilty, do not convict the innocent, and do not yield to pressure or fear,' the president told members of the judiciary. The visit also included discussions with senior judicial officials, including Supreme Judicial Council President Judge Souheil Abboud, Public Prosecutor Judge Jamal Al-Hajjar, Head of the Judicial Inspection Authority Judge Ayman Oweidat, and acting Public Prosecutor Judge Dora Al-Khazen.
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Throwing their bodies on the gears: the Democratic lawmakers showing up to resist Trump
A flock of Ice agents, some masked, some sporting military-operator fashion for show, smooshed the New York City comptroller, Brad Lander, up against a wall and handcuffed him in the hallway of a federal courthouse in early June, shuffling the mild-mannered politician into an elevator like the Sandman hustling an act off the stage 10 miles north at Harlem's Apollo Theater. Like at the Apollo, Lander's arrest was a show. News reporters and cellphone camera-wielding bystanders crowded the hall to watch the burly federal officers rumple a 55-year-old auditor asking for a warrant. 'I'm not obstructing. I'm standing here in this hallway asking for a judicial warrant,' Lander said. 'You don't have the authority to arrest US citizens.' 'This is an urgent moment for the rule of law in the United States of America and it is important to step up,' Lander told the Guardian after the arrest. 'And I think the dividing line for Democrats right now is not between progressives and moderates. It's between fighters and folders. We have to find nonviolent but insistent ways of standing up for democracy and the rule of law.' The act of showing up is resonating with voters who have seen the limits of social media activism. Be it Senator Cory Booker's speech in April or the arrest of lawmakers trying to inspect an Ice detention facility, the images of administration opponents physically interposing themselves as a disruption hearken back to an earlier era in American politics, of sit-ins and full jails, where opponents meant to grind the apparatus of government to a halt as a means of resistance. 'There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part,' Mario Savio, a student leader in the free speech movement, a campaign of civil disobedience against restrictive policies on student political activity, said 60 years ago during a campus protest. 'You can't even passively take part. And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop.' That can look like Booker's 25-hour record-breaking stand at the dais from 31 March through 1 April this year, presenting a litany of protest against the actions of the first 71 days of the Trump administration in the longest speech in Senate history. Technically, it was not a filibuster, unlike the previous record-holder, the South Carolina senator Strom Thurmond's speech delaying passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1957. As an act of political protest, it required presence. The rules of a Senate floor speech are exacting. No sitting. No breaks. Continuous, corporeal effort. As the spectacle grew, Booker acknowledged that Democratic voters had been demanding more of their leaders. 'I confess that I have been imperfect,' Booker said. 'I confess that I've been inadequate to the moment. I confess that the Democratic party has made terrible mistakes that gave a lane to this demagogue. I confess we all must look in the mirror and say: 'We will do better.'' *** Activists had been in the street from the day of Trump's inauguration. But Booker's speech was a demarcation point after which Democratic leaders started confronting the right more directly. It also marked them being confronted in return. Hannah Dugan, a Wisconsin judge, allowed a man to leave through the back doors of her courtroom, allegedly in response to the presence of immigration officers waiting to arrest him. FBI agents subsequently arrested Dugan in her Milwaukee courtroom on 25 April, charging her with obstruction. The FBI director, Kash Patel, posted comments about her arrest on X almost immediately, and eventually posted a photograph of her arrest, handcuffed and walking toward a police cruiser, with the comment: 'No one is above the law.' Digitally altered photographs of Dugan appearing to be in tears in a mugshot proliferated on social media. Trump himself reposted an image from the Libs of TikTok website of Dugan wearing a Covid-19 mask on the day of her arrest. Three days later, Trump issued an executive order to create 'a mechanism to provide legal resources and indemnification', including 'private-sector pro bono assistance', for cops it describes as 'unjustly incur[ring] expenses and liabilities for actions taken during the performance of their official duties to enforce the law'. The order also seeks 'enhanced sentences for crimes against law enforcement officers', and calls for federal prosecution of state or local officials who the administration says obstruct law enforcement. Taken together, the order sent a clear signal to federal police agencies to take the gloves off – that accusations of misconduct would be defended against and that placing the bodies of public officials into handcuffs and squad cars was fair game. Three days after that, Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, suggested more arrests were on the way. 'Wait till you see what's coming,' he said in response to a question about future arrests of officials. But the warnings have not stopped Democrats from showing up at Ice detention centers and other demonstrations. Four more elected or appointed Democratic officials and one Democratic senator's staffer have been detained, arrested or charged by federal agents since Trump's executive order. Each of the arrests has become a media spectacle. Ras Baraka, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, visited Delaney Hall, a privately owned Ice detention facility he accuses of violating safety protocols, on 9 May. He was with three members of Congress at the time, who have the explicit right by law to inspect Ice facilities. Video captured by body-worn cameras shows a tangle of bodies as Ice agents arrest him, with beefy federal officers bending him over in handcuffs as they walk him through an outraged crowd. Amid the scrum is the freshman representative LaMonica McIver in her red coat, who stands out in videos as she walks through the gate. She appears to bump a masked law enforcement officer as she's caught in the chaotic scene. Her intentions are far from clear, and witness video from other angles contradicts the government's claim that members of Congress stormed the facility. Ten days later, the acting US attorney, Alina Habba, charged McIver with forcibly impeding and interfering with federal officers, even after dropping similar charges against Baraka. For the administration and its supporters, the high-visibility arrests play out as payback for what they see as the politically motivated prosecution of Trump and of January 6 rioters. The Republican representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina filed a House resolution to expel McIver. Baraka's arrest and McIver's charge became fodder for conservative media. But it also galvanized Newark. Protesters filled the streets awaiting Baraka's release. 'History will judge us in this moral moment,' he told the crowd. 'These people are wrong. And it's moments like this that will judge us all – as cowards or, you know, as heroes.' Three weeks later, a staffer for the representative Jerry Nadler – whose name has not been released – allegedly impeded homeland security agents searching for 'rioters' at a protest about immigration enforcement abuses. The agents handcuffed and detained her. Video circulated widely on social media and cable television. On 8 June, as protesters flooded downtown Los Angeles intent on gumming up the streets around the Metropolitan detention center, the Democratic representative Jimmy Gomez of California posted a video on Instagram describing how chemical irritants had been deployed around the detention building. 'They're spraying something to try to get us to leave,' he said. 'This is just to prevent us from doing our jobs.' Homeland security briefly released guidance last week asking members of Congress to give Ice facilities 72 hours of prior notice before visiting a facility. The demand conflicts with federal law allowing members of Congress immediate access for inspections. The guidance is no longer posted on the DHS website. The Democratic senator Alex Padilla of California attempted to confront the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, about protests in Los Angeles on 12 June. Before he could get a word in, when he approached to ask a question, Secret Service and FBI agents dragged Padilla out of the room and handcuffed him. The DHS falsely claimed that Padilla had failed to identify himself, releasing a statement describing Padilla's inquiry as 'disrespectful political theatre'. 'The only political theater happening in Los Angeles is Trump using thousands of troops in Los Angeles as political props in response to overwhelmingly peaceful protests,' Padilla said in response. It has only been half a year that Trump has been president, but Democrats and other critics are finding that it's the balance of civil rights tactics with 2025 TikTok-era virality that is cutting through the noise. Paired with some of the biggest protests in American history, it seems they are only getting started. 'Authoritarians are looking to stoke fear and conflict and send a signal [that] if they are going to do this to elected officials – if they're going to do it to white male US citizens with passports or elected officials, I think their goal is to make everyone afraid,' Lander said. 'There is a pattern here, you know, from Senator Padilla to Ras Baraka to me, and an on-the-record statement from the attorney general about … trying to quote-unquote 'liberate' cities from their elected officials,' he added. 'So, I take them at their word.'
