Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Looming Trump charges follow criticism of N.Y. prosecutor for not acting sooner

A New York City prosecutor who was publicly criticized for declining to charge Donald Trump last year now appears very close to bringing the first criminal indictment against a former president in U.S. history. Trump on Saturday said that he expects to be arrested this week on charges by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is investigating whether Trump falsified business records by concealing his reimbursement of his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen for a $130,000 payment Cohen made to porn star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.

Family of Black man killed in Memphis jail wants guards to be held accountable

The family of a Black man who died while in a Memphis jail on Friday called on authorities to identify the correctional officers involved in the altercation that killed him and to hold them accountable. Gershun Freeman, 33, died on Oct. 2 at the Shelby County, Tennessee, jail after being beaten by guards and held prone on the ground with a knee on his back for more than five minutes while handcuffed. Video of the incident was made public earlier this month.More than five months after his death, the family is still seeking answers and justice, his mother, Kimberly Freeman, said at a press conference outside the county jail where her son was held.

US asks Supreme Court to uphold domestic violence gun law

The U.S. Justice Department has asked the Supreme Court to allow a federal law stand that makes it a crime for people under domestic violence restraining orders to own firearms. In February, a three judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans declared that the ban was unconstitutional, saying it violated the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects the right to bear arms. It was the latest victory for gun rights advocates since a Supreme Court ruling last June granting a broad right for people to carry firearms outside the home.

Trump, rape accuser Carroll agree to a single defamation trial

Former President Donald Trump and E. Jean Carroll have agreed to a single trial on whether Trump defamed the former Elle magazine columnist by denying he raped her in the mid-1990s. According to a letter filed late Friday in Manhattan federal court, lawyers for both sides agreed to an April 25 trial to consider whether the former U.S. president should be liable for critical statements about Carroll in June 2019 and last October.

New chief judge in Washington to oversee secret Trump proceedings

A new judge took over leadership of the U.S. trial court in Washington on Friday, inheriting oversight of secret proceedings involving special counsel criminal investigations into former President Donald Trump's retention of classified documents and efforts by him and his allies to undo his 2020 election loss. James "Jeb" Boasberg became chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, replacing Judge Beryl Howell as her seven-year term comes to an end.

A transformed US Supreme Court pays tribute to Justice Ginsburg

The U.S. Supreme Court's current members, joined by judges, scholars, lawyers and government officials, paid tribute on Friday to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a liberal icon and women's rights pioneer whose 2020 death opened the door to the top U.S. judicial body's transformative rightward shift. A rare meeting of the Supreme Court Bar, composed of attorneys admitted to practice law before the court, featured speeches from people who worked closely with Ginsburg including U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, who argues cases for President Joe Biden's administration.

Pence, New Hampshire's Sununu rebuke DeSantis, back aid for Ukraine

The U.S. should continue supporting Ukraine, former Vice President Mike Pence and New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu said on Saturday, a position that puts them at odds with the top two contenders for the Republican presidential nomination. Foreign policy has emerged as the main ideological fissure within the Republican Party as the 2024 nominating contest heats up.

Lieutenant in Tyre Nichols' death retired before termination hearing -reports

A lieutenant with the Memphis Police Department involved in the traffic stop that led to the killing of Tyre Nichols in January filed for retirement before a disciplinary hearing to fire him, according to media reports. Documents obtained by several news outlets identified DeWayne Smith, a 25-year veteran of the city's police force, as the on-scene supervisor on the night of Jan. 7, when officers kicked and punched Nichols while he was handcuffed.

Trump says he expects to be arrested on Tuesday, calls for protests

Former U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday said he expects to be arrested on Tuesday as New York prosecutors consider charges over a hush money payment to a porn star, and called on his supporters to protest. "Illegal leaks from a corrupt & highly political Manhattan district attorney's office ... indicate that, with no crime being able to be proven ... the far & away leading Republican candidate & former president of the United States of America, will be arrested on Tuesday of next week," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Wyoming governor signs law outlawing use of abortion pills

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon on Friday signed into law a bill outlawing the use or prescription of medication abortion pills that was passed by the state's Republican-controlled legislature earlier this month. Gordon, a Republican, signed the law as a federal judge in Texas considers ordering a nationwide ban on the abortion pill mifepristone in response to a lawsuit by anti-abortion groups.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)