Virginia Judge Takes Back Own Ruling Letting Non-Doctors Perform First-Trimester Abortions

A federal judge abandoned his own previous ruling to permit medical professionals who are not doctors to perform first-trimester abortions in Virginia on Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson walked back his May 6 ruling that Virginia’s “Physicians-Only Law” requiring doctors to perform first-trimester abortions is “‘unduly burdensome’ and therefore unconstitutional,” The Washington Post reported. Hudson granted a motion for summary judgment following his conclusion.

Hudson’s previous ruling would have allowed first-trimester abortions to be performed in clinics or hospitals in the presence of a medical professional, including nurse practitioners, physician assistants and midwives with appropriate training. A physician would not be required to perform the procedure, according to the ruling. Hudson, a George W. Bush appointee, ruled in 2010 that the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate was unconstitutional, according to the Post.

Abortion groups have long argued medical professionals and nurses should be able to perform first-trimester and medication abortions. Permitting only doctors to perform the procedures is an underhanded attempt to restrict abortion access, pro-choice groups argue. Hudson rescinded his ruling Tuesday.

“On further review, the Court is of the opinion that summary judgment was improvidently awarded,” he wrote. Pro-life groups applauded Hudson’s reversal. “We’re thrilled that Judge Hudson took this extraordinary step to reverse his earlier decision that jeopardizes women’s health,” Family Foundation president Victoria Cobb said in a statement. The Virginia Society for Human Life “welcomes the action of Judge Hudson to reverse his own ruling,” the group’s president Olivia Gans Turner said. “There is overwhelming evidence that medical professionals other than physicians can safely and effectively provide abortion care,” Ma said in an email criticizing Hudson’s updated conclusion, according to the Post.

A decision is set to be finalized in a May 20 trial. Those in favor of and those against the ruling will have the opportunity to make a case in the trial in Richmond. In addition to the state’s physicians-only requirement, clinic licensing standards and the state’s 24-hour mandate that blocks women from undergoing abortions until at least a full day has passed since the time they received an ultrasound will also be examined.

https://www.dailycaller.com/2019/05/15/judge-virginia-abortion-ruling-reverse/

Ronil Singh’s Widow Breaks Down As She Thanks Trump For Reaching Out

The widow of slain California police officer Cpl. Ronil Singh took the microphone at a fallen officers’ memorial service Wednesday at the White House. Anamika Singh, carrying her 10-month-old son on her hip, had not planned to speak but changed her mind after listening to her brother-in-law, Reggie Singh, speak to the crowd.

President Donald Trump introduced the young widow, saying, “She said ‘no, no, I don’t want to speak. Actually, I do.’ I like that. I think it’s great.” Noting that she had not properly thanked Trump in the office, she began, “I actually want to thank you personally, you’re the only one that actually reached out and gave your condolences to the family, and it actually means a lot to all of our law enforcement families that are here, for the sacrifice my husband and his brothers in blue and sisters in blue have given.” “Every family sitting here wants justice for what happened to their loved ones,” she added. “And that’s what I want for my husband.” Just before she spoke, Reggie Singh told the crowd that his family supported Trump, also noting that he had been the one to reach out when the family was suffering after Cpl. Singh’s death. “I would like to thank every single law enforcement officer over here,” he said. “What you guys go through, I’ve heard stories from my brother. This man over here, the Singh family supports him. Whatever he is doing for law enforcement, we support him. His team at the White House has reached out to us multiple times, multiple times. I don’t think that has ever happened before ever. This man is amazing, and my family supports him. Thank you.” The annual Peace Officers Memorial Service was held to mark the beginning of National Police Week.

https://www.dailycaller.com/2019/05/15/slain-officer-ronil-singh-widow-thanks-trump-memorial-service/

Suspected Colorado School Shooters Each Receive 48 Charges

Two high school students suspected for the shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch on May 7 received 48 charges each, court documents show. Devon Erickson, 18, and Alec McKinney, 16, faced a number of criminal charges including murder, theft and arson, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.

The shooting left eight students injured and 18-year-old Kendrick Castillo, who was days away from graduation, dead. Castillo’s memorial service was scheduled for Wednesday, according to the AP. All of those injured are no longer in the hospital. It is unclear whether McKinney was being tried as an adult, the AP reported. The next hearing date is set for June 7.

STEM is about eight miles away from Columbine High School and 15 miles outside Denver. The school has a pending lawsuit against an anonymous caller for defamation after the individual made several allegations in December 2018. The individual, claiming to be parent, raised concerns about student violence at the school.

https://www.dailycaller.com/2019/05/15/colorado-school-shooting-charges/

Lindsey Graham’s Immigration Bill Aims To Fix The Issues Fueling The Border Crisis

South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced an immigration bill that addresses numerous issues law enforcement officials say are driving the U.S.-Mexico border crisis. Graham outlined the four main points of his proposal during a Wednesday press conference, addressing the “broken and outdated” immigration laws that attracts illegal immigration from Central America. Overall, the bill calls for doubling the number of immigration judges, allowing those in ICE custody to be held for as long as 100 days, more readily deport unaccompanied children, and require those seeking asylum to do so in their home countries.

“What I’m trying to do is explain how to stop the flow from Central America, to regain control of our border, and stop a humanitarian crisis that I think is just going to get worse over time,” Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said during the press conference. Migrant children, whether they arrive at the border alone or with a family, cannot be detained for longer than 20 days. Leaders within the Department of Homeland Security have long urged Congress to extend this timeline, claiming it forces them to release illegal migrants into the U.S. while their cases are process. An extension to 100 days, Graham argues, would alleviate this issue.

The bill would also dramatically change the process for asylum seekers. Currently, thousands of Central Americans are reaching the U.S. border and applying for asylum — clogging U.S. immigration courts and essentially allowing many applicants to enter the country unabated as they wait for their cases to be adjudicated. Graham’s bill would mandate that applicants make their claims at American consulates in their home countries. He added that a facility in Mexico could possibly be established as well. The proposal would also treat unaccompanied minors from noncontiguous countries the same as those from Canada and Mexico, making it much easier to deport them in a timely manner. The South Carolina Republican also wants to add 500 new immigration judges, bringing relief to a system that is dramatically backlogged with around 900,000 applicants. “To those who want to give more money to Central America: It won’t stop the problem. They’re going to keep coming to the United States because life is better here than it is there, and no amount of money is going to stop people from coming,” Graham stated. “If you do these four things, then the incentives that’s created by our laws will cease to exist,” he went on. “This humanitarian disaster will begin to repair itself.”

https://www.dailycaller.com/2019/05/15/lindsey-graham-bill-immigration-issues/