190. SNAP WTF?  —  Welcome back to “One First,” a (more-than) weekly newsletter that aims to make the U.S. Supreme Court more accessible to lawyers and non-lawyers alike.  I'm grateful to all of you for your continued support, and I hope that you'll consider sharing some of what we're doing with your networks:

Feds Tell Faith Leaders ‘No More Prayer’ Outside Broadview Facility  —  BROADVIEW - Federal authorities told demonstrators Friday that there would be “no more prayer” in front of or inside the Broadview ICE facility, in a move that mystified local leaders and raised legal questions.

Democrats make a new offer to end the shutdown, but Republicans aren't buying it  —  The offer, crafted by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and championed by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., would also extend expiring health care subsidies for one year.  —  WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats …

Judge Blocks National Guard From Portland, Ore., Permanently  —  With her temporary block expiring, Judge Karin Immergut said the Trump administration had failed to prove that protesters against the federal immigration crackdown were hampering President Trump's policies.

Education Department's out-of-office messages blaming Democrats for the shutdown are unconstitutional, judge rules  —  The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed after the Trump administration altered employees' email messages to add partisan language about the government shutdown without their consent.

‘Mega detention centers’: ICE considers buying large warehouses to hold immigrants  —  The Trump administration is exploring a plan to buy warehouses designed for companies like Amazon, sources said, which would drastically increase the Trump administration's capacity for detaining immigrants.

Cornell to pay $60M to settle Trump administration probes … In April, Cornell said it received more than 75 stop work orders from the Department of Defense related to research on national defense, cybersecurity and health. … “The decades-long research partnership between Cornell …

Immigration Agents Arrest Man in L.A. Raid and Drive Off With His Toddler  —  The child was later reunited with her grandmother, but the episode alarmed immigrant rights groups.  The father, a U.S. citizen, faces a gun possession charge.  —  At first, the encounter seemed typical of the kinds …

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro wasted our money pursuing sandwich thrower  —  To establish a forcible assault, jurors were required to find that Dunn caused “reasonable apprehension of immediate bodily harm.”  That allegation was laughable.  —  Among a U.S. attorney's most significant responsibilities …

Trump Aid Cuts Kill More Christians Than Jihadists Do  —  I have great news for President Trump!  —  He has expressed such outrage at attacks on Christians in Nigeria that he has threatened military intervention there, and the Pentagon has obligingly prepared plans for attack.

Trump goes to war with ‘fake news’ BBC  —  White House attacks ‘Leftist propaganda machine’ over biased doctoring of president's speech  —  Donald Trump's White House has accused the BBC of “purposeful dishonesty” amid a row over bias at the broadcaster.  —  It launched its attack …

FBI Informant Who Lied About the Bidens Covertly Released From Jail … Alexander Smirnov, the ex-FBI informant who admitted to lying about the Biden-Burisma connection, has been released from prison just months into his six-year prison sentence.  —  In a plea deal in December 2024 …

Todd Blanche on defending Trump policies: 'It's a war, man'  —  The Justice Department's No. 2 official, Todd Blanche, let loose Friday, railing against judges blocking administration policies and denying that prosecutions of President Donald Trump's enemies constitute weaponization of the justice system.

Washington National Opera may move out of Kennedy Center due to Trump ‘takeover’  —  Ticket sales at about 40% unsold compared with before president made himself chair of US performing arts center  —  The Washington National Opera (WNO) is considering moving out of the Kennedy Center …

Congress Accuses GMU President of Lying About DEI Efforts  —  The GOP-led House Judiciary Committee accused George Mason University's president of lying about DEI practices and likely violating civil rights laws.  He has denied the claims.  —  House Republicans have accused George Mason …

National Mall trust avoids most lawmaker questions about White House ballroom project  —  The nonprofit's president mostly provided previously reported information about its role in shepherding donations for the ballroom's construction.  —  WASHINGTON — Hours before the deadline Friday …

The voices of SNAP  —  Recipients have become political pawns.  They explained, in their own words, what Trump withholding funds has been like. … Stephanie boarded a city bus Monday morning to make the 90 minute trek from one end of Mesa, Arizona to the other.

Supermarket Billionaire Threatens To Cut Workforce, Move To Florida After Mamdani's Win … New York City supermarket billionaire John Catsimatidis went nuclear in June, when Zohran Mamdani, who had proposed opening a cheap city-run grocery story in each of the five boroughs, won the democratic primary for mayor.

Did Trump's Supreme Court Tariffs Brief Include a Strategic Blunder?  —  The justices are generally reluctant to take account of a president's public statements.  But extensive quotes from Mr. Trump in a key filing may change the legal calculus.  —  In his public statements …