NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
_1 Deportation order: A Mexican mother of four U.S.born children faced imminent deportation Tuesday after a federal appeals court refused to block her removal. The U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati granted the Justice Department’s request to dismiss the appeal by Maribel Trujillo Diaz. The court’s terse ruling says her bid for court intervention wasn’t timely, noting she had been subject to a final order of removal since 2014. Immigration officials have contended Trujillo Diaz entered the United States illegally in 2002 and had exhausted her appeals. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati has called for mercy, saying she has made positive contributions to her community in Butler County.
_2 Victims jailed: New Orleans prosecutors jailed at least six crime victims to make them testify last year, including a rape victim who was held for eight days, according to a new report. Judges approved at least nine other material witness warrants for victims, but those people couldn’t be found, Court Watch NOLA, which advocates for change in New Orleans’ judicial system, said in its annual report. The report noted that Houston District Attorney Kimberly Ogg promised never to jail a victim for refusing to cooperate with prosecutors. The nonprofit wants District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro to limit requests for such warrants and to drop them entirely for sexual assault or domestic violence victims.
_3 Trump suit: As a top aide to Florida’s attorney general, Carlos Muniz helped defend the office’s decision to sit out legal action against Trump University. Now President Trump has announced his intent to nominate Muniz to serve as general counsel to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. Emails show that in 2013, Muniz was included in discussions about student complaints alleging fraud with Trump’s namesake real-estate seminars.
_4 “Fearless Girl”: The sculptor of Wall Street’s “Charging Bull” statue is accusing New York City of violating his legal rights by allowing the “Fearless Girl” statue to be installed facing the bronze beast without his permission. Di Modica says the presence of “Fearless Girl” infringes on his copyrighted artistic expression.
_5 Florida blazes: Firefighters are battling wildfires from the top of Florida near the Georgia line to Miami-Dade County in the south as the governor declared a state of emergency Tuesday. Gov. Rick Scott said in Tampa that the proclamation will make it easier for state, regional and local agencies to “quickly work together to protect our families, visitors and communities” as authorities battle more than 100 wildfires around the state. “Due to the brush fires in the Everglades, you may see a rise in wildlife entering residential areas to escape the smoke and flames,” the Pembroke Pines Police Department wrote on its Facebook page. Wildfires are burning on a total of more than 23,800 acres of land and have destroyed 19 homes, authorities said.
Chronicle News Services