Good morning, and welcome to the Epoch Times News Brief for Friday, May 31, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, and the trial is over, the verdict is in, and former President Donald Trump has been found guilty. We’ll also share with you some big news regarding the Supreme Court ruling in favor of the NRA, the tragic death of Judge Larry Hicks, a look at a GOP challenge to President Joe Biden’s voter registration order, and calls for Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito to recuse themselves.
Jury Finds Trump Guilty on All 34 Felony Charges in New York Trial
The former president has been found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records, making him the first American president to be convicted of a felony. The jury of 12 reached the verdict yesterday afternoon after two days of deliberation.As the verdicts were read, President Trump sat still, didn’t show emotion, and looked straight ahead.
The six-week trial featured testimonies from 22 witnesses. Prosecutors accused the former president of fraudulently misclassifying hush money payments to adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, to interfere with the 2016 election.
President Trump has repeatedly called the case political persecution and an act of election interference.
In addition to this case, President Trump faces other prosecutions related to his challenging of the 2020 election results and the handling of classified documents.
The Biden campaign responded to the conviction, saying that “we saw that no one is above the law,” while the White House has not responded to a request for comment regarding the verdict.
At the same time, Republicans were swift to condemn the decision. House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on social media: “Today is a shameful day in American history. Democrats cheered as they convicted the leader of the opposing party on ridiculous charges, predicated on the testimony of a disbarred, convicted felon. This was a purely political exercise, not a legal one.”
Supreme Court Unanimously Rules for NRA in Free Speech Case
The Supreme Court has unanimously ruled in favor of the National Rifle Association (NRA), which accuses a former New York state official of violating the First Amendment by pressuring insurance companies to cut ties with the gun rights organization.Justice Sonia Sotomayor pointed out that, while government officials can express their views and criticize, they cannot use state power to silence or punish those with opposing views. Justices Neil Gorsuch and Ketanji Brown Jackson also agreed with this opinion.
The case, known as NRA v. Vullo, came to light following the aftermath of the Parkland high school shooting in 2018 when 17 people were killed. Previously, an appeals court had rejected the NRA’s First Amendment claims, granting qualified immunity to Maria Vullo, who’s the New York Department of Financial Services superintendent. The recent ruling of the Supreme Court allows the NRA to continue its legal battle in a lower court.
David Cole, who is a lawyer representing the NRA, argues that New York state engaged in a type of coercive activity that violated the First Amendment. The U.S. solicitor general’s office backs his argument. On the other hand, Neal Katyal, an attorney representing Ms. Vullo, says that the state acted against the NRA due to its involvement in illegal insurance products, not for its views.
Federal Judge Dies After Being Struck by a Vehicle Near Nevada Courthouse
Eighty-year-old U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks, who served in Nevada for over 50 years, tragically passed away earlier this week. He was struck at an intersection in Reno, treated by first responders, and transported to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.Local authorities confirmed that the driver involved cooperated fully and was not impaired.
The U.S. District Court of Nevada released a statement confirming Judge Hicks’s passing and announced that flags would be flown at half-staff at federal courthouses in the state.
Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam remembers Judge Hicks fondly, saying that he “was a one of a kind man, revered in our community and, most importantly, beloved by his family.”
Judge Hicks had a distinguished legal career, starting as a prosecutor, then serving as a district attorney, and eventually becoming a U.S. District Court judge. He also served as the president of the State Bar of Nevada. The family released a statement honoring Judge Hicks and his unwavering commitment to justice.
Lawmakers Urge Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Biden’s Sweeping Voter Registration Order
A group of 12 Republican federal lawmakers are urging the Supreme Court to review a challenge from Pennsylvania Republicans against President Joe Biden’s executive order on voter registration and mobilization.State lawmakers argue the order is unconstitutional and say that voter registration drives are not a legitimate function of government. They also claim that the executive actions violated their rights under the U.S. Constitution.
They previously filed a petition in Keefer v. Biden for review with a federal district court, which dismissed it due to lack of standing. Judge Jennifer P. Wilson said that the individual lawmakers “did not have standing to bring a challenge to an action that allegedly injured the legislature as a whole.”
Rep. Dan Meuser and other federal officials have filed a friend-of-the-court brief, urging the Supreme Court to hear the petition. They stress the importance of fair elections and argue that the Constitution grants primary responsibility for federal elections to state legislatures, not Congress.
The brief also requests that the Supreme Court recognize the state lawmakers’ standing to challenge the executive order, asserting that it exceeds presidential authority and threatens election fairness by favoring one political party over another.
The Republican representatives request a fast-track consideration, which is denied by the Supreme Court. It is unclear when the Supreme Court will consider the petition in Keefer v. Biden.
Chief Supreme Court Justice Declines to Meet With Senators About Alito’s Flags
Chief Justice John Roberts has recently declined a request to meet with Democrat senators who want two other justices to recuse themselves from cases involving President Trump and the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.The Democrats are raising concerns about impartiality due to Justice Clarence Thomas’s wife’s involvement in the election integrity movement and the presence of flags associated with the movement at Justice Samuel Alito’s homes.
Justice Alito has already rejected calls for recusal, while Justice Thomas did not recuse himself after previous calls and was present during arguments in two cases involving President Trump. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) suggests that the Department of Justice could petition the other seven Supreme Court justices to enforce the recusals “not as a matter of grace but as a matter of law.”
So far, neither the Supreme Court nor the Department of Justice has commented on the issue.
Once again, in case you missed it, our top story this morning in the Manhattan trial: Former President Donald Trump has been found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records, making him the first American president to be convicted of a crime. The jury of 12 reached the verdict yesterday afternoon following two days of deliberation.
Checking the clock, I can see that we’re pretty much out of time, so that will be a wrap for the Friday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
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For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas. We appreciate you spending a bit of your Friday with us, enjoy the remainder of your day, and we’ll see you right back here tomorrow for the Saturday edition (the weekend edition) of The Epoch Times News Brief! Have a sensational day today. Bye for now.
