A U.S. Army veteran who was murdered in a road rage incident appeared in court more than three years after he died in an <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/09/tech/ai-courtroom-victim-impact-statement-arizona">AI-generated image</a> as part of a victim impact statement, reportedly the first time such technology has been used in a U.S. court.
The image of Christopher Pelkey, who <a href="https://everloved.com/life-of/christopher-pelkey/obituary/">served three tours</a> before he was <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chris-pelkey-murder-victim-ai-statement-sentencing/">shot to death</a> by Gabriel Paul Horcasitas on November 13, 2021, at a red light, appeared in court earlier this month using words written by his sister, Stacey Wales, who spent two years working on the victim impact statement.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cMs-_8etNts?si=Sw089vcOPCwrWkCo" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Wales and her husband, Tim, created the AI-generated video, in which the image of Pelkey expressed forgiveness for the killer, saying, “It is a shame we encountered each other that day in those circumstances. In another life, we probably could have been friends.”
“The only thing that kept entering my head that I kept hearing was Chris and what he would say,” Wales told CNN. “I had to very carefully detach myself in order to write this on behalf of Chris because what he was saying is not necessarily what I believe, but I know it’s what he would think.” She added that Pelkey was “the most forgiving and the friendliest” member of their family.
Although the state had asked for a sentence of 9.5 years for Horcasitas on the charge of manslaughter, Judge Todd Lang of Maricopa County Superior Court sentenced Pelkey’s killer to 10.5 years.
Judge Lang said after the video was shown: “I love that AI. Thank you for that. As angry as you are and justifiably angry as the family is, I heard the forgiveness.”
Horcasitas’s lawyer, Jason Lamm, said he had not been informed that the video would be shown. “It appears that the judge gave some weight to the AI video and that is an issue that will likely be pursued on appeal,” he said.
Wales’ 14-year-old son told her, “Thank you so much for making that. I needed to see and hear from Uncle Chris one more time.”

AI sign

WATCH: Murdered U.S. Army Vet Appears In AI-Generated Image During His Killer’s Trial

Artificial Intelligence

Court

Murder

The trial for Sean “Diddy” Combs kicked off this week in Manhattan with jury selection.
Prosecutors have accused Combs’ legal team of consulting with celebrity attorney Mark Geragos, who has represented big-name talent such as Michael Jackson, Chris Brown, Jussie Smollett, and the Menendez brothers. 
Per <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/06/entertainment/sean-diddy-combs-mark-geragos-defense">CNN</a>, Geragos has been present in court since Monday and was seen speaking with Combs’ defense team in what prosecutors called an “apparent role as an advisor to the defendant.” But Geragos claimed he was only there to support his daughter, Teny Geragos, who was hired to help defend Diddy.
“I’m here to support my daughter. (Combs) is a friend,” the high-profile attorney told the outlet on Tuesday.
Prosecutors wrote a letter to the judge saying Geragos was acting as &#8220;an advisor&#8221; for the defense. They say if Geragos is working with the defense, he should have to follow the rules of the court and refrain from publicly commenting about the allegations. They said Geragos has discussed the case on his podcast.
Meanwhile, the pool is being narrowed down from 45 potential jurors to 10 as U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian continues questioning the group. Next, the attorneys will have a chance to veto individual jurors. 
Many of them said they had seen the 2016 surveillance footage of Combs grabbing, dragging, shoving, and kicking his former girlfriend, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura.
At least one man in the pool said the footage “gives the appearance of an angry hostile person who is entitled,” adding that he believes “mostly everybody saw the video.” However, he claimed he was still able to be impartial if selected.
Potential jurors were also asked if they were familiar with celebrities like Kanye West, Michael B. Jordan, Mike Myers, and Kid Cudi, but it’s not immediately clear how those individuals will be relevant to the trial.
A female juror was dismissed on Tuesday after saying in court on Tuesday, &#8220;Diddy has a lot of money to use at his discretion and possibly buy his way out of jail,&#8221; per <a href="https://people.com/diddy-trial-potential-juror-dismissed-buy-way-out-jail-11728969">People</a>. When the judge asked her to clarify, she replied, &#8220;I don&#8217;t know how to explain it.&#8221;
Ventura will be testifying during the trial using her real name, per multiple reports.
Combs, 44, has been charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He was arrested in September 2024 and has been awaiting trial behind bars after multiple attempts to be released on bail.
Combs pleaded not guilty to the charges. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Sean Combs

Diddy Trial: Prosecutors Say Famous Celeb Attorney Is Breaking The Rules

Diddy Trial: Prosecutors Accuse Sean Combs' Defense Team Of Consulting With Celeb Attorney

Entertainment

New York City

Sean 'Diddy' Combs

Sex Crimes

U.S.

Actor Russell Brand has been granted conditional bail and released by a London judge after his first court appearing over th charges of rape and sexual assault.
The 49-year-old arrived at Westminster Magistrates&#8217; Court on Friday morning. Brand was asked to state his name and address, and to provide addresses for both his U.K. and United States residences, per <a href="https://variety.com/2025/tv/global/russell-brand-london-court-rape-charge-hearing-1236383897/">Variety</a>. He responded “yes” when asked if he understood the consequences of failing to appear before the court. 
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring scheduled his next court appearance for London&#8217;s Central Criminal Court on May 30.
The actor was initially charged with various crimes by London&#8217;s Metropolitan Police on April 4. Four women allege Brand sexually assaulted them between 1999 and 2005.
The accusations stem from four alleged incidents; one in 1999 in which a woman said she was raped in the Bournemouth area, one in 2001 in which a woman claimed she was indecently assaulted in the Westminster area of London, one in 2004 when a woman said she was orally raped and sexually assaulted in the Westminster area of London, and one between 2004 and 2005, in which a woman claimed she was sexually assaulted in the Westminster area of London.
Brand released a <a href="https://x.com/rustyrockets/status/1908184087304548484">statement</a> on April 4 addressing the charges and thanking fans for their “incredible and overwhelming messages of support.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
My response. <a href="https://t.co/wJMGxlwBh0">pic.twitter.com/wJMGxlwBh0</a>
&mdash; Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) <a href="https://twitter.com/rustyrockets/status/1908184087304548484?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“I’ve always told you guys that when I was young and single before I had my wife and family… I was a fool,” he said in a video shared on social media. “Man, I was a fool before I lived in the light of the Lord. I was a drug addict, sex addict, and an imbecile. What I never was was a rapist.”
“I’ve never engaged in non-consensual activity,” he stated. “I pray that you can see that by looking in my eyes.”
He thanked fans again and said he was “grateful” for the opportunity to “defend these charges in court.”

Russell Brand

Russell Brand Granted Bail In First Court Hearing Over Rape And Assault Charges

Russell Brand Granted Bail In London Court Hearing Over Rape Charges

London

Rape

United Kingdom

World

The federal judge who temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s decision to revoke the temporary legal status of half a million migrants volunteered for and donated to prominent Democrat politicians, including former President Barack Obama and Senator Elizabeth Warren.
United States District Judge Indira Talwani was the latest left-wing judge to stonewall Trump’s agenda after she stopped his administration from revoking the legal status of migrants from Haiti, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba who were allowed into the country by the Biden administration. The decision temporarily prevents Trump from issuing removal orders against the migrants.
An estimated 530,000 migrants from the four countries were paroled by the Biden administration and are currently allowed to live and work in the United States. The immigration parole program was responsible for the massive influx of Haitian migrants to Rustbelt towns like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/what-has-my-town-become-springfield-residents-say-its-falling-apart-amid-haitian-influx">Springfield, Ohio, </a>and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/its-not-just-springfield-this-small-town-in-pennsylvania-is-overrun-by-haitian-migrants-too">Charleroi, Pennsylvania</a>.
Talwani, who was <a href="https://www.mad.uscourts.gov/boston/talwani.htm">appointed</a> by former President Barack Obama, has a history of partisan political activity, both donating to and volunteering for Democratic politicians.
The federal judge <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Indira+Talwani">donated</a> a total of $1,725 to Democrat politicians and the Democratic Party, including $1,000 to former Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), $350 to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and $100 to Obama. Talwani also gave another $275 to the Democratic National Committee.
Talwani explained on her Senate questionnaire that she also volunteered to knock on doors for Obama in 2008 and volunteered to canvass on behalf of Elizabeth Warren in 2012. She also volunteered for former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick during his 2006 campaign and for failed Senate candidate Martha Coakley in 2010.
The federal judge has a history of issuing rulings that impede Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda. Talwani <a href="https://universalhub.com/files/attachments/2025/ozturk-order.pdf">ruled</a> earlier this year that the administration’s Department of Homeland Security had to provide the court with advanced notice before it removed Turkish national Rumeysa Ozturk from the state. The administration revoked Ozturk’s visa due to her involvement in anti-Israel protests.
In one 2019 decision, Talwani <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2019/06/21/obama-judge-blocks-ice-from-courthouses/">ruled</a> that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are not allowed to arrest illegal aliens on courthouse grounds in the state of Massachusetts. Her ruling was a win for the plaintiffs, who argued that permitting ICE arrests on courthouse grounds would discourage criminal witnesses and victims from testifying in court.
But Talwani’s adherence to left-wing ideology could persist beyond the issue of immigration. The federal judge <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2023/06/17/7774148-gender-freespeech-obama-judge-lgbtq/">ruled</a> in favor of a school district that sent a middle school student home for wearing a t-shirt that read “there are only two genders.” Talwani decided that the district, which claimed that the shirt “invades the rights of others,” was within its rights to bar the shirt under its dress code and send the seventh grader home.
Talwani is far from the only left-wing judge who has stonewalled the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement agenda.
United States Circuit Judge Patricia Millett, who maintained the injunction against the Trump administration&#8217;s use of the Alien Enemies Act to expedite the removal of criminal illegal aliens, gave <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-who-upheld-block-of-trumps-deportation-flights-is-a-major-dem-donor?author=Spencer+Lindquist&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=17&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Judge+Who+Upheld+Block+Of+Trump%E2%80%99s+Deportation+Flights+Is+A+Major+Dem+Donor">more than $31,000</a> to Democrat candidates and the party.
Millett upheld the injunction issued by United States District Judge James Boasberg. A Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meet-the-obama-appointed-judge-trying-to-stop-trump-from-deporting-criminal-illegals">investigation</a> found that Boasberg’s wife is the founder of a DC-area abortion clinic and donated more than $11,000 to Democrats, including to Hillary Clinton as she faced off against Donald Trump in 2016.

Indira Talwani

Judge Who Prevented Trump’s Deportation Of 500k Migrants Volunteered For Obama, Elizabeth Warren

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

Judge

mass immigration

Trump

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-VANCE-BORDER

Prison First, Deportation Later: Trump Revives Criminal Penalties For Border Jumpers

Border Crisis

Del Rio

Illegal Immigation

Investigation

Judges

Mexico

President Trump

Southern Border

Texas

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed the judge who is stonewalling President Donald Trump’s attempt to swiftly remove illegal alien criminals, blasting him as a “Democrat activist” after The Daily Wire investigated his ties to left-wing activism and partisan activity.
Leavitt blasted United States District Judge James Boasberg, who blocked the president’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to rapidly remove suspected Tren de Aragua gang members from the country in the wake of a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meet-the-obama-appointed-judge-trying-to-stop-trump-from-deporting-criminal-illegals">Daily Wire investigation,</a> revealing that the Obama appointee’s wife donated to Democrats and founded an abortion clinic.
“Judge Boasberg is a Democrat activist. He was appointed by Barack Obama, his wife has donated more than $10,000 to Democrats, and he has consistently shown his disdain for the president and his policies and it is unacceptable,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt charged during Wednesday’s press briefing.
“These partisan judges are undermining the judicial branch,” she said, also calling Boasberg “an activist judge who is trying to usurp the president’s authority.”
“The judge in this case is trying to say that the president does not have the executive authority to deport foreign terrorists from our American soil. That is an egregious abuse from the bench,” Leavitt remarked before adding that Trump supports the efforts to impeach the federal judge.
Boasberg is one of multiple leftist judges who are attempting to stonewall the president’s agenda.
Judge Theodore Chuang, who ruled this week that the Trump administration’s attempt to shut down USAID through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative was unconstitutional, was the vice president of his local Democratic Party and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/obama-appointed-judge-trying-to-stop-the-usaid-shutdown-donated-thousands-to-dems?topStoryPosition=undefined">donated</a> thousands of dollars to Democrats.
There’s also Judge Amir Ali of the Washington, D.C. District Court, who is attempting to halt Trump’s foreign aid freeze. He not only donated to Democratic candidates for public office but also worked for a far-Left organization that sought to defund the police and advocated for prosecutors to drop charges against Black Lives Matter rioters, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-judge-who-stonewalled-trumps-foreign-aid-freeze-has-a-long-history-of-liberal-activism">reported</a>.

Karoline Leavitt

Trump White House Slams Judge As ‘Democrat Activist’ After Daily Wire Investigation

deportation

An Obama-appointed judge who is blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to shut down the the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has donated thousands of dollars to Democrats, served as a leader in his local Democratic Party organization, and has a history of stonewalling President Donald Trump’s border security efforts.
U.S. District Court Judge Theodore David Chuang of Maryland ruled this week that the Trump administration’s attempt to shutdown USAID through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was unconstitutional, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-finds-doges-usaid-shutdown-likely-unconstitutional/">ordering</a> Elon Musk and DOGE officials to reinstate employee access to the email and payment systems.
That ruling came just after the Obama-appointed judge issued a different decision hindering the Trump administration&#8217;s ability to arrest and deport illegal aliens. Chuang <a href="https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-grants-injunction-barring-immigration-arrests-at-some-houses-of-worship/">granted a temporary injunction</a> last month preventing Department of Homeland Security agents from arresting illegal aliens at certain places of worship.
Chuang has a history of leftwing politics. The Obama-appointed judge donated over $4,700 to various Democrats, Federal Election Commission <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=theodore+chuang">data shows</a>. Chuang donated to a variety of candidates and organizations, including Obama for America, John Kerry for President, and the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee in Maryland.
Chuang even <a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Theodore-Chuang-Senate-Judiciary-Questionnaire-Final.pdf">served</a> as the vice president of the Montgomery County District 16 Democratic Club before becoming a federal judge, and was on the board of directors of the Coalition of Asian Pacific American Democrats of Maryland.
Chuang also impeded border security efforts during Trump’s first administration, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/03/15/520171478/trump-travel-ban-faces-court-hearings-by-challengers-today">blocking</a> the ban on travel from Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Iran, Syria, and Libya.
The Obama appointee ruled against the Trump administration again in 2020 when he <a href="https://www.lwvor.org/post/o-what-a-tangled-web-we-weave-the-fate-of-mifepristone-in-judge-kacsmaryk-s-court">issued an injunction</a> against the Food and Drug Administration’s rule that abortion drugs must be picked up in-person and could not be sent through the mail. A Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-leftist-networks-flood-red-states-with-risky-abortion-pills-with-no-consequences">investigation</a> revealed that leftwing organizations are now sending abortion pills in the mail to people without prescriptions, even when it runs afoul of state laws against abortions.
Chuang is just one of several leftwing judges who have recently worked to stonewall Trump&#8217;s agenda. Judge James Boasberg, who ruled against Trump&#8217;s use of the Alien Enemies Act to swiftly deport Venezuelan gang members, has repeatedly hindered the president&#8217;s immigration policies and spared one ex-FBI agent connected to the Russiagate hoax from prison. Boasberg&#8217;s wife is the founder of a Washington, D.C.-area abortion clinic and donated more than $11,000 to Democrats, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/meet-the-obama-appointed-judge-trying-to-stop-trump-from-deporting-criminal-illegals">revealed.</a>
There&#8217;s also Judge Amir Ali, who recently ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze foreign aid. Ali not only donated to Democratic candidates for public office, but also worked for a far-left organization that sought to defund the police and advocated for prosecutors to drop charges against Black Lives Matter rioters, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/federal-judge-who-stonewalled-trumps-foreign-aid-freeze-has-a-long-history-of-liberal-activism">reported</a>.

Judge Theodore Chuang

Obama-Appointed Judge Trying To Stop The USAID Shutdown Donated Thousands To Dems

USAID

A major court has ruled that parents don’t have the right to know that their child is changing genders while at school.
The <a href="https://www.ca1.uscourts.gov/sites/ca1/files/opnfiles/23-1069P-01A.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opinion</a>, from the First Circuit Court of Appeals, determined that it does not violate parental rights for a school to transition a child without the parents’ knowledge.
“[P]arental rights are not unlimited,” the court ruled. “Parents may not invoke the Due Process Clause to create a preferred educational experience for their child in public school.”
“As per our understanding of Supreme Court precedent, our pluralistic society assigns those curricular and administrative decisions to the expertise of school officials, charged with the responsibility of educating children,” the court continued. “And the Protocol of nondisclosure as to a student&#8217;s at-school gender expression without the student&#8217;s consent does not restrict parental rights in a way courts have recognized as a violation of the guarantees of substantive due process.”
The decision comes from a case in Massachusetts, where in 2020 a Baird Middle School student referred to in court documents as B.F. began questioning her identity after she received “unsolicited LGBTQ-themed video suggestions” on her school-issued computer. The student, in sixth grade at the time, was given an assignment along with her fellow students to create biographic videos about themselves and to include their pronouns in those videos.
It is unknown how B.F. referred to herself in the assignment, but in the following months, she began receiving the “unsolicited LGBTQ-themed video suggestions” and started questioning whether she &#8220;might be attracted to girls&#8221; and if she had gender identity issues, according to court documents.
By December 2020, B.F. told her teacher that she was “depressed and struggling with insecurity, low self-esteem, poor self-image, and a perceived lack of popularity.” The teacher told B.F.’s parents, Marissa Silvestri and Stephen Foote, what their daughter had said, and the parents agreed to get her the help she needed.
But on February 28, 2021, B.F. announced to her teacher and other school officials that she was “genderqueer” and would use her preferred pronouns and go by a new name. B.F. told school officials that she hadn’t explained this all to her parents yet and asked that she be referred to by her birth name and proper pronouns when discussing things with her parents. Teachers immediately switched to the new name and pronouns, and the school librarian started meeting with the student to talk to her about gender identity and to give her “LGBTQ-related resources,” according to court documents. The school counselor also told the girl she could use whichever bathroom she wanted at the school.
At the same time, B.F.’s 12-year-old sibling also suddenly decided to start using a different name and pronouns.
The parents learned in early March 2021 – just days after B.F.’s declaration – learned about her new name and pronouns from her teacher. The parents spoke with the school principal and superintendent to express concern that school officials had ignored their request not to engage with their child “regarding mental health issues.” When the parents eventually sued the school and its officials, they argued that transitioning the child at school amounted to mental health treatment because social transitioning is &#8220;recognized as a medical/mental health treatment for children with gender dysphoria.&#8221;
Educators at Baird ignored the parents and continued to refer to B.F. by her new name and pronouns. The school counselor also contacted the student through text messages and online chat to keep encouraging B.F. to discuss any gender-related concerns on a weekly basis. At one point, the counselor asked B.F. if her parents were providing her “with appropriate care.” The counselor also asked if B.F. felt comfortable discussing these issues with the counselor her parents were paying for.
When the parents sued, the school district moved to dismiss the case, and the case eventually moved forward to the First Circuit, which ruled the parents had no right to know that the school was transitioning their child behind their back.
The First Circuit’s ruling is filled with biased language, using “they/them” pronouns for B.F. because is it allegedly “gender neutral.”
As Frederick Claybrook, Jr., <a href="https://fedsoc.org/commentary/fedsoc-blog/wrong-foote-forward-first-circuit-tramples-parental-rights">noted in an article</a> for The Federalist Society — an organization that supports limited government — this is the first time a federal court of appeals has waded into parental rights when it comes to transgender issues. Until now, Claybrook states, the courts &#8220;have dodged&#8221; the issue as it relates to parental rights.
“When district courts have ruled in favor of parents, for example in a <a href="https://adflegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Ricard-v-475-Geary-County-Schools-2022-05-09-Memorandum-and-Order.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">District of Kansas case</a> and in a <a href="https://casetext.com/case/mirabelli-v-olson">Southern District of California case</a>, the school districts have not appealed,” Claybrook writes. “When parents have lost, for example in <a href="https://casetext.com/case/parents-v-montgomery-cnty-bd-of-educ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Parents v. Montgomery County Board of Education</a>, they have proceeded to circuit court, but those courts to date have dodged addressing the merits.”
The Fourth and Seventh Circuits, Claybrook noted, have both ruled that parents don’t have a standing to complain schools were keeping things secret from them because they didn’t know for sure the schools were keeping things secret from them. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, who dissented from denial of certiorari in the Seventh Circuit, said that the school’s existing policy meant parents weren’t speculating about anything, and suggested circuit courts were avoiding the merits of the cases.
Jonathan Turley, a renowned law professor, <a href="https://x.com/JonathanTurley/status/1894444445656899712" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posted</a> about the First Circuit case on X, writing that there “is no more cherished right that citizens possess than raising their children.”
“Indeed, the right to raise one&#8217;s children according to your own faith and values is the touchstone of freedom,” Turley continued. “Conversely, the subordination of such rights is the harbinger of state tyranny. True pluralism allows families with different norms and values to thrive. Public schools are effectively demanding that parents give up their rights to critical aspects of rearing their children as a condition for public education. It is a virtual slogan for school choice.”

John Joseph Moakley Courthouse – Seaport District – South Boston – Boston Massachusetts

Major Court Rules Parents Have No Right To Know A School Is Transitioning Their Child

Children

Education

Gender

Gender Identity

Gender Pronouns

LGBTQ

Massachusetts

Parenting

Public Schools

Transgender

The Biden-appointed federal judge who is attempting to halt President Donald Trump’s freeze on foreign aid has a long history of engaging in far-left, anti-Trump activism, working for an organization that pushed for prosecutors to drop charges against leftist rioters and accusing the president of harboring religious hatred, The Daily Wire has learned.
Judge <a href="https://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/content/district-judge-amir-h-ali">Amir Ali</a> of the Washington, D.C. District Court recently ordered the Trump administration to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/judge-orders-trump-administration-to-unfreeze-foreign-aid-6da9608d">unfreeze foreign aid</a> and disburse millions of dollars through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), despite the President’s decision to halt the funding.
The Supreme Court <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/trump-administration-says-it-cannot-meet-court-deadline-foreign-aid-payments-2025-02-26/">paused Ali’s order</a> through an administrative stay, allowing Trump to freeze foreign aid while it considers the president’s request to block the federal judge’s ruling. But Ali’s history of leftwing activism, donations to Democrats, and involvement with explicitly anti-Trump organizations, threatens to throw the Canadian-born judge’s impartiality into question.
Ali has donated to Democratic candidates, giving <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Amir+Ali&amp;contributor_occupation=Attorney">$2,000</a> to former President Joe Biden when he ran against Trump in 2020 and another <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?committee_id=C00696153&amp;contributor_name=Amir+Ali">$580 to Democrat Jaime Harrison</a>, a former United States Senate candidate in South Carolina who chaired the DNC from 2021-2025.
The federal judge opposed Trump well before the 2020 election, however. Ali’s anti-Trump agenda extends back to the early days of the president&#8217;s first term, when he articulated how federal courts could <a href="https://takecareblog.com/blog/the-ninth-circuit-can-doom-trump-s-travel-ban">“doom”</a> the president’s travel ban, which critics called the &#8220;Muslim ban,&#8221; and pointed to a legal approach that could “be a huge weapon for those challenging the ban.”
“By continuing to block the entry ban, but allowing the government to conduct its 90-day review, the Ninth Circuit can give the challengers back this powerful argument to put an end to Trump’s Muslim ban,” he also wrote, using inaccurate leftwing rhetoric to describe Trump’s policy.
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/27/us-supreme-court-muslim-ban-protection-discrimination">He also wrote</a> in The Guardian that Trump’s travel ban was rooted in a “campaign of animus against people of the Muslim faith.” Ali stated in an <a href="https://hulr.org/fall-2022-1/fighting-for-dignity-and-justice-in-the-nations-highest-courts-a-conversation-with-amir-ali">interview</a> that he had hoped to inform the Supreme Court, which was ruling on the travel ban at the time, of “the full record of President Trump’s history of animus and hatred towards Muslim people.”
He went on to charge that the legal profession should be diversified. “Within the Supreme Court bar in Washington, D.C., I am one of few people of North African or Middle Eastern descent, one of few immigrants to the country, and one of few Muslim Americans,” Ali said during the interview. “That’s true of many other backgrounds as well, and it is a problem.” He touted his work with the Appellate Project, which Ali stated “is breaking down the barriers to the representation of people of color and other minorities in the appellate profession.”
Ali became formally involved in leftwing activism when he <a href="https://www.macarthurjustice.org/celebrating-amir-ali/">joined</a> the MacArthur Justice Center, a far-left organization that pushed to defund the police, allied with the Black Lives Matter movement, and advocated for prosecutors to drop felony charges against Black Lives Matter rioters. Ali would go on to become its director in 2021.
The group <a href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/biden-judicial-nominee-leads-left-wing-group-that-wants-to-defund-police/">posted</a> “#DefundPolice” in 2020, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/macarthurjusticecenter/posts/3971225506225093">lobbied</a> the New Orleans City Council to commit to defunding the police, and <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wJ9WAenSfHrQdwhuQZC6JtRI8JMJU1TG/view?fbclid=IwAR310SnOEMea6XeTf9-MjY68WsO5WaJ8I2YtJpPf_Te8HhaAn1JesRjFMog&amp;pli=1">allied</a> with the Illinois BLM Uprising Defense in “calling for prosecutors to drop felony charges against rioters at Black Lives Matter protests in Chicago.”
“These protests occurred because our criminal legal system has continuously devalued and disregarded, brutalized, tortured and killed Black people,” a letter from the organizations read as it attempted to justify the rioting.
Under Ali’s leadership, the organization <a href="https://archive.ph/OGRUG">filed</a> a brief arguing that asking potential jurors about whether or not they support the Black Lives Matter movement “undermines judicial principles of equity and the public’s confidence.”
The judge’s activism extends beyond his role with the MacArthur Justice Center. Ali documented his role as the director of another leftwing organization on his <a href="https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/ali_sjq.pdf">questionnaire</a> for the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Called Mosaic Theater, the organization celebrated the Black Lives Matter riots, <a href="https://mosaictheater.org/mission-values">writing</a> on its website that “a summer of Black-led uprisings against state violence have made clear that this country requires fundamental changes, both systemic and institutional” and listing “equity and anti-racism” as its values.
“We believe that anti-racism, promoting racial and gender equity, working against abuse, and reducing harm are imperative to the art we make and how we make it,” the organization states. The theater also hosted a pride festival in 2022 that celebrated a <a href="https://www.washingtonblade.com/2022/06/09/celebrate-pride-month-in-d-c-with-theater/">playwright</a> behind a play called “Alma,” a “poetic riposte against Trump’s anti-Mexican rhetoric.”
Ali’s activism won him the support of various other far-left organizations and activists. The federal judge was honored with a <a href="https://freebeacon.com/biden-administration/biden-judicial-nominee-honored-by-anti-israel-group-whose-board-member-cheers-hamas/">“Justice Tribute” award</a> from the Arab American Civil Rights League in 2023. The organization not only supports the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel, but even counts on its board a member who openly supported both Hamas and Hezbollah.
“Whether it&#8217;s called Hamas, whether it&#8217;s called Hezbollah, we stand with everybody who stands against the Israeli occupation,” said board member Amer Zahr, who was in attendance at the event in which Ali received his award.
Ali was also lauded by the Michigan branch of the NAACP, led by Rev. Wendell Anthony, who claimed that the United States was “choking the life out of black America.”

Judge Amir Ali

Federal Judge Who Stonewalled Trump’s Foreign Aid Freeze Has A Long History Of Liberal Activism

Foreign Policy

Supreme Court

In the past nine years, there have been three presidential elections, 6 congressional elections, and 35 different iPhone models.
Yet, in that same amount of time, one former Purdue University student has been stuck in limbo, unable to end a nightmare that began all those years ago.
<h3>The Allegations</h3>
During the fall semester of 2015, a male student whom The Daily Wire will refer to as John Doe began dating a female student referred to in court documents as Jane Doe. The relationship was okay for a while, but on December 13, 2015, Jane threatened to commit suicide in front of John by standing on the ledge of a parking garage after throwing objects around her dorm room and crying while saying she hated life. After this incident, according to John’s eventual lawsuit against Purdue reviewed by The Daily Wire, all sexual activity between the two ceased.
In early January 2016, John reported Jane’s suicide attempt to Purdue, and shortly after, she began to pull away from the relationship and the two went their separate ways. Four months later, and only after Purdue’s highly marketed Sexual Assault Awareness Month events, Jane accused John of sexually assaulting her during their relationship.
John received notice of the accusations on April 11, 2016. Jane claimed she awoke one night to John groping her. She told him it was not okay. John told her at some point before that incident that he digitally penetrated her while she was sleeping. He said he felt bad about the first incident but proceeded to the second incident anyway. Jane became upset at John over these incidents and left his room. John had also gone through her underwear in her laundry, and had once chased her down the hall, joking about tasing her. After they had broken up, he also continued to go to her room unannounced. She claimed John had a temper he couldn’t control as well.
John vehemently denies Jane’s allegations, stating in his lawsuit that he responded to the allegations by informing Purdue that he never groped her in her sleep in November 2015, but that in mid-December of that year, after her suicide attempt, she slept on a futon in his dorm room while he slept on the floor. At some point in the night, John accidentally touched her knee and she began freaking out before leaving the room. John also said he never had any sexual contact with her while she was asleep, and therefore never told her that he did. He added that he never went through her laundry but sometimes did her laundry for her and never threatened to tase Jane. He also noted that the two never formally broke up, they simply began seeing each other less, and that he merely went to her room to return an item. At that time, she told him not to go to her room, so he didn’t.
John provided evidence that Jane continued to shower him with affection even after these alleged incidents, demonstrating behavior not in line with someone who had been sexually assaulted. She continued to text with John over the holidays, wished him a Happy Christmas Eve, and sent him a package of homemade cookies for his family. She also invited him to her room at the beginning of the spring 2016 semester.
<div id="attachment_880991" style="width: 876px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-880991" class="size-large wp-image-880991" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382544-866x576.jpg" alt="A student rides a bicycle past the bell tower on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 22, 2012. Administrative costs on college campuses are soaring, crowding out instruction at a time of skyrocketing tuition and $1 trillion in outstanding student loans. At Purdue and other U.S. college campuses, bureaucratic growth is pitting professors against administrators and sparking complaints that tight budgets could be spent more efficiently. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images" width="866" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382544-866x576.jpg 866w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382544-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382544-768x511.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382544.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 866px) 100vw, 866px" />Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
In addition, John provided Purdue with evidence that it was Jane who had the temper and tried to project that onto John. She often contemplated running away and not returning to the school as well. John also provided a list of more than 30 names to substantiate his reputation, since Jane attacked his character and credibility in her allegations.
Purdue’s policy did not allow John to review the investigator’s prepared report, nor was he provided a hearing to determine the credibility of Jane’s claims. John maintains in his lawsuit that his “ability to defend himself was severely and unfairly prejudiced.”
Instead of a hearing, a three-person panel reviewed John’s case. Jane never appeared before the panel and instead provided a statement written by Purdue’s Title IX coordinator. In that statement, Jane only requested that John be removed from Purdue’s Navy ROTC program, of which they were both members. Jane’s new boyfriend at the time was also a member. Jane stated that she didn’t fear John on campus and merely wanted him out of the ROTC.
Without any evidence corroborating Jane’s claims, John was suspended from Purdue and had to leave the Navy ROTC program. He appealed the decision, but was denied without adequate explanation, so he filed a lawsuit against the university as many students have done in the past decade.
<h3>The Lawsuit</h3>
John dreamed of becoming a Navy SEAL officer, but says he can’t get a federal job with this on his record. His Title IX case is the longest ongoing case of its kind, with the closest similar case lasting seven years and ending in a disappointing motion to dismiss for the wrongly accused student.
“Purdue&#8217;s wrongful suspension of me closed all federal &amp; military employment opportunities because I was employed with the Navy through their ROTC program at the time of the suspension, which forced me to ‘resign’ with the Navy after my school suspension was finalized,” John told The Daily Wire in an email.
“Expungement of my school disciplinary file would give me an opportunity to fix my [Department of Defense] record, which currently makes me look bad due to the circumstances and thus limits my employment opportunities. For reference, I was a 4.0 GPA varsity athlete when I graduated high school, and double majoring with a minor while employed with the Navy ROTC at Purdue. My longtime dream was to become a Navy SEAL officer. The derailment of my life by Purdue was severe, to say the least.”
The case has persisted due the slow nature of the justice system, numerous filings and responses from both parties, and appeals to higher courts. The case even landed on the desk of Judge Amy Coney Barrett before she was nominated for the Supreme Court. Barrett, who was with the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in 2019, upheld John’s claims that Purdue violated his due process and Title IX rights. Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex, and accused students have said they are discriminated against as males when they are falsely accused and a school takes no steps to protect them.
When the case was sent back to a lower court, a judge dismissed John’s due process claim. John is trying to get the court to reinstate that claim and has had the judge who dismissed it replaced. The next stage of this case is a trial on the Title IX claim alone, which could result in what John ultimately wants: This whole thing to be expunged from his record.
After nine years of litigation, John’s family has spent more than $350,000 on legal bills, draining their savings and 401ks. He is currently working to set up a fundraiser to continue fighting Purdue’s persecution.
<div id="attachment_880995" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-880995" class="size-large wp-image-880995" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382547-864x576.jpg" alt="A large sculpture stands on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., on Monday, Oct. 22, 2012. Administrative costs on college campuses are soaring, crowding out instruction at a time of skyrocketing tuition and $1 trillion in outstanding student loans. At Purdue and other U.S. college campuses, bureaucratic growth is pitting professors against administrators and sparking complaints that tightbudgets could be spent more efficiently. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382547-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382547-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382547-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/02/GettyImages-156382547.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
<h3>Purdue’s Response</h3>
In a statement to The Daily Wire, Purdue University chief spokesperson Erin Murphy said the school rejected John’s assertions of unfairness toward him.
“Most of [John’s] claims were dismissed long ago,” Murphy said, referring to the multiple claims students include in lawsuits hoping at least one will be accepted.
“His single remaining claim has been ready for trial for years. [John] insists on going to trial, but his lawyers have caused delays. Some of his lawyers quit his case in June 2023 after the last settlement conference,” Murphy continued. “[John] has publicly criticized those former lawyers. His remaining lawyer has filed repeated demands for a different judge, which were rejected by multiple courts, including the United States Supreme Court. His remaining lawyer has also required trial postponements for personal reasons that are shown in the court record.”
Those “delays” refer to John and his attorney attempting to get a new judge assigned to the case due to allegations of unfairness and a pro-Purdue bias. There is a new judge overseeing the case, as the previous judge was promoted by the Biden administration.
John’s attorneys did not quit on him, and the “public criticism” Murphy refers to is a testimonial on his attorney’s website saying that the attorney left his previous law firm “after partners at the firm tried to strong-arm” John’s case from him.
Finally, the “personal reasons” Murphy alludes to at the end of her statement refers to the attorney’s cancer diagnosis. John’s attorney has been battling cancer while fighting for his client.

Purdue University

Nine Years Later, One Student’s Title IX Nightmare Still Isn’t Over

American Universities

College

false accusations

Indiana

Navy SEAL

Relationships

Sexual Harassment

Students

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/prince-harry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prince Harry</a> has settled his invasion of privacy suit against the United Kingdom-based publisher of “The Sun,” with the company issuing the royal a “full and unequivocal” apology, along with “substantial damages.”
One day after the Duke of Sussex’s phone-hacking lawsuit finally was to be heard in the High Court of London, News Group Newspapers settled with the royal, acknowledged the intrusion into his life by &#8220;phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators&#8221; for The Sun and now defunct News of the World,  the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/prince-harry-hacking-lawsuit-rupert-murdoch-british-tabloid-88c61a08225269014224283c37225bf8">Associated Press</a> reported. 
“NGN offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life, including incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun,” the apology read, per <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/prince-harry-settlement-rupert-murdoch-the-sun-apology-1236114709/">The Hollywood Reporter</a>.
“NGN also offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators instructed by them at the News of the World,” it added, while referencing that the group had also invaded the privacy of the late Princess Diana.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Prince Harry Receives Apology from Murdoch Tabloids for &#8216;Serious Intrusion&#8217; Into Princess Diana&#8217;s &#8216;Private Life&#8217; <a href="https://t.co/toNIKUzhuJ">https://t.co/toNIKUzhuJ</a>
— People (@people) <a href="https://twitter.com/people/status/1882088855030890860?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
“NGN further apologizes to the Duke for the impact on him of the extensive coverage and serious intrusion into his private life as well as the private life of Diana, Princess of Wales, his late mother, in particular during his younger years,” the statement continued. “We acknowledge and apologize for the distress caused to the Duke, and the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family, and have agreed to pay him substantial damages.”
And those “substantial damages” reportedly include more than $12 million to Prince Harry as part of the settlement, <a href="https://people.com/prince-harry-receives-over-12-million-dollars-damages-legal-battle-against-the-sun-8778316?hid=4f90b78dc31e627328d98338e1fa49d03b364abc&amp;did=16233313-20250122&amp;utm_campaign=ppl_relationship-builder&amp;utm_source=ppl&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=012225&amp;lctg=4f90b78dc31e627328d98338e1fa49d03b364abc&amp;lr_input=a08f4ce0dc67f7e22d138c82b9ce538ad294bfaca0b145e2f563962e58e05ef7&amp;utm_term=news-alert">People magazine</a> reported.
Outside of court, Harry&#8217;s attorney David Sherborne pointed out that “NGN had strongly denied those allegations before trial” and said this settlement “represents a vindication for the hundreds of other claimants who were strong-armed into settling without being able to get to the truth of what was done to them.”
NGN later clarified its statement and told <a href="https://people.com/prince-harry-receives-over-12-million-dollars-damages-legal-battle-against-the-sun-8778316?hid=4f90b78dc31e627328d98338e1fa49d03b364abc&amp;did=16233313-20250122&amp;utm_campaign=ppl_relationship-builder&amp;utm_source=ppl&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=012225&amp;lctg=4f90b78dc31e627328d98338e1fa49d03b364abc&amp;lr_input=a08f4ce0dc67f7e22d138c82b9ce538ad294bfaca0b145e2f563962e58e05ef7&amp;utm_term=news-alert">People</a> that, &#8220;Today, our apology to the Duke of Sussex includes an apology for incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun, not by journalists, during the period 1996-2011.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/prince-harry-case-against-u-k-publisher-thrown-out-judge-slams-phone-hacking-claim" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Prince Harry Case Against U.K. Publisher Thrown Out, Judge Slams Phone-Hacking Claim</a>

Prince Harry

Prince Harry Settles Invasion Of Privacy Suit Against UK Outlet, Publisher Issues Apology

Celebrities

Meghan Markle

Royal Family

President-elect Donald Trump&#8217;s request to delay sentencing in his hush money trial was denied by Judge Juan Merchan on Monday, and Trump is still set to appear for his sentencing hearing on Friday — just 10 days before the inauguration.
Trump&#8217;s lawyers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-lawyers-ask-court-to-delay-sentencing-in-hush-money-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed a motion</a> earlier on Monday to delay the sentencing. In response to the filing, Merchan wrote, &#8220;Defendant&#8217;s motion for a stay of these proceedings, including the sentencing hearing scheduled for January 10, 2025, is hereby DENIED,&#8221; Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-merchan-denies-trumps-request-delay-sentencing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The president-elect&#8217;s legal team also asked a New York appeals court to reverse Merchan&#8217;s ruling. Trump can also still ask an appeals court to delay the sentencing, according to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-sentencing-e20933f9418bd378925e5f9e75f28485" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Associated Press</a>.
Steven Cheung, the incoming White House communications director, said earlier on Monday that the sentencing is &#8220;unlawful,&#8221; adding, &#8220;The Supreme Court’s historic decision on Immunity, the state constitution of New York, and other established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately dismissed.&#8221;
Last week, Merchan <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-judge-orders-that-trump-be-sentenced-in-hush-money-case-before-inauguration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">denied</a> Trump&#8217;s motion to vacate the guilty verdict in the hush money case against him and ordered Trump to appear for his sentencing. Trump&#8217;s lawyers said that if the sentencing goes forward, the president-elect will appear virtually. Merchan suggested that he would issue a sentence of an &#8220;unconditional discharge,&#8221; meaning Trump would not face any punishment, according to Fox News.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JOIN THE MOVEMENT IN ’25 WITH 25% OFF DAILYWIRE+ ANNUAL MEMBERSHIPS WITH CODE DW25</a>
Trump was found guilty on all charges in the hush money case last May. He was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide payments that were allegedly sent to porn actress Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence on an alleged extramarital affair. Trump denied the charges and said that the trial was politically motivated.
On Saturday, Trump ripped Judge Merchan, writing on Truth Social, “I never falsified business records. It is a fake, made up charge by a corrupt judge who is just doing the work of the Biden/Harris Injustice Department, an attack on their political opponent, ME! He created a case where there was none. Keeps a ‘gag order’ on me so that I can’t talk about how crooked he is. The Fake News knows all about it, but they refuse to talk.”

Menu