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West Point Climate Professor Says He Was Fired for Refusing to ‘Defy Science’

Dr. Adam Kalkstein is suing the U. S. Military Academy, where he was a professor of geography and the only climate scientist, after being fired.

© Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times

Cadets walking near Pershing Barracks at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 2014. A West Point climate professor says he was fired for refusing to “defy science.”
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Judge Sides With Texas Over Minnesota on Extradition of ICE Agent

The two states have waged an unusual court battle over the agent facing charges over a shooting in Minneapolis. The agent could be released from jail on Thursday.

© David Guttenfelder/The New York Times

Federal agents near the scene of a shooting during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in January.
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Judge Allows Postal Service Effort to Restrict Mail Voting, for Now

The order came amid a spate of legal challenges, including one by Democratic state attorneys general, that could still result in the rules being blocked.

© Philip Cheung for The New York Times

Under its new plan, the Postal Service would not deliver mail ballots in states that do not share voter data with the agency and would deliver only ballots that meet certain criteria.
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A Surrogate Refused an Abortion and Fled to Texas. Now She Wants Custody of the Baby.

A surrogate refused to have an abortion after the fetus was diagnosed with a serious heart problem. She fled to Texas and had the child. Now she wants a judge to give custody to her instead of the biological parents.

© LM Otero/Associated Press

McKenna West, right, after a court hearing in Dallas on Tuesday.
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Trump’s Efforts to Sow Election Doubts Get Boost From Initial Court Order

A preliminary Supreme Court ruling could leave voters confused about casting ballots by mail, even as President Trump’s executive order is being litigated in the lower courts, experts said.

© Philip Cheung for The New York Times

People sort through ballots at a ballot processing center during a statewide special election in California last year.
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Supreme Court Ruling on Mail-In Voting Could Add to Election Confusion

The limits on mail-in voting may not go into effect by November, with a multistate lawsuit expected this week. But some states and experts warned about further voter confusion.

© Zack Wittman for The New York Times

Mail-in votes are processed by poll officials at the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Office in Largo, Fla., last week.
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How the Supreme Court Is Issuing Orders as Trump ‘Emergencies’ Return

The justices are still struggling with whether and when to explain themselves to the public when the court issues temporary, but consequential, orders.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

In 19 months, the president has already asked the justices to intervene far more times than George W. Bush and Barack Obama did during their 16 years in office combined.
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In Building His Border Wall, Trump May Bring Down a 110-Year-Old Church

A century ago, Mexican American families came together to build an adobe church near the border in West Texas. Can its bell toll again as the wall expansion nears?

The Friends of the Ruidosa Church group has worked to restore the adobe mission for the last 20 years. Members of the group worry that border wall construction could damage the site.
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California Cancels Talks With Paramount Over Warner Bros. Merger

The attorney general of California, one of 12 states suing to block the $111 billion deal, accused Paramount of leaking and misrepresenting earlier settlement discussions.

© Daniel Cole/Reuters

California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, announced last month that he and 11 other state attorneys general would sue to block Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.
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Court Slashes Award Alex Jones Was Ordered to Pay Sandy Hook Parents

An appeals court reduced the award to the parents of one victim to $6 million from $49 million, citing a Texas damages cap. The conspiracy theorist owes over $1 billion in other cases.

© Nic Antaya for The New York Times

For years, Alex Jones spread conspiracy theories that the Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax perpetrated by the government and the victims’ families.
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Chief Justice Allows Trump to Continue White House Ballroom Construction, for Now

The 90,000-square-foot ballroom project has grown in size and scope, with the president’s lawyers saying it is intertwined with the renovation of an underground military bunker.

© Doug Mills/The New York Times

The construction site for the new White House ballroom in March.
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Prince Harry, Elton John and Others Told to Pay Daily Mail Publisher $13 Million

Harry and six other high-profile figures lost a privacy lawsuit against Associated Newspapers. They may eventually have to pay more than twice the initial sum, a judge said.

© Henry Nicholls/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Prince Harry leaving the Royal Courts of Justice in London during his trial against Associated Newspapers in January.
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Trump Threatens Defamation Suit Over National Guard Report, Aiming to Intimidate a Critic

It was the latest example of President Trump’s bid to use the legal system against those who voice unflattering facts and opinions generally protected by the First Amendment.

© Tierney L. Cross for The New York Times

A report by the Center for American Progress determined that there was “no evidence” that President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to cities across the country had affected the crime rate.
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How Harvard’s Epic Fight With Trump Is Costing the University

The federal government has slowed Harvard’s funding, despite the university’s legal victories. The conflict is forcing hard choices on campus.

© Lucy Lu for The New York Times

The Trump administration has found new ways of trying to pressure Harvard to comply with its wishes.
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A Few Expert Lawyers Dominate Supreme Court Arguments, a New Study Finds

Chief Justice Roberts, once such a lawyer, has said he has mixed feelings about the trend.

© Eric Lee/The New York Times

Chief Justice John Roberts argued 39 Supreme Court cases as a lawyer in the solicitor general’s office and in private practice.
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Missouri Judge Says Redrawn Congressional Map May Be Used in Midterms

The decision, quickly appealed, was a win for Republicans. The party has been pushing for the new map in an effort to help maintain control in the U.S. House in November.

© Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images

Missouri was one of the first states to try to redraw its maps as part of President Trump’s national push to increase Republicans’ chances of keeping the U.S. House in the midterms.
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