Judge Boasberg cancels hearing on Trump deportations after Supreme Court ruling

Judge Boasberg cancels hearing on Trump deportations after Supreme Court ruling
Judge Boasberg cancels hearing on Trump deportations after Supreme Court ruling
Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in Tecoluca, in El Salvador; Alex Pena/Anadolu via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — U.S. District Judge James Boasberg has canceled a Tuesday afternoon hearing on the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged migrant gang members without due process, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday evening that the administration could resume carrying out such deportations.

Boasberg had scheduled the hearing to consider whether to convert the temporary restraining order he issued blocking those deportations last month into a longer-lasting preliminary injunction, as he mulled whether to hold the administration in contempt for failing to provide information about the deportation of over 200 alleged Venezuelan gang members last month.

Boasberg’s order canceling Tuesday’s hearing did not address where the contempt issue stands.

The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision Monday evening, ruled that the Trump administration could resume deportations of alleged Venezuelan gang members under the Alien Enemies Act, but said detainees must be given due process to challenge their removal.

The unsigned opinion lifted Boasberg’s temporary restraining order, ruling that he lacked the jurisdiction to address the matter.

In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling, the ACLU — which is representing several alleged Venezuelan gang members who are set to be sent to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act — filed habeas petitions in the New York district where the men are being held, seeking to challenge their removal.

Trump last month invoked the Alien Enemies Act — a wartime authority used to deport noncitizens with little-to-no due process — by arguing that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is a “hybrid criminal state” that is invading the United States.

Judge Boasberg temporarily blocked the president’s use of the law on March 15, ordering that the government turn around two flights carrying more than 200 alleged Tren de Aragua members to El Salvador.

Authorities failed to turn the flights around, leading the judge to threaten the administration with contempt.

ABC News’ Devin Dwyer contributed to this report.

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Flooding danger persists in wake of deadly storm: ‘We need people to wait this out,’ Kentucky governor says

Flooding danger persists in wake of deadly storm: ‘We need people to wait this out,’ Kentucky governor says
Flooding danger persists in wake of deadly storm: ‘We need people to wait this out,’ Kentucky governor says
Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

(FRANKFORT, Ky.) — The flooding danger isn’t over in the wake of four days of deadly storms that devastated the central U.S. with catastrophic rainfall and destructive tornadoes.

For Andy Beshear, governor of hard-hit Kentucky, the biggest concern is people driving through water and around barricades.

“We need people to wait this out,” he said at a news conference Tuesday.

Twenty-three people have died since Wednesday from the storms, with the fatalities spanning Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi and Indiana.

Four of the deaths were in Kentucky, including a 27-year-old man, Lee Chandler, who was reported missing after being swept away by floodwaters in McCracken County. His body has since been recovered, police said on Monday.

The rainfall from these storms was historic. More than 15 inches of rain deluged Benton, Kentucky — the most rain on record in a four-day period for the western part of the state — and over 14 inches of rain inundated Arkansas and Tennessee.

Flood alerts remain in effect on Tuesday in Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana. Twenty-one river gauges are currently in major flood stage and more than 40 locations could reach major flood stage this week.

In hard-hit Frankfort, Kentucky, the Kentucky River crested near record levels on Sunday night, more than 17 feet above flood stage — the highest the river has been in decades at this location. The river is now slowly receding, but still in major flood stage.

Beshear said rivers have crested in many places and flooding should soon be going down.

He said he hopes people forced to evacuate can return to their homes on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced a new website, Floodsmart.gov, to help people directly access flood insurance quotes.

“It’s quick and easy and takes just a few minutes. Insured survivors recover faster,” Cameron Hamilton, senior official performing the duties of FEMA administrator, said in a statement. “With spring flooding and hurricane season both approaching fast, it’s important to take this first step so you can better protect the life you’ve built.”

ABC News’ Melissa Griffin, Max Golembo and Luke Barr contributed to this report.

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Following Supreme Court ruling, Judge Boasberg cancels hearing on use of Alien Enemies Act for deportations

Judge Boasberg cancels hearing on Trump deportations after Supreme Court ruling
Judge Boasberg cancels hearing on Trump deportations after Supreme Court ruling
Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in Tecoluca, in El Salvador; Alex Pena/Anadolu via Getty Images

(NEW YORK) — U.S. District Judge James Boasberg has canceled a Tuesday afternoon hearing on the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged migrant gang members without due process, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday evening that the administration could resume carrying out such deportations.

Boasberg had scheduled the hearing to consider whether to convert the temporary restraining order he issued blocking those deportations last month into a longer-lasting preliminary injunction, as he mulled whether to hold the administration in contempt for failing to provide information about the deportation of over 200 alleged Venezuelan gang members last month.

Boasberg’s order canceling Tuesday’s hearing did not address where the contempt issue stands.

The Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision Monday evening, ruled that the Trump administration could resume deportations of alleged Venezuelan gang members under the Alien Enemies Act, but said detainees must be given due process to challenge their removal.

The unsigned opinion lifted Boasberg’s temporary restraining order, ruling that he lacked the jurisdiction to address the matter.

Trump last month invoked the Alien Enemies Act — a wartime authority used to deport noncitizens with little-to-no due process — by arguing that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is a “hybrid criminal state” that is invading the United States.

Judge Boasberg temporarily blocked the president’s use of the law on March 15, ordering that the government turn around two flights carrying more than 200 alleged Tren de Aragua members to El Salvador.

Authorities failed to turn the flights around, leading the judge to threaten the administration with contempt.
 

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Mom remembers 9-year-old son who died in Kentucky floodwaters

Mom remembers 9-year-old son who died in Kentucky floodwaters
Mom remembers 9-year-old son who died in Kentucky floodwaters
Courtesy of Racheal Andrews

(FRANKFORT, Ky.) — The mother of a 9-year-old boy is speaking out after he was swept away and killed by floodwaters in Kentucky during the four days of historic storms that pounded the region.

Gabriel Andrews was swept away by the floodwaters on Friday morning while walking to his school bus stop in hard-hit Frankfort, according to the Franklin County Coroner’s Office.

Gabriel, who enjoyed basketball and football, “had the most beautiful smile” and “loved everyone he came in contact with,” his mother, Racheal Andrews, told ABC News.

“I’m overwhelmed with the love that the community had for my son,” she added.

The four days of deadly storms began on Wednesday, devastating the central U.S. with catastrophic flooding and destructive tornadoes. Twenty-three people have died, with the fatalities spanning Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi and Indiana.

Franklin County, Kentucky, was hit especially hard by the life-threatening rain, and Racheal Andrews said she is “devastated” that in-person school wasn’t canceled on Friday.

“There never should have been school that day,” she said.

The Franklin County School District is on spring break this week and superintendent Mark Kopp did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment on Monday.

But Kopp commented on Gabriel’s death on Friday, saying in a statement, “We are deeply saddened at this horrific tragedy.”

“We are more than a school system, we are a family at Franklin County Schools, and we share this loss together. At this time, we are working with support staff at our schools and offering services to our students, faculty, and staff who need assistance,” Kopp said. “We are eternally grateful for our community first responders from both city and county agencies who selflessly responded to assist in this situation.”

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Harvard, UCLA, Stanford among schools across US reporting student visa revocations

Harvard, UCLA, Stanford among schools across US reporting student visa revocations
Harvard, UCLA, Stanford among schools across US reporting student visa revocations
Spencer Grant/GHI/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — The student visas of five individuals currently attending or recently graduated from Harvard University have been revoked, according to Harvard.

It’s one of more than a dozen higher education institutions that is actively tracking and reporting the number of affiliated people who have been targeted by President Donald Trump’s administration in recent weeks.

These incidents are part of what appears to be mass targeting of international students by Trump’s administration over alleged violations of their visa or green card conditions, ranging from minor legal infractions to participating in demonstrations. In other cases, the reason for the revocation is unknown or has not been provided by the administration.

Since the beginning of Trump’s second term, the State Department has revoked over 300 student visas nationwide, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on March 27.

Based on non-exhaustive tallies provided by the respective HEIs, here are some of the colleges and universities that have been impacted.

Arizona State University: 8
Arizona State University has reported at least eight students impacted by the Trump administration’s recent spate of student visa revocations.

Central Michigan University: 4
Four current and former students at Central Michigan University have had their visas revoked, according to the school.

Colorado State University: 6
Colorado State University reported six impacted students.

Harvard University: 5
Harvard reported that three students and two recent graduates had their student visas revoked.

Kent State University: 3
Kent has reported three individuals affected by student visa revocations to date.

Minnesota State University: 5
Five students enrolled at Minnesota State University have reportedly been impacted.

North Carolina State: 2
Two international students from North Carolina State had their student visas revoked, the school stated.

Ohio State University: 5
Ohio State reported five individuals impacted by the recent crackdown.

Stanford University: 6
Stanford has said that four current students and two recent grads have had their student visas revoked.

University of California system: Unknown
Although an estimate has not yet been provided, the University of California system of schools has stated that its campuses — including the University of California Los Angeles, UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, UC Davis and UC Irvine — have been impacted.

University of Cincinnati: Unknown
The University of Cincinnati has reported a “small number” of impacted international students.

University of Colorado: 2
The University of Colorado reports two students who have been affected in recent weeks.

University of Kentucky: Unknown
The University of Kentucky has shared that a “small number” of its student body has been impacted.

University of Massachusetts Amherst: 5
UMass Amherst reported that five of its students have recently had their visas revoked.

University of Michigan: 4
U-M reported that four of its international students have been impacted in recent weeks.

University of Nevada, Las Vegas: 4
Four students at UNLV have been impacted by the recent emphasis on student visa revocations, according to the school.

University of Oregon: 1
A student enrolled at the University of Oregon was also affected, according to the school.

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Soccer coach charged with murder after missing 13-year-old boy found dead: DA

Soccer coach charged with murder after missing 13-year-old boy found dead: DA
Soccer coach charged with murder after missing 13-year-old boy found dead: DA
KABC

(LOS ANGELES) — A soccer coach has been charged with murder after a 13-year-old on his team was reported missing by his family and later found dead, officials announced on Monday.

Oscar Omar Hernandez, of the San Fernando Valley, was reported missing by his family on March 30 after he “failed to return home from visiting an acquaintance in Lancaster,” Los Angeles police said last week.

The teen had gone to visit his soccer coach — 43-year-old Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino — two days earlier, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman.

Oscar was found dead on Wednesday in the city of Oxnard, west of Los Angeles, off to the side of a road near Leo Carrillo State Beach, Hochman said.

Garcia-Aquino was charged with murder with special circumstances on Monday, Hochman said.

The suspect has separately also been charged with a felony count of assault with intent to commit a lewd act against a 16-year-old boy, Hochman said. Garcia-Aquino was arrested on Wednesday on that charge, which stemmed from an alleged incident in Palmdale on Feb. 22, 2024, authorities said.

“These cases are tragic, and the Hernandez family, you have our deepest sympathy for a loss that words cannot even begin to describe,” Hochman said at a press briefing on Monday. “Our role, though, is to bring justice to this family and to hold the person responsible for these brutal, heinous, unspeakable, unthinkable acts, hold them accountable and prosecute and punish them to the full extent of the law.”

Hochman said he does not have any details on how Oscar was killed at this time.

Garcia-Aquino is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, Hochman said.

If convicted, the suspect faces a sentence of at least life without the possibility of parole for the murder charge or the death penalty, Hochman said. He also faces six years in prison if convicted of the assault charge, Hochman said.

Authorities are asking any alleged victims of the suspect or anyone with information to come forward.

“There’s always a fear that there’s more victims, and we want to make sure we account for everybody that’s out there,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at the briefing.

Garcia-Aquina was a youth travel soccer coach with a boys’ soccer club in the Sylmar area, according to Luna. He had no reported criminal history, the sheriff said.

“If for some reason anybody fears coming forward, even as a youth or a family, because you may be here undocumented, we’re not going to ask about that,” Luna said. “Please. You need to come forward. We will assist you — whether it’s our department, the Los Angeles Police Department, the LA County District Attorney’s Office — any of us are going to wrap our arms around you and make sure that you get the appropriate services. We guide you the right way and we protect you as well.”

Oscar’s family members attended the press briefing but did not make a public comment.

Family and friends of Oscar paid tribute to the teen on Thursday at the site where the body was found on the side of a road in Oxnard.

“He didn’t need to be treated like an animal. That was my son,” his mother, Gladys Bautista, cried out in Spanish, ABC News’ Los Angeles station KABC reported.

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Hawaii doctor accused of trying to kill wife on hiking trail pleads not guilty

Hawaii doctor accused of trying to kill wife on hiking trail pleads not guilty
Hawaii doctor accused of trying to kill wife on hiking trail pleads not guilty
Honolulu Police Department

(HONOLULU, Hawaii) — The doctor who is accused of trying to kill his wife on a Hawaii hiking trail pleaded not guilty on Monday during a court appearance via video conference.

Gerhardt Konig’s not guilty plea is “a substantive response to the allegation that he tried to kill his wife,” his attorney, Thomas Otake, said in a statement, according to Honolulu ABC affiliate KITV.

“There are two sides to every story, and thus far only one side has been shared,” Otake said. “The other side to this story will be shared within the court process at the appropriate time.”

Arielle Konig alleged she was on the Pali Puka Trail on Oahu with her husband to celebrate her birthday on March 24 when Gerhardt Konig stood near the edge and asked her to take a selfie with him, according to court documents.

She said she didn’t feel comfortable being that close to the edge, so she said no and walked away, the documents said. Gerhardt Konig, 46, allegedly “yelled at her to come back, and when she refused, he pushed her into the bushes,” the documents said.

As Gerhardt Konig pushed her toward the cliff’s edge, he “was yelling something to the effect of, ‘Get back over there, I’m so f——- sick of you!’” according to another court document.

Arielle Konig said he hit her in the head with a rock about 10 times while grabbing the back of her head and smashing her face into the ground, the court documents said.

She said she then saw her husband take two syringes from his bag and “attempt to use them on her, but she was able to get them away from him,” the documents said.

Another hiker intervened, the documents said, and Arielle Konig told the hiker, “He is trying to kill me.”

Gerhardt Konig was arrested and charged with second-degree attempted murder, officials said.

Arielle Konig said she suffered a broken thumb, bruising on her head and body and severe lacerations to her face and scalp. She was hospitalized and has since been released, according to her attorney.

The Konigs live on Maui with their two sons, ages 4 and 2.

Three days after the alleged attack, Arielle Konig filed a petition for a temporary restraining order, writing in the document, “I am fearful that if Gerhardt is released from custody, he will return to Maui and attempt to harm or kill me, as well as harm or kill our children or other family members.”

She said in December, Gerhardt Konig accused her of having an affair, “which led to extreme jealousy on his part” and led him to try to “control and monitor all of my communications,” the petition said. She said they went to individual and couples counseling.

 

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Karen Read asks Supreme Court to prevent retrial for murder

Karen Read asks Supreme Court to prevent retrial for murder
Karen Read asks Supreme Court to prevent retrial for murder

(WASHINGTON) — Karen Read has filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court seeking an immediate stay of her retrial — which has begun jury selection — pending review by the high court on her claims of constitutional violation.

“Read’s Petition contends that her scheduled retrial on two of the three counts pending against her, including a charge of second-degree murder, will violate the Double Jeopardy Clause because the jury in her first trial reached a final and unanimous, but unannounced, decision that she is not guilty of those charges.”

Read is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, in January 2022. Prosecutors alleged Read hit O’Keefe with her vehicle and left him to die as Boston was hit with a major blizzard. Read has denied the allegations and maintained her innocence.

She was charged with first-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. She pleaded not guilty.

Read’s first trial ended in a mistrial last July after the jury deadlocked following five days of deliberations.

“Despite our rigorous efforts we find ourselves at an impasse,” Judge Beverly Cannone said, reading a note from the jury. “The deep division is not due to lack of consideration but to a severe adherence to our personal beliefs and moral compasses. To continue to deliberate would be futile.”

In response, Cannone stated, “Your service is complete. I am declaring a mistrial.”

Read’s attorneys have asked multiple appeals courts — and now the Supreme Court — to dismiss the charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of a fatal accident in the retrial. They argued in court filings that retrying her on the charges would violate double jeopardy protections because, based on subsequent statements from four jurors, the jury had reached a unanimous decision to acquit Read on the charges.

All of those requests have been rejected by judges.

The case has drawn national attention. “A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read,” a documentary about the case, premiered last month on Netflix.

There’s no timetable for the Supreme Court to rule on the emergency petition.

“Petitioner respectfully urges the Court to stay jury selection or, alternatively, the swearing of the jury in this matter until this Court has ruled on Read’s Petition,” the lawyers wrote in her filing.

Jury selection has been slow going. The process was expected to take weeks. On Monday, no new jurors were added after bringing in 45 candidates. Ten jurors were seated on the first week of jury selection, which started a week ago.

ABC News’ Meghan Mariani contributed to this report.

 

 

 

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Former clerk for judge who tossed Trump’s classified docs case now in senior DOJ position

Former clerk for judge who tossed Trump’s classified docs case now in senior DOJ position
Former clerk for judge who tossed Trump’s classified docs case now in senior DOJ position
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — A former law clerk to the federal judge who dismissed the classified documents case against President Donald Trump is now serving in the Justice Department directly under Trump’s former defense lawyer Todd Blanche, who is now serving as the nation’s number-two law enforcement official.

Christopher-James DeLorenz has been serving as a Counsel in the Deputy Attorney General’s office since President Trump took office in January, according to officials and DeLorenz’s public LinkedIn page.

DeLorenz served for 10 months as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, during a period in which she presided over then-special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution of Trump for alleging retaining classified documents after leaving the White House and obstructing the government’s efforts to retrieve them.

According to his LinkedIn page, DeLorenz departed Cannon’s office in August 2024, just a month after Cannon tossed out the case against Trump, in which she bucked decades of legal precedent by finding that Smith had been unconstitutionally appointed.

It’s unclear whether Blanche, who was Trump’s lead attorney in the classified documents case and took office early last month following a narrow confirmation by the U.S. Senate, had any direct involvement in DeLorenz’s hiring.

Trump has already staffed the senior-most ranks of the DOJ with attorneys who previously represented him in a range of criminal and civil matters, as part of a broader effort to reassert control over a department that brought two criminal prosecutions against him after he left office in 2021.

While clerking for a district judge is often a path to a senior job in an administration, DeLorenz’s position is the first known appointment to the DOJ of a former clerk for Judge Cannon, whose dismissal of the documents case handed Trump a massive political victory.

Cannon, who was nominated to the bench by Trump in 2020, was criticized by numerous legal experts over several rulings that helped support Trump’s attorneys’ strategy to delay bringing the case to trial.

In a statement to ABC News, a Justice Department spokesperson said, “The Department of Justice has hired highly qualified and skilled attorneys to effectively carry out our mission of ending the weaponization of justice, defending executive authority from judicial overreach, and Making America Safe Again.”

Judge Cannon’s chambers did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.

Cannon previously responded to accusations of granting Trump favorable treatment in an order denying a request for her to recuse herself from presiding over the criminal case of Ryan Routh, who was charged with attempting to assassinate Trump at his golf club in Florida in September of last year.

“I have never spoken to or met former President Trump, except in connection with his required presence at an official judicial proceeding, through counsel,” Cannon wrote in an October 2024 ruling.

“I have no ‘relationship to [Trump]’ in any reasonable sense of the phrase. I follow my oath to administer justice faithfully and impartially, in accordance with the Constitution and the laws of this country,” she wrote.

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Flooding danger isn’t over in wake of deadly storm: ‘Do not drive through water,’ governor pleads

Flooding danger persists in wake of deadly storm: ‘We need people to wait this out,’ Kentucky governor says
Flooding danger persists in wake of deadly storm: ‘We need people to wait this out,’ Kentucky governor says
Ryan C. Hermens/Lexington Herald-Leader/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

(FRANKFORT, Ky.) — The rain may have stopped, but Kentucky’s governor warned the danger isn’t over from the four days of deadly storms that devastated the central U.S. with catastrophic flooding and destructive tornadoes.

Many roads remain flooded and some rivers and creeks are at or above flood stage, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said at a news conference Monday.

“Do not drive through water, do not move barricades,” Beshear pleaded.

He stressed that even when water is receding, it’s still dangerous to drive.

Twenty people have died since Wednesday from the storms, with the fatalities spanning Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi and Indiana.

Two of the 20 deaths were in Kentucky: a woman and a 9-year-old boy who both died in the floodwaters, the governor said.

The governor said the death toll may have been higher if not for the swift water rescue teams.

One person last seen boating in floodwaters has been reported missing in McCracken County, Kentucky, Beshear said.

The rainfall from these storms was historic. More than 15 inches of rain deluged Benton, Kentucky — the most rain on record in a four-day period for the western part of the state — and over 14 inches of rain inundated Arkansas and Tennessee.

Some rivers are expected to continue to rise this week. Up to 40 river gauges across the region are forecast to be in the flood stage.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” said Michael Muller, the judge/executive in hard-hit Franklin County, Kentucky, about 30 miles outside of Lexington.

“Stay at home, help your neighbors, don’t be out if you don’t have to be out,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced a new website, Floodsmart.gov, to help people directly access flood insurance quotes.

“It’s quick and easy and takes just a few minutes. Insured survivors recover faster,” Cameron Hamilton, senior official performing the duties of FEMA administrator, said in a statement. “With spring flooding and hurricane season both approaching fast, it’s important to take this first step so you can better protect the life you’ve built.”

ABC News’ Max Golembo and Luke Barr contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.