Random News and Notes 14 January
Three opinions dropped at the Supreme Court this morning. They were Barrett v US, Bost V Illinois Board of Elections and Case v Montana.
Barrett is a double jeopardy case involving two separate but related § 924 gun charges. The Court held that only a single conviction is supported by the authorizing legislation. Justice Jackson wrote the opinion.
Case v Montana is a 4th amendment case. The plaintiff in this case, William Case, called his then girlfriend to tell her he was going to commit suicide. The police arrived and after a period of time entered Case’s home. Case was shot and wounded and charged with assault on a police officer. He maintained the cops had no reason to enter his home. A sharply divided Montana Supreme Court upheld the entry. In a unanimous opinion authored by Justice Sotomayor the Supremes upheld the community caretaking standard for warrantless entry.
The final case is one I have to wonder why it had to get to SCOTUS. Michael Bost is a congressman representing Illinois 12th district. In 2020, Bost and two other candidates for office challenged the Illinois procedure of counting mail-in ballots that had been postmarked on election day but not received until later. The claim is that this procedure violates federal election statutes by impermissibly extending Election Day beyond the federally mandated date. The district court and the 7th Circuit both held that Bost did not have standing to challenge the laws. A 7-2 court disagreed, with Chief Justice Roberts writing for the majority.
For the first time in at least 50 years, the United States has experienced negative net migration. That means more people have left the country than entered.
Economists at the Brookings Institution estimate a net outflow of 10,000 to 295,000 people in 2025, down sharply from 2.8 million arrivals in 2024, driven by Trump’s border closures, visa restrictions, higher fees, and suspended humanitarian programs. Removals reached 310,000-315,000, with voluntary departures adding 200,000-400,000.
You should keep in mind that outmigration generally lowers GDP and other indicators and typically leads to slower economic growth.
While we’re on the subject of immigration, the State Department has paused the processing of immigrant visas from 75 countries. Those countries reportedly include Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, and Yemen. Consular officials in those countries have been instructed to cease issuance of those visas during the review.
The pause affects only immigration visas. Those applying for tourist, student, and some work visas will be unaffected.
This one is a case of FAFO. A protester tried to de-arrest a comrade when he got hit by a less than lethal.
21 year old Kaden Rummler now says the round hit him in the eye. He will never regain his vision, doctors tell him.
Oh boo f*cking hoo. He ran up on law enforcement trying to affect an arrest. He’s lucky it was just a less than and not an actual bullet.
DHS released a statement about the incident:
“On Jan. 9, a mob of about 60 rioters threw rocks, bottles and fireworks at law enforcement officers outside the federal building in Santa Ana. Two officers were injured. Two violent rioters were arrested and were charged with assault on a federal officer and disorderly conduct. This was a highly coordinated campaign of violence where rioters wielded shields. One of the rioters, who was arrested for disorderly conduct, was taken to the hospital for a cut and was released that night.
Make no mistake, rioting and assaulting law enforcement is not only dangerous but a crime.
Secretary Noem has been clear: Any rioter who obstructs or assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”