Politics & Protests: Courts, Borders, and Housing in the Headlines

Supreme Court Allows California to Use New Congressional Map; White House Adjusts Minneapolis Border Enforcement

Washington, D.C. – The Supreme Court cleared the way for California to use its new congressional map for the upcoming midterm elections, while in Minneapolis, the White House announced a reduction in federal immigration agents.

The Supreme Court's decision allows California to use its newly drawn congressional districts, which some sources describe as Democratic-friendly, for this year's elections, according to NPR News. Voters had previously approved a ballot measure, Proposition 50, allowing the state's Democratic leaders to temporarily replace the state's congressional map to potentially help Democrats win five additional U.S. House seats.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, White House border czar Tom Homan announced Wednesday that 700 federal immigration agents would be withdrawn from the city after a month-long enforcement surge, Time reported. Homan stated at a press conference that the drawdown was possible due to "unprecedented cooperation between federal and local officials." While the departing agents would be drawn from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), approximately 2,000 federal law enforcement officers would remain in the area, according to Homan. "This is smart law enforcement, not less law enforcement," he said, as reported by Time. Vox characterized the situation in Minneapolis as an "occupation" by the Trump administration, asserting that it had "broken the Justice Department." A lawyer representing the government reportedly expressed frustration, saying, "I wish you would just hold me in contempt of court so I can get 24 hours of sleep," according to Vox.

In other news, Amazon pulled the documentary "Melania" from the Lake Theater & Café in Lake Oswego, Oregon, Variety reported. The decision came after the theater's marquee made jokes about the film.