Judge rejects Trump request, will rule if Congress gets Trump's financial records after Tuesday's hearing
Last week, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C., ruled that he would fast-track President Trump's lawsuit to block his accounting firm from handing eight years of his financial records to the House Oversight Committee, which subpoenaed them. Mehta said he would decide the merits of the case after a hearing on Tuesday, skipping a preliminary phase. On Monday, Trump's lawyers said Mehta is moving too fast.
"The sole question before the court — Is the House Oversight Committee's issuance of a subpoena to Mazars USA LLP for financial records of President Donald Trump and various associated entities a valid exercise of legislative power? — is fully briefed, and the court can discern no benefit from an additional round of legal arguments," Mehta, an Obama appointee, wrote Thursday.
Trump's lawyers disagreed on Monday, saying they need more time to gather evidence and develop their legal arguments in the lawsuit they filed. On Monday night, Mehta rejected their request to delay the hearing or narrow its scope but said he will hear their objections on Tuesday.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"The executive branch strategy mostly seems to be a blanket rejection of all attempts at oversight, regardless of the issue, up until the election," Lisa Kern Griffin, a professor of constitutional law at Duke University, tells Reuters. "So any time the calendar is accelerated that probably favors Congress." If the losing side appeals, Mehta's accelerated schedule means an appellate court could get the case by summer, The Washington Post reports.
Last week, retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens told The Wall Street Journal "the president is exercising powers that do not really belong to him," adding, "I mean, he has to comply with subpoenas and things like that." If the Supreme Court weighs in on the battles between Trump and House Democrats, "I wouldn't want to predict that anybody's going to take the incorrect view," Stevens said. "But certainly, the correct view is pretty clear."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
'Voters know Biden and Trump all too well'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Is the Gaza war tearing US university campuses apart?
Today's Big Question Protests at Columbia University, other institutions, pit free speech against student safety
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
DOJ settles with Nassar victims for $138M
Speed Read The settlement includes 139 sexual abuse victims of the former USA Gymnastics doctor
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Can Trump get a fair trial?
Talking Points Donald Trump says he can't get a fair trial in heavily Democratic Manhattan as his hush money case starts
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Empty-nest boomers aren't selling their big homes
Speed Read Most Americans 60 and older do not intend to move, according to a recent survey
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Brazil accuses Musk of 'disinformation campaign'
Speed Read A Brazilian Supreme Court judge has opened an inquiry into Elon Musk and X
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Disney board fends off Peltz infiltration bid
Speed Read Disney CEO Bob Iger has defeated activist investor Nelson Peltz in a contentious proxy battle
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
What RFK Jr.'s running mate pick says about his candidacy
Talking Points Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s' running mate brings money and pro-abortion-rights cred to his longshot presidential bid
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Disney and DeSantis reach detente
Speed Read The Florida governor and Disney settle a yearslong litigation over control of the tourism district
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published