DC Circuit

Words matter everywhere. But we can't think of a place where a single word can matter more than a court of law. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit recently rebuffed efforts to force the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to regulate airplane seat sizes primarily based…

Even if the appellants are cops, the D.C. Circuit won’t overturn a district court’s jury instruction unless there is a showing that it caused prejudice. It was a tough break in Huthnance v. District of Columbia for two cops who had judgments against them for wrongful arrest and general rights violations in arresting Lindsay Huthnance, who was awarded $105,000 in compensatory and punitive damages. But as the D.C. Circuit rightly points out, they could have prevented the outcome.

The D.C. Court of Appeals has overruled District Judge Emmet Sullivan in the case against former national security advisor Michael Flynn, ordering the case to be dismissed. District Judge Brings In Outside Counsel In 2017, Flynn pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI. Then, he moved to withdraw the plea before sentencing, arguing that the government had breached their plea agreement and failed to produce enough evidence against him.

The White House suspended the press credentials of Playboy's White House correspondent after an incident during the 2019 Social Media Summit. Brian Karem, who is also a political analyst for CNN, and former Deputy Assistant Sebastian Gorka got into two heated arguments in the Rose Garden and the White House Palm Room after President Trump's remarks. Subsequently, then-Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham suspended Karem's hard pass, which allows on-demand access to the White House.

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has made it harder for donors seeking to help create political advertising to remain anonymous, holding that all donations over $200 to organizations that spend over $250 on political advertising not associated with a particular candidate (known as independent expenditures) must be disclosed to the Federal Elections Commission. What Are Independent Expenditures? Independent expenditures (IEs) account for billions in spending on political advertising.

People have argued throughout the entire Michael Flynn saga that federal law enforcement and judges have overstepped their legal authority. First, Trump supporters argued the FBI overstepped by setting up a trap to catch Michael Flynn lying. Then, liberals argued Attorney General William Barr continued to turn the Justice Department into a political tool by dropping charges against a defendant who had already pled guilty.