Notices by USAJusticeWatch (usajusticewatch@mastodon.social)

“Lawyers Defending American Democracy (#LDAD) & a coalition of distinguished legal scholars, former judges, & members of the bar have filed an #ethics complaint with the District of Columbia Bar seeking an investigation into Drew C. Ensign, a senior #JusticeDepartment immigration official, for alleged professional misconduct in multiple high-profile federal #immigration cases.” | LDAD https://ldad.org/letters-briefs/ldad-files-ethics-complaint-ensign?emci=cb72a163-0232-f111-9a48-000d3a14b640&emdi=4c0ee040-9432-f111-8ef2-000d3a14b640&ceid=11825886 #lawyers #legalEthics #law

UN experts statement. ‘…The ‘Epstein Files’, which are suggestive of the existence of a global criminal enterprise have shocked the conscience of humanity & raised terrifying implications of the level of #impunity for such crimes.”

“So grave is the scale, nature, systematic character, and transnational reach of these atrocities against women and girls, that a number of them may reasonably meet the legal threshold of crimes against humanity,” they said.’ | OHCHR https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/02/flawed-epstein-files-disclosures-undermine-accountability-grave-crimes

“A US Navy sailor was medically evacuated Saturday afternoon from an American nuclear-powered submarine by Danish military forces..,. The submarine broke from its mission & surfaced about 8 miles from Nuuk, Greenland, an extraordinary step for a vessel designed to remain…beneath the sea in secrecy. The sailor was airlifted by a #Danish Defense Seahawk helicopter... The sailor is being treated at a #hospital in #Nuuk, Greenland's capital.” ABC https://abcnews.com/International/us-sailor-medically-evacuated-nuclear-submarine-greenland-official/story?id=130377835

#Greenland says 'no thanks' to Trump US #hospitalboat: ‘#Trump wrote on Truth Social that he was going to send a boat filled with medical supplies, alleging "many people" on the island are sick & "not being taken care of". Jens-Frederik Nielsen responded "it's going to be a #no_thanks from us" & said that #Greenland provides #FreeHealthcare for all citizens… “It's not like that in the #UnitedStates, where it costs money to go to the doctor...’ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy7jnvdzpr7o

A thread by Erica Chenoweth on Bluesky: “…the Crowd Counting Consortium…has shared a big data update, covering all recorded US protests through Jan 2026. Some key takeaways 🧵:
The volume & geographic distribution of protest nationwide during year 1 of Trump's 2nd term was extraordinary.
…we are tallying protests all over the country every day… Protest volume is escalating…https://skywriter.blue/@chenoweth.bsky.social/3meom4urat22l

Rep. Jamie Raskin said unredacted #Epstein files indicate DOJ improperly shielded names

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5730137-raskin-unredacted-epstein-files/

Justice Department unit on police misconduct sees staffing plunge & probes scaled back: “…former #DOJ lawyers, most of whom spoke on…condition of anonymity because they feared retaliation, expressed doubts about the ability of the section to conduct thorough investigations into recent incidents, including…fatal shootings of #ReneeGood & #AlexPretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis. The DOJ…said it is investigating Pretti’s killing but not Good’s.” | Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/justice-department-unit-police-misconduct-sees-staffing-plunge-probes-scaled-2026-02-05/

“Last week, the top federal judge in #Minnesota accused #ICE of violating nearly 100 court orders in…January… ‘ICE has every right to challenge…orders of this Court, but, like any litigant, ICE must follow those orders unless & until they are overturned or vacated.’ …the Trump Admin [is] often appearing to blatantly ignore court orders or to comply with them only after being repeatedly warned to do so.” | Ryan Goodman Interviewed | New Yorker https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/is-ice-leading-us-into-a-constitutional-crisis
Or https://archive.is/w5E1z

‘Federal immigration agents detained a 2-year-old…& her father in #Minneapolis on Thursday & transported them to Texas... Elvis Joel TE & his daughter were…detained by officers around 1pm when they were returning home from the store. By the evening, a federal judge had ordered the girl be released by 9.30pm. …federal officials instead put both of them on a plane heading to a Texas detention center… The father…from Ecuador, has a pending asylum application...’ | Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/23/us-immigration-two-year-old-minnesota-girl

‘US Secretary of State Marco #Rubio has ordered diplomats to return to using #TimesNewRoman font instead of Calibri, reversing a change made under the Biden administration. Rubio's predecessor Antony Blinken had adopted #Calibri in 2023, saying it was more accessible for people with #visualDisabilities. But Rubio said this was a "wasteful" #diversity move & that Times New Roman was "more formal and professional”. The new changes go into effect on 10 December.’ | BBC https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgkez3367xmo

Exclusive: US threatens new ICC sanctions unless court pledges not to prosecute Trump | Reuters

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-threatens-new-icc-sanctions-unless-court-pledges-not-prosecute-trump-2025-12-10/

“A clip circulating on social media…captured #Trump saying, “The #Bible tells us to care for the most vulnerable #children.” The internet quickly seized on the moment, with users pointing out the dissonance between the biblical appeal & Trump’s record on #familyseparation, #detention conditions and other policies that directly harmed minors.” | Salon.com https://www.salon.com/2025/11/15/trump-cites-the-bible-on-vulnerable-children-sparks-uproar/

“A special federal grand jury has indicted Democratic congressional candidate #KatAbughazaleh alongside other protesters who allegedly blocked vehicles outside of a federal immigration facility in Broadview, Illinois. The indictment…alleges that Abughazaleh “…impeded” an [#ICE] agent who was "forced to drive at an extremely slow rate of speed to avoid injuring any of the conspirators.” Abughazaleh…[also] faces one count of #conspiracy…" | NBC https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/doj-indicts-democratic-congressional-candidate-kat-abughazaleh-ice-pro-rcna240584

Why the Extremists Took Over on the Right: Fear of a pluralizing America is fueling a radicalization out of a sense of weakness and besiegement | by Thomas Zimmer https://open.substack.com/pub/thomaszimmer/p/why-the-extremists-took-over-on-the?r=7p2cc&utm_medium=ios

“The Justice Department has opened an investigation into #NewYork State #AG #LetitiaJames, in an apparent act of…retribution. Two grand jury subpoenas were issued to James’s office, requesting info…[re] the AG’s previous investigations...related to #Trump’s bank fraud case, which James won against Trump in 2024... a grand jury investigation has been opened in Albany, examining whether James violated Trump’s constitutional rights in taking legal action against him.” | TNR https://newrepublic.com/post/198945/trump-justice-department-revenge-letitia-james

‘Senior Republican lawmakers are condemning the decision of…Donald #Trump, to fire the leading US labor market statistician after a report that showed the national #economy added just 73,000 jobs…in July. The disappointing figures…point to an overall economic deterioration in the US… “…Republican senator Cynthia Lummis [said], “It’s not the statistician’s fault if the numbers are accurate & that they’re not what the president had hoped for.”’ | Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/02/republicans-trump-bureau-of-labor-statistics-commissioner

A federal judge blocked on Friday the enforcement of U.S. President Donald #Trump's executive order targeting those who work with the #InternationalCriminalCourt.
The ruling follows an April lawsuit by two human rights advocates challenging Trump's February 6 order authorizing potentially far-reaching economic and travel #sanctions on people who work on #ICC investigations of U.S. citizens or U.S. allies, such as Israel.” | Reuters https://www.reuters.com/world/us/federal-judge-blocks-enforcement-trumps-order-icc-2025-07-19/

#MahmoudKhalil seeks $20 million — or an apology — from Trump for 3-month detention. ‘Khalil is seeking $20 million in damages, which according to his legal team, he would use to help other pro-#Palestine students being targeted by the Trump administration.
“He would accept, in lieu of payment, an official apology & abandonment of the administration’s unconstitutional policy,” the Center for Constitutional Rights said in a press release.’ | Courthouse News Service https://www.courthousenews.com/mahmoud-khalil-seeks-20-million-or-an-apology-from-trump-for-3-month-detention/

#ICE's windfall: “…Trump’s budget…allocated some $175 billion towards… #massdeportation…, more money than almost any country spends on its military…Republican…budget…cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans while slashing services like Medicaid & SNAP... For the White House, however, the most important part of the bill seems to be the funding for Trump’s campaign to purge immigrants &, potentially, American citizens, from the country.” | Salon.com https://www.salon.com/2025/07/03/ices-175-billion-windfall-trumps-mass-deportation-force-set-to-receive-military-level-funding/

Republicans now own America’s broken health care system. “The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the [#BBB] legislation would slash #Medicaid spending by more than $1 trillion &…nearly 12 million people would lose their #health insurance. Republicans added a last-minute infusion of funding for rural hospitals to assuage moderates skittish about the Medicaid cuts, but hospitals say the legislation will still be devastating to their business & their patients.“ | Vox https://www.vox.com/health-care/418431/big-beautiful-bill-lose-medicaid-trump