Tag: constitutional law

Los Angeles Under Curfew: On the evening of June 10, 2025, downtown Los Angeles descended into a tense and uncertain state as police began making arrests in advance of a citywide curfew. The unrest, unfolding against the backdrop of public outrage over federal immigration enforcement raids and increasingly autocratic moves by the Trump administration, prompted California Governor Gavin Newsom to denounce what he characterized as an "assault on democracy." The protests, marked by chanting, banner-waving, and occasional confrontations with law enforcement, reflected a broader national moment of reckoning over executive authority, civil liberties, and the public’s right to assemble in dissent.

Tariffs and Inflation: In May 2025, the United States experienced a notable increase in core consumer prices, largely attributed to the implementation of new import tariffs under the Trump administration. The core Consumer Price Index (CPI), excluding food and energy prices, rose by 0.3% in May, the highest monthly gain since January, according to the latest data reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This followed a 0.2% increase in April, pushing the annual core CPI inflation rate to 2.9%. While some policymakers argue that this inflationary trend reflects a healthy economy, economists and legal analysts have raised concerns about the broader implications of unilateral tariff implementation.

In June 2025, tensions between federal and state governments reached a critical point when President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of over 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles. The move came in response to widespread protests sparked by aggressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. Governor Gavin Newsom of California swiftly denounced the action, asserting that it was conducted without state consent and constituted an attack on democracy. "Democracy is under assault before our eyes," he said. "California may be first, but it clearly will not end here." This scenario sets a precedent that raises profound constitutional and legal questions.

Trump’s 2025 Travel Ban: On June 4, 2025, former President Donald J. Trump, having returned to office, signed a new proclamation reinstating and expanding the travel ban policy first implemented during his 2017 administration. The renewed ban, which took effect on June 9, bars entry into the United States from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, and Nigeria, and places partial restrictions on travelers from seven others, such as Cuba and Venezuela. The administration has justified the move as a necessary step to protect national security, citing what it describes as failures by those countries to adequately share information about their citizens or to meet U.S. security standards.

Military Deployment: On June 10, 2025, the federal government deployed approximately 700 active-duty Marines to Los Angeles in response to mass protests erupting across the city in reaction to intensified U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. These operations targeted undocumented immigrants in a series of early morning raids that left several communities in a state of unrest. Protests outside detention centers and federal courthouses escalated into clashes with law enforcement, leading to property damage, injuries, and dozens of arrests. The Department of Defense justified the move as a “limited-duration stabilization effort,” citing public safety risks and the necessity of safeguarding federal assets.

Supreme Court Grants DOGE Access to Social Security Data: The Supreme Court's decision on June 6, 2025, to permit the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access to the Social Security Administration's (SSA) internal databases represents a watershed moment in the intersection of executive power, individual privacy, and administrative law. Created by executive order under the Trump administration and initially spearheaded by Elon Musk, DOGE’s mission is to root out inefficiencies and fraud across federal agencies. However, this access now includes sensitive data from one of the most privacy-centric agencies in the federal government—the SSA.