“While it is mystifying how the prosecutors could possibly believe there is any legally justifiable basis for undertaking this investigation, they have done nothing to explain the mystery,” his lawyers wrote, describing the claims tentatively raised by the government as “manufactured.”
“The Virginia law makes the commercial purchase of AR-15-s-tyle rifles a crime,” the Justice Department said. “The AR-15 rifle is the most popular rifle in America. Virginia’s enforcement of the new ban is a pattern or practice of conduct by the commonwealth’s law enforcement officers that deprives the citizens of Virginia of their constitutional right to buy and sell arms protected by the Second Amendment.”
“The Attorney General’s arguments are unpersuasive. First, Ms. Phang has identified ‘some concrete consequences of not receiving the information,’” Sullivan said. “She has identified ‘half a dozen stories she is currently unable to report’ because the Attorney General has not disclosed the information.”
“The President’s attempt to seize control of our elections by selectively refusing to deliver mail-in ballots was unconstitutional and dangerous—and the court was right to strike it down,” Brown said. “We will continue to defend the right of eligible Washington voters to participate ion our democracy.”
The lawsuit was dismissed without prejudice, meaning that it can be refiled if the Trump administration finds a way to successfully establish standing.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said that she will continue to block the “Anti-Weaponization” fund’s creation and operation. This order will remain in effect unless and until the court rules otherwise.
In a statement, Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said that “this kind of facility has no place in Salt Lake City.”
Torrez says that, by continuing to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the counties are imposing “serious costs on local communities.” Deputies who are assigned to help assist ICE, for instance, are no longer available for criminal investigations and emergency calls—tasks that the attorney general describes as being “the core mission of local law enforcement.”
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, a Republican, said that his office is suing in an effort to protect children from the dangers “posed by expanded access to marijuana.”
A spokesperson for Melania Trump has since said that the First Lady “is proud to continue standing up to, and fighting against, those who spread malicious and defamatory falsehoods as they desperately try to get undeserved attention and money from their unlawful conduct.”