Rejection: The Senate on Friday rejected a House-passed spending bill, raising concerns among lawmakers about whether Congress is capable of tackling major issues, The Washington Post reports. "If we can’t do this, how do we do the heavy lifting?" Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) said.
Constitutional Rights: The way the federal government blocked funds to an Islamic charity and designated it a terrorist group infringed on the organization's First and Fourth amendment rights, the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled Friday. But the appellate court supported the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control's decision to classify Al-Haramain as a terrorist group, The Recorder reports.
Lost Money: A client of Crowell & Moring on Friday sued the firm for $5.5 million in missing real estate escrow money, alleging that a former associate improperly redirected the funds, the New York Law Journal reports. "I feel like I've been living a bad episode of Law & Order since last Tuesday," said attorney Bruce H. Lederman, who filed the suit on behalf of Regal Real Estate and related entities. Crowell & Moring declined to comment.
Minority Voting: The U.S. Justice Department on Friday claimed that the new Congressional map for Texas was designed to weaken minority voting power, Roll Call reports. "Based on our preliminary investigation, it appears that the proposed plan may have a prohibited purpose in that it was adopted, at least in part, for the purpose of diminishing the ability of citizens of the United States, on account of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, to elect their preferred candidates of choice to Congress," the DOJ wrote in a brief.
Breakfast Costs: Hilton Worldwide is disputing the $16 muffin finding published in a DOJ Inspector General report, CNN reports. "The contracted breakfast included fresh fruit, coffee, juice, and muffins, plus tax and gratuity for an inclusive price of $16 per person," Hilton Worldwide said in a statement. The Office of Inspector General disagrees with the hotel chain.
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