US federal courts

A US federal judge has overturned President Trump's ban blocking certain media outlets from White House coverage. The ruling restores press access to presidential events and is being widely covered as a significant test of press freedom and the limits of presidential control over media access. Reactions are split, with critics calling the ban an attack on the First Amendment and supporters questioning judicial interference in White House operations.

The US Supreme Court has ruled that states may use the federal SAVE database to verify the citizenship status of voters or voter registration applicants. The decision allows states to cross-check voter rolls against federal immigration records, a move supporters frame as election integrity enforcement and critics warn could lead to eligible citizens being wrongly purged from voter lists.

The US Supreme Court has ruled that the Trump administration can temporarily use its revamped federal voter eligibility database while legal challenges continue. The decision clears the way for federal officials to cross-check voter rolls against the new system in the interim. News outlets including AP News and NewsNation report the ruling as an interim measure, not a final resolution of the dispute over the database.

A US judge has overturned a White House media ban imposed under Donald Trump, ruling against the administration's attempt to exclude certain news organisations from access. The decision is being widely reported by major outlets including BBC News and is drawing significant attention, with many seeing it as a key test of press freedom and the limits of presidential control over media access.

The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for states to run voter citizenship checks using the federal SAVE database ahead of the midterm elections. The decision lets election officials verify the citizenship status of registered voters against federal records. Supporters say it protects election integrity, while voting-rights groups warn it could lead to eligible voters being wrongly flagged or purged from rolls close to the vote.

The Trump administration cancelled a $7 billion federal solar energy grant program, but a federal judge in Rhode Island has now ordered the program reinstated. The ruling restores funding that had supported solar projects nationwide, and the decision is drawing attention as part of the wider legal battle over the administration's cuts to renewable energy spending.

A federal judge has denied a request to block Highway Patrol traffic stops carried out in coordination with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The ruling allows the joint enforcement operations to continue while related legal challenges proceed. Critics of the practice argue it leads to racial profiling and improper immigration stops during routine traffic enforcement, while supporters back cooperation between state and federal agencies.

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has affirmed a lower court's dismissal of a patent dispute against Google, ruling that the internet advertising patents in question are ineligible under Section 101 of the Patent Act for claiming abstract ideas. The decision closes off the case and reinforces the judiciary's restrictive approach to software and business-method patents.

A US appeals court has upheld the designation of AI company Anthropic as a supply chain risk, a ruling with implications for the Pentagon's ability to restrict the firm's involvement in defense-related technology procurement. The decision keeps the designation in place despite the company's challenge, and is drawing attention given Anthropic's prominence in the artificial intelligence sector and its government contracts.

The US Supreme Court has ruled on a case concerning a Department of Homeland Security voter database, and officials say the decision will have no bearing on California's 2026 general election. The ruling resolves a dispute over federal access to state voter records, but California's election procedures and voter rolls will continue unchanged for the upcoming contest.