National

By John Kruzel and Andrew Chung | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court began hearing arguments on Wednesday in a dispute involving a government-run program to monitor for overfishing of herring off New England's coast that gives its conservative majority a chance to further limit the regulatory powers of federal agencies. The justices are weighing appeals by two fishing companies of lower court rulings allowing the National Marine Fisheries Service to require commercial fishermen to help fund the program. The companies - led by New Jersey-based Loper Bright Enterprises and Rhode Island-based Relentless Inc - have argued that Congress did not authorize the agency, part of the U.S. Commerce Department, to establish the program. Arguments were ongoing. ...

By Paul Bedard, Washington Examiner | SOURCE: THE GAZETTE A top defense lawyer involved in over 50 cases stemming from the January 6 Capitol riots said the Justice Department is overreaching in its prosecution of some 1,300 cases on Tuesday, many against bystanders. Kira Anne West, who volunteered to defend dozens of suspects, said in an interview that cases Justice would typically handle as misdemeanors are being turned into felonies and Washington juries are throwing the book at those convicted in the riots. In a C-SPAN Booknotes podcast just posted, West said, “There is quite a bit of government overreach as far as who they're prosecuting and what they're charging them with.” READ FULL ARTICLE ON GAZETTE.COM