Poli Alert Politics & Civics

  Former President Donald Trump faced a $10,000 fine on Wednesday and was summoned to the witness stand in his civil fraud trial after being accused of violating a gag order. This marks the second time within a week that Trump has been penalized for his out-of-court comments. The judge, …

Jacob Fischler, Louisiana Illuminator Before a relatively short time in elected office, new U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana was a constitutional lawyer deeply involved in religious causes. Prior to a short stint in the Louisiana Legislature, Johnson spent two decades as a public interest lawyer mainly representing clients …

House Republicans on Wednesday voted for Louisiana’s Mike Johnson as speaker in a chamber that has been frozen for more than three weeks after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted. In a 220-209 party-line vote, all Republicans present backed Johnson, 51, a strongly conservative lawyer who represents northwest Louisiana’s 4th …

Jill Nolin, Georgia Recorder Attention has shifted back to the Fulton County courthouse after the Georgia Supreme Court rejected an argument that state lawmakers should have to pass abortion restrictions in the post-Roe world. A group of health care providers and abortion rights advocates had argued that parts of the …

  More than 30 states have joined together to file a federal lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. The legal action alleges that Meta’s social media platforms are intentionally designed to be addictive and that they harm children’s mental health. The lawsuit, signed by 33 state …

Ariana Figueroa, Indiana Capital Chronicle U.S. House Republicans Tuesday voted to tap Minnesota’s Tom Emmer as speaker following five rounds of ballots — but Emmer quit the race just four hours later, after he was attacked by the GOP’s most powerful figure, former President Donald Trump. After beating six candidates, …

Stanley Dunlap, Georgia Recorder Jenna Ellis, a former attorney for the Trump campaign in the 2020 presidential election, expressed regret on Tuesday in Fulton County Superior Court after pleading guilty to making false statements about widespread voting fraud at a Georgia legislative hearing held several weeks after the 2020 election. …

Dana DiFilippo, New Jersey Monitor Sen. Bob Menendez pleaded not guilty — for the second time — when he appeared in court Monday to respond to new federal corruption charges in a superseding indictment federal authorities filed two weeks ago. Investigators say Menendez, a Democrat, acted as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government …

Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix A legal challenge to a Florida law forbidding university classes that “distort” history or programs that foster diversity may turn on whether it has actually harmed the group of professors, students, and others behind their lawsuit. That’s the inference from about two hours of oral arguments …

Jill Nolin, Georgia Recorder October 23, 2023 Will the Georgia Supreme Court agree with a lower court’s ruling that said the state’s six-week abortion ban should be tossed out since it was passed in 2019 when Roe v. Wade was still the reigning five-decade-old court precedent? The answer is set …

  President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a phone call on Sunday to reaffirm their commitment to providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza. This announcement comes as a positive development following the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas. The leaders welcomed the delivery of the first two …

A majority of the House Republicans running for the speakership have embraced a pledge designed to ensure the next speaker can secure the necessary 217 votes on the floor. This strategy aims to prevent the vote-counting turmoil that derailed previous contenders, such as Reps. Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan. Seven …

Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch As U.S. House Republicans continue to deal with chaos of designating a House speaker, U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks hosted presidential candidates Friday at an Iowa City fundraiser while defending decisions that some fellow Republicans have criticized. “If I was a Democrat, I would have run …

Susan J. Demas, Rhode Island Current A growing field of contenders for House speaker has assembled after Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio fell short of the 217 votes needed for the chamber’s top job three times last week. At least 10 GOP lawmakers have said they would run. The …

Stanley Dunlap, Georgia Recorder Ex-Trump attorney Kenneth Chesebro pled guilty Friday in Fulton County Superior Court to a felony charge of conspiracy to commit filing false documents for his role in attempting to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election win. Chesebro was promptly sentenced by Judge Scott McAfee to five …