A federal judge in Virginia has ruled that a law banning licensed federal firearms dealers from selling handguns to young adults under 21 violates the Second Amendment and is unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Robert Payne argued that many of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship are granted at the age of 18, including the right to vote, enlist in the military and serve on a federal jury, and that excluding 18-to-20-year-olds from the Second Amendment’s protection would impose limitations on the Second Amendment that do not exist with other constitutional guarantees. The ruling is being seen as a major victory for gun rights advocates, but is likely to be challenged by gun control advocates, and the debate over gun rights is far from over.
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The Social Security Administration has released its list of the most popular baby names of 2022, with Olivia topping the list for girls and Liam for boys. The rankings usually don’t change much from year to year, but there were still some interesting shifts between 2021 and 2022. Names are shaped by society and history, and the SSA has been releasing lists of the top U.S. baby names since 1997, with popular culture playing a role in influencing the popularity of certain names.
Federal prosecutors have requested a judge to stop former President Donald Trump from being deposed in a four-year-old civil lawsuit filed by two former FBI officials who allege they were wrongfully terminated. The Justice Department is seeking to protect Trump from being deposed in a civil case while they are still investigating him in a criminal case and have asked the lower court judge to reconsider their ruling. If not, they will appeal to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for Washington, D.C.
New York Rep. George Santos has signed a non-prosecution agreement with public prosecutors in Brazil to avoid prosecution for forging two stolen checks in 2008. His lawyer and the prosecutors' office have declined to comment on the details of the agreement. Santos has denied any wrongdoing and is currently running for re-election, though it is unclear if the agreement in Brazil will have any effect on the charges he is facing in the U.S.
The Biden administration has ended the Title 42 pandemic-era rule, allowing an estimated 60,000 migrants to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said the U.S. had a plan in place for more than a year and a half, and that individuals will be taken into custody and removed quickly under traditional immigration authorities. Migrants were seen crossing the border in single file, with the bus flanked by members of the National Guard and Border Patrol.
U.S. Marshals have captured 24-year-old Nasir Grant, one of two inmates who escaped from a Philadelphia prison earlier this week. Grant was taken into custody while dressed as a woman, while the other inmate, 18-year-old Ameen Hurst, remains at large. The Philadelphia Department of Prisons has launched an investigation into how the escape went unnoticed for nearly 19 hours.
Trevor Daniel Jacob, a YouTuber pilot, has pleaded guilty to deliberately crashing his single-engine airplane in a California national forest in order to boost views for a sponsorship deal. He misled investigators about the location of the wreck and has agreed to promote a wallet in a YouTube video as part of the plea agreement. Jacob faces up to 20 years in federal prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 17, 2021.
On Thursday night, a group of migrants passed through Gate 42 at the El Paso border wall, just after the Biden administration officially ended the Title 42 policy. A lawsuit has been filed by the ACLU and other groups challenging the new Biden administration restriction on asylum, which took effect on Friday. Father Arturo Bañuelas was present to show solidarity with the migrants and to ensure their rights were respected. The Biden administration has stated that the new asylum rule is intended to deter illegal border crossings while also allowing for the processing of asylum claims.