The 6 Biggest Legal Issues of 2017 That Will Carry into 2018

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Summary: This past year has been filled with legal matters that are still being battled in the courts and will have future legal problems that have yet to be battled.

As 2017 draws to a close that does not mean that all legal battles will be coming to a close anytime soon. There are six major battles going on in the courts that do not appear to have an end date in sight. Truth Dig discusses the biggest issues of the year that are still being addressed now.

  

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1. United States Supreme Court

The Republican-led Senate went against filibuster rules to put Neil Gorsuch on the bench to fill the void left upon the death of conservative justice Antonin Scalia in February of 2016. While his placement to the United States Supreme Court tips the balance to the conservative side, he has given opinions on both sides. The continuing part of this legal battle is that there are three current justices reaching retirement, giving President Donald Trump the chance to place three more justices that will likely not win favor with the Democrats.

2. Immigrants

President Donald Trump first introduced the travel ban but it was met with heavy criticism and lawsuits. Since his attempt at banning travel from several countries keeps getting blocked, Trump has turned to other immigrant matters such as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Trump issued an executive order ending the program and issued warnings against “sanctuary cities.” With Republicans controlling Congress and increasing in numbers in judicial courts, the battles against the attacks on immigrants will likely be blocked.

3. Administrative Power

Another department that the Trump administration is taking a look at is the “administrative state.” One of Trump’s first executive orders was to require executive departments to slash two regulations for every new regulation created. They are going about doing this by placing directors and Cabinet members in charge of the agencies. These leaders do not support the liberal ideals that previous leaders have instilled in the agencies. The Justice Department has pulled back 25 policies that were in place in since 1975.

4. #MeToo Movement

Sexual harassment exists. It has been a growing problem in today’s society, especially within the workplace. When women brought allegations of misconduct against their coworkers, supervisors, and others, those allegations were often swept into the closet. Those allegations are not going unheard anymore. Women have been turning to the media to air their grievances and to get lawsuits moving forward. The movement is still gaining momentum as it moves into 2018.

5. Media

It is no secret that the Trump administration is not a big fan of the media. Trump has voiced plans to open up libel laws so that journalists can be sued more easily for defamation. Organizations are on top of fake news, removing it from social media quickly. The latest attack, which will have lasting legal battles, was on net neutrality. Telecommunications companies like Verizon and AT&T are now allowed to control internet traffic speeds and impose access fees on some content providers.

6. Russia Connection

Everyone is pretty sure by this point that Russia dipped their toes into the 2016 presidential election. Two campaign aides for Trump have been indicted on charges of money laundering, conspiracy, and failing to register as foreign agents. The investigation by Robert Mueller is still ongoing so other charges and indictments are likely to come in 2018.

What can be done to address the sexual harassment problem in our society? Share your advice with us in the comments below.

To learn more about the Mueller investigation, read these articles:

• Could WilmerHale’s Client List Cause Conflict for Robert Mueller’s Trump Investigation?
• Special Counsel Robert Mueller Puts Together Top Legal Team
• Mueller Investigates Meeting between Flynn and Rep. Rohrabacher

Photo: wikipedia.org