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Tag: pivotal

Obama-appointed judge who became Trump rival during election interference case overseeing pivotal DOGE hearing

A federal judge President Donald Trump once described as “the most evil person” is now hearing a lawsuit brought by blue states to stop the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing government data.

First named to the bench in 2013 by then-President Barack Obama, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan of the District of Columbia Court rose to notoriety in 2021, when she presided over the criminal investigation into Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Though, her role Monday centered on whether billionaire Elon Musk’s DOGE should be blocked from accessing government data or firing federal employees.

Chutkan is a longtime legal foe of the current president – at least, if her actions from her more than 10 years on the bench are any indication.

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Former President Donald Trump’s attorneys, from left to right, Todd Blanche, Emil Bove and John Lauro depart federal court after a hearing on then-former President Donald Trump’s election interference case on Sept. 5, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

In 2021, Chutkan rejected Trump’s claims of presidential immunity in the 2020 election interference case. The decision was later overturned by the Supreme Court, whose ruling considerably expanded the notion of immunity for U.S. presidents.

The judge did little to remedy any strained tensions in the months that followed. Beyond boasting the harshest sentencing record for all criminal defendants that appeared before her for their roles in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots, Chutkan has been outspoken about her view of the day. After Trump moved to pardon and grant clemency to the more than 1,500 convicted, she said the president’s actions “cannot whitewash the blood, feces and terror that the mob left in its wake.”

“And it cannot repair the jagged breach in America’s sacred tradition of peacefully transitioning power,” she continued.

Chutkan also denied Trump’s attempt to block the release of records requested by the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, supplying them with some 1,800 pages of documents despite the staunch opposition from Trump’s legal counsel. Trump famously described her, in response, as the “most evil person.”

These actions and words have made her a target of Trump allies.

In 2024, Chutkan was the victim of a “swatting” attack in her Washington, D.C., home, where police responded to what was later determined to be a false shooting report.

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President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after landing at the Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 16, 2025. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty Images)

While it seems unlikely she will side with the states to block DOGE access to federal government data, her record of opposition to Trump’s agenda is unlikely to reassure Trump and his supporters.

During the first Trump administration, Chutkan was criticized by administration officials for many actions they saw as harmful to their policy agenda. In 2018, she temporarily halted the U.S. from blocking the abortions of illegal teenage immigrants – a ruling that was later overturned.

The following year, she ruled then-Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos had illegally delayed implementing an Obama-era special education equity rule, which required states to identify and correct for racial disparities in special education programs across the country. She ordered the administration to begin implementing the program “immediately,” despite requests from Education Department officials who said they needed more time to do so.

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President Donald Trump, right, speaks as Elon Musk listens in the Oval Office at the White House on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

She has also not been shy about using her position on the bench to criticize Trump’s actions.

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Following Trump’s decision to grant a mass pardon of the 1,600 criminal dependents involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Chutkan reportedly had to reassure Capitol Police who were at the scene that the “rule of law still applies,” as Politico reported last month.

However, she added at the time, “I’m not sure I can do that very convincingly these days.”

Breanne Deppisch is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI, and other national news.

February 18, 2025
College basketball fans brawl as Saint Louis tops VCU in pivotal conference matchup

A fight broke out in the stands of the Saint Louis Billikens men’s basketball team’s 78-69 win over the VCU Rams on Tuesday night.

The incident occurred near the VCU bench with about 1:10 left in the game. Two men were seen on the CBS Sports broadcast of the game grabbing at each other and falling down a few rows as bystanders tried to break up the fracas.

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A general view of the Billikens logo on a Nike warmup shirt prior to the game between the Saint Louis Billikens and the Dayton Flyers at the University of Dayton Arena. (Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports)

Security officers came up to try to break it up. The game, which took place in the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, was delayed about seven minutes before the action resumed. It is unclear if any arrests were made over the incident.

When play did get back underway, Saint Louis closed out the game.

Gibson Jimerson led the Billikens with 26 points, and Kobe Johnson added 19 as the team picked up a huge win in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

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Robbie Avila added 14 points.

VCU’s Zeb Jackson led the team with 15 points and two steals. Phillip Russell also had 15 points while Max Shulga had 14. VCU fell to 16-5 on the season and 6-2 in conference play. The loss ended the team’s six-game winning streak.

Saint Louis trailed by three points at the half before Jimerson broke out for 16 in the second half to lift the squad.

A general view of the VCU logo on a player’s Nike warmup shirt prior to the game of the Virginia Commonwealth Rams against the Dayton Flyers at the University of Dayton Arena. (Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports)

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The Billikens improved to 13-8 overall and 6-2 in conference play.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

January 29, 2025
Wisconsin mom urges Trump admin to launch ‘pivotal’ probe into alleged race-based discrimination against son

FIRST ON FOX: An official civil rights complaint has been filed to the Trump administration urging action in defense of a Wisconsin mother who alleges her son, who is White, was passed over being given the extra learning attention he needed due to language on the school’s website that says it prioritizes additional help for students based on race.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) filed a Title VI civil rights complaint on Tuesday with the Department of Education’s Civil Rights office against the Green Bay Area Public School District after Colbey Decker alleged that a “troubling” and “unlawful” policy in the district “explicitly prioritizes reading support resources based on race, thereby violating the U.S. Constitution and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

“Colbey Decker, a mom from Green Bay, Wisconsin, has a dyslexic son who was denied reading resources because he is white,” WILL said in a press release. “Not only does the GBAPS admit this practice through its ‘School Success Plan,’ which explicitly says it prioritizes some racial groups over others, but this message was conveyed directly to Mrs. Decker by a school principal during an in-person meeting.”

“Mrs. Decker’s complaint comes at a pivotal moment because President Trump just ordered the U.S. Department of Education to direct all ‘local educational agencies that receive federal funds’ to implement measures and practices” required to comply with the Constitution’s demand of colorblind treatment of all students. WILL has issued a report and called on the Trump Administration to investigate claims of race discrimination in K-12 schools, and we hope that this is the first case they resolve.”

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Trump’s Department of Education has been asked to investigate a discrimination claim in Wisconsin (Getty/AP)

Fox News Digital previously spoke to Decker in December about her experience with the school district.

“Any time a parent or a grandparent advocates for a child, I know that their sincere hope is that that child is just treated equally,” Decker said. “And that’s not what’s happening when someone is a priority. If someone is more of a priority than someone else’s child has to be less of a priority. And I don’t think that’s the way most of America wants to move forward with education.”

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The US Department of Education building is seen on August 21, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Tierney L. Cross)

“I think everybody wants us to just be completely color-blind and look at children as simply being children. My son is in the 17th percentile in the state for reading, and there are children who are performing at a higher level than him that are more of a priority only because of their skin color. And I don’t think most parents want anything like that to ever happen in any educational setting ever.”

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights told Fox News Digital it “does not confirm complaints.”

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“Our client’s son continues to lose valuable time in his educational development. It’s time for the GBAPS to adopt a color-blind policy for giving all kids access to important resources,” WILL Associate Counsel Lauren Gruel said in a press release. “We hope our appeal to the federal government will provide the catalyst needed to address this injustice.”

The district told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that “we do not feel we are able to comment until we have had sufficient time to review.”

The district previously told Fox News Digital that “all District policies must be approved by the Board of Education and no such policy language exists.”

The complaint states that the district has “refused to take any action to end its discrimination.”

“WILL asks that the Department promptly investigate the allegations in this complaint, act swiftly to remedy unlawful policies and practices, and order appropriate relief,” the complaint states. “Thank you for your prompt attention to this request for investigation and resolution.”

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.

January 29, 2025