Trump’s Bribery-Law Order Starts Upending Criminal Cases Interim US Attorney John Giordano has asked a court to pause active criminal prosecutions under an anti-bribery law while he determines the applicability of an executive order curtailing its enforcement. Prof. Michael Donnella calls the letter a “very loud, powerful signal in the direction that it is not going to be business as usual” for FCPA enforcement.

Key court hearing as Alabama threatens prosecutions over abortion support. Alabama’s attorney general has threatened to prosecute groups that help pregnant people travel to other states for abortion care. Dean Rebouché sees the threats as “a real encroachment on what we take for granted about how states treat each other – but also within the state, that the state will turn its law enforcement power against somebody who has done something that is not illegal.”

JD Vance Fails Constitutional Law If Vice President Vance was graded on his knowledge and application of constitutional law, writes Prof. Jules Epstein, he would come up short.

What Are Abortion Shield Laws? Abortion shield laws are in the spotlight as New York protects a doctor from charges in Louisiana and Texas. Dean Rebouché, who helped draft the first such bill in 2022, tells Time Magazine the cases “point to what we can expect moving forward for intense interstate conflict … given that Dobbs returned abortion to the states and a third of the country prohibits abortion from the earliest moments of pregnancy or before six weeks, just as many states have codified abortion rights in their constitutions and their state laws.”

Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies Department hosts LGBTQ+ panel – The Temple News Professor Dara Purvis discussed the series of Executive Orders targeting transgender people at a recent University faculty panel. “It’s direction, it’s not law,” Purvis said. “That’s the important thing. It is a direction to the executive branch, which includes agencies saying, ‘Here’s how I, the president, want you to implement, to execute the law.’ It doesn’t overrule statutes. It doesn’t change the language of statutes. It doesn’t overrule Supreme Court decisions. But it can have a lot of impact.”

The Heat: U.S. Politics Prof. Craig Green joined CGTN’s The Heat to discuss a series of executive orders that aim to reshape how the US government operates..

Shield Laws Are the Fault Line in the Battle Over Abortion Access NY governor Kathy Hochul has refused to honor extradition requests for Dr. Mary Carpenter, charged with violating abortion bans in Louisiana and Texas, citing New York’s shield law. Dean Rebouché explains how such laws depart from democratic norms and why they have become necessary.

  Pennsylvania Law Schools Are Seeing Double-Digit Boosts in 2025 Applications Temple Law is one of three PA law schools experiencing more than a 50% increase in applications over last year.While leaders cited a variety of factors from changes on the LSAT to political issues, they agreed that admissions would be more competitive across the board. “It’s definitely going to be more competitive,” said Asst. Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid Johanne Johnston.”Applicants know … there are more applicants to law schools, so they in turn are submitting more applications to try to hedge their bets.”

Texas legislators have filed bills that would make abortion pills controlled substances, which would introduce recordkeeping and storage requirements that could make pharmacists reluctant to dispense the drugs. Dean Rebouche tells Politico “There’s potential for this to create a kind of fishing expedition for miscarriage management.” Read More

As the power of a US passport falls, dual citizenship provides political risk insurance. Prof. Peter Spiro says “This time around, the stakes are higher. During the first Trump administration, legacy political guardrails were still in place. Now, many are gone. There is a sense that what Trump wants, Trump will be able to get.” Read More