Judge bars citizenship question from being asked on 2020 census

NEW YORK – A federal judge blocked the Trump administration Tuesday from asking about citizenship status on the 2020 census, the first major ruling in cases contending that officials ramrodded the question through for Republican political purposes to intentionally undercount immigrants. In a 277-page decision that won’t be the final word on the issue, Judge Jesse M. Furman ruled that while such a question would be constitutional, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross had added it arbitrarily and not followed proper administrative procedures.

Supreme Court says minimal force can raise minimum sentence

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court issued its first closely divided ruling of the 2018-19 term Tuesday, but not along strict ideological lines. Associate Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the 5-4 decision, in which the court upheld a heavy criminal sentence for a defendant whose robbery conviction included the potential of force. The case focused on the a 1984 law that sets a 15-year minimum sentence for gun crimes if the defendant has three or more serious or violent felony convictions.

University chancellor yanks Confederate marker, resigns

RALEIGH, N.C. – Hours after the last remnants of the Confederate statue “Silent Sam” were removed overnight from the University of North Carolina, the state university system’s governing board pushed out the official who ordered them gone.