U.S. lawyers line up to aid Ukrainians with immigration relief

March 23 – Nearly 2,000 lawyers at more than 100 law firms and companies are preparing to help Ukrainians living in the United States obtain temporary deportation relief and work permits as part of a volunteer effort organized by law firm Kirkland & Ellis and the non-profit Lawyers for Good Government.

Due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration earlier this month said Ukrainians in the United States would be able to apply for Temporary Protected Status, a form of immigration relief that would allow them to stay and work in the country.

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U.S. judge blocks Biden measure for calculating climate risks

A federal judge on Friday blocked for now the Biden administration from restoring Obama-era values for calculating the cost of climate change in the government’s permitting, investment and regulatory decisions.

The preliminary ruling by a U.S. District Court judge in Louisiana is a blow to President Joe Biden’s efforts to factor the risks of climate change into federal decision-making.

It is also the latest in a string of court decisions that have both stymied and affirmed Biden’s efforts to fight climate change. Last month, a federal judge invalidated the results of an oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico that the administration only held because of a separate federal court order blocking the president’s pause on new auctions.

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Federal appeals courts restrict public operations amid COVID surge

Federal appeals courts in New Orleans and Chicago have announced new plans to curb public operations in January as COVID-19 infections surge across the country, marking the latest moves in the federal judiciary to minimize exposure threats.

The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a statement on Tuesday the court will hear arguments by telephone or video through the end of January. The appeals court also said on-site staffing would be minimized through Jan. 31.

In New Orleans, the 5th Circuit on Wednesday said its courthouse will close to the public beginning on Jan. 3 “due to resurgence of COVID in the New Orleans area.”

The court said oral arguments will continue in person or by video, as directed by panels. The court has not made a decision regarding proceedings later in January, including a scheduled en banc session on Jan. 19.

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U.S. charges Iranians for alleged cyber plot to meddle in 2020 presidential election

 The United States announced criminal charges on Thursday against two Iranians it accuses of launching a cyber disinformation campaign to meddle in the 2020 U.S. presidential election that targeted voters as well as elected members of Congress and a U.S. media company.

The U.S. Treasury also announced it was imposing sanctions on six Iranians and one Iranian group for trying to influence the 2020 U.S. election.

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MSNBC banned from Rittenhouse trial as jury deliberates for third day

 The judge in the Wisconsin murder trial of Kyle Rittenhouse banned MSNBC from the courthouse after a freelancer for the media network was detained by police close to a bus carrying the jury, while the jurors on Thursday deliberated for the third day.

Rittenhouse, 18, is charged with killing Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and attempted homicide in the wounding of Gaige Grosskreutz, 28, during a chaotic night of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 25, 2020.

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