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ACLU Statement on HUD Guidance on Nuisance Ordinances
NEW YORK
The Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced guidance explaining that local nuisance ordinances that penalize tenants, including victims of domestic violence, for calling 911 can be discriminatory and violate the Fair Housing Act.
HUD highlighted the case of Lakisha Briggs, a domestic violence survivor, who faced eviction after her neighbor called for emergency assistance when Briggs was stabbed. Briggs challenged the Norristown, Pennsylvania nuisance ordinance in a lawsuit filed by the ACLU, the ACLU of Pennsylvania and Pepper Hamilton. The lawsuit and a HUD-initiated investigation resulted in a repeal of the ordinance and Briggs also got a $495,000 monetary award.
Sandra Park, a senior staff attorney with the Women's Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, had this reaction to HUD's guidance:
"Domestic violence victims shouldn't face the impossible choice of staying silent or risking homelessness because they call 911. HUD is sending a strong message that these local ordinances can be dangerous for vulnerable people who need help, and cities should repeal them."
The ACLU has been fighting against discriminatory nuisances ordinances and has written about the cities and towns across the country where these ordinances are in place. We requested guidance from HUD in December alongside 15 anti-violence, disability rights and housing groups. In August, U.S. senators wrote a letter to the secretary of HUD in support of efforts to combat discrimination in nuisance ordinances.
This statement is at: https://www.aclu.org/news/aclu-statement-hud-guidance-nuisance-ordinances
The American Civil Liberties Union was founded in 1920 and is our nation's guardian of liberty. The ACLU works in the courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to all people in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.
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Watchdog Files Bar Complaint Against Trump Prosecutor on Comey, James Cases
Along with "vindictively" harming the defendants, the group leader said, Lindsey Halligan "is singlehandedly undermining—maybe irrevocably—the public's confidence in the impartiality of the Department of Justice."
Nov 11, 2025
As former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James work to have the criminal charges against them dismissed, a watchdog group on Tuesday filed a bar complaint against Lindsey Halligan, who is spearheading the cases as interim US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The Campaign for Accountability (CfA) sent the complaint to both the Florida Bar and the Virginia Bar, which both have jurisdiction because Halligan is a Florida-licensed lawyer practicing in Virginia. She previously served as a defense attorney for President Donald Trump, and before her current job, she had no prosecutorial experience.
In September, shortly after Halligan took over for Erik Siebert, who declined to bring charges against Comey or James, the ex-FBI director was charged with lying to Congress—and Trump vowed that "there'll be others." In early October, James—who successfully prosecuted Trump for financial crimes before his second term—was indicted for mortgage fraud. Critics argue both cases are part of the administration's broader effort to punish the president's "enemies."
The CfA complaint outlines how Halligan may have violated Virginia's rules for attorneys that require candor to the court and competence, and prohibit extrajudicial statements, the prosecution of a charge the prosecutor knows is not supported by probable cause, and conduct involving dishonesty, deceit, misrepresentation, or conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.
"We are asking the Virginia and Florida bars to investigate, making clear that a government appointment is not a hall pass for unethical behavior."
In addition to violating the Virginia and Florida rules for lawyers, Halligan may have violated her oath to "support the Constitution of the United States" and to "faithfully discharge the duties of the office of attorney and counselor at law," the document explains. "More generally, Ms. Halligan's actions appear to constitute an abuse of power and serve to undermine the integrity of the Department of Justice (DOJ) and erode public confidence in the legal profession and the fair administration of justice."
Along with laying out Halligan's actions in the Comey and James cases, the complaint notes her related correspondence on the messaging application Signal with Lawfare's Anna Bower, which the journalist reported on in detail.
"Ms. Halligan's actions with respect to the prosecution of Mr. Comey and Ms. James, and her Signal exchange with Ms. Bower, appear to represent a serious breach of her ethical obligations," the complaint says. "Her conduct undermines the integrity of the DOJ, appears to have violated multiple provisions of the Virginia and Florida rules of professional conduct, and undoubtedly will erode public trust in the legal system if permitted without consequence."
"The committee has a responsibility to stop Ms. Halligan from abusing her position and her Florida bar license for improper purposes," the document stresses. "Failing to discipline Ms. Halligan under these egregious circumstances will embolden others who would use our system of justice for their own political ends."
"Campaign for Accountability respectfully requests that the Committees in both states conduct a thorough investigation into these allegations, determine if any violation occurred and, if so, impose appropriate disciplinary measures," the complaint concludes.
The group's executive director, Michelle Kuppersmith, said in a statement that "it is difficult to overstate the damage wrought by Ms. Halligan's actions. In addition to unjustly and vindictively inflicting direct personal harm on Mr. Comey and Ms. James, she is singlehandedly undermining—maybe irrevocably—the public's confidence in the impartiality of the Department of Justice."
"Ms. Halligan appears to have violated numerous rules of professional conduct for lawyers," she added. "We are asking the Virginia and Florida bars to investigate, making clear that a government appointment is not a hall pass for unethical behavior."
CBS News noted that while Halligan and the DOJ did not respond to requests for comment on the complaint, Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly praised her the week that Comey was indicted, writing on social media: "This was a big week at the Department of Justice. Our EDVA US Attorney Lindsey Halligan did an outstanding job. We will continue to fight for accountability, fairness, and the rule of law because the American people deserve nothing less."
Bondi, also of Florida, has faced her own bar complaint—filed in June by Democracy Defenders Fund, Lawyers Defending American Democracy, Lawyers for the Rule of Law, and dozens of individual attorneys, law professors, and former judges, who collectively accused her of engaging in "serious professional misconduct that threatens the rule of law and the administration of justice.”
In the wake of another prosecutor charging Trump’s ex-adviser John Bolton, Reuters/Ipsos polling published late last month showed that a majority of American adults think the Republican president is using US law enforcement "to go after his enemies."
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One Month Into Ceasefire, Israel Continues 'Silent Genocide' in Gaza
A report by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor detailed "a clear policy by the Israeli political and military leadership to use the ceasefire as a cover to continue genocide against Gaza’s residents."
Nov 11, 2025
A month after Hamas and Israeli officials signed off on a ceasefire deal, a leading human rights group warned that Israel is maintaining conditions in Gaza that "prevent any recovery from over 25 months of humanitarian catastrophe," while the international community is largely silent about the continued killing and destruction in the exclave.
Despite the ceasefire deal that was brokered by the Trump administration, an average of eight Palestinians are still being killed per day as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue to wage "aerial and artillery bombardment, gunfire, and the ongoing destruction of homes and buildings, particularly in the eastern areas of Khan Younis and Gaza City," according to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor.
The Government Media Office in Gaza reported Tuesday that Israel has violated the ceasefire agreement at least 282 times, as it's claimed that Hamas has done the same by killing Israeli soldiers and failing to return the body of one of the captives who was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
President Donald Trump has defended the IDF's attacks in some cases, saying an attack on October 29 that killed 109 Palestinian people, including 52 children, was "retribution" for the killing of an Israeli soldier.
With the president's tacit approval of attacks that it considers "retribution" and his insistence that the ceasefire holds, Israel has killed 242 Palestinians since the ceasefire began on October 10, including 85 children. About 619 people have been injured.
Despite the first phase of the 20-point peace plan put forward by Trump stipulating an end to all hostilities by Hamas and Israel, said the Euro-Med Monitor, "Israel continues to commit genocide against Palestinian civilians through various means."
In addition to continuing its military bombardment, Israel has not obeyed another requirement of the first phase of the deal: lifting the blockade that began in October 2023 and that has killed nearly 500 Palestinians so far.
"Israel continues to administer a deliberate policy of starvation in the Gaza Strip, having blocked the entry of approximately 70% of the aid required under the agreement," said Euro-Med Monitor. "It also controls the type of goods allowed in, systematically restricting essential food items such as meat and dairy products while flooding the markets with calorie-dense but nutrient-poor products."
Gaza's population of about 2 million people remains "in a state of controlled, chronic hunger," said the group. Child malnutrition rates remain 20% from last year despite the ceasefire.
The group released an infographic on Tuesday, detailing the devastation that continues in Gaza as Israel persists in committing a "silent genocide"—now without the sustained pressure of the international community for the attacks to stop.
The graphic notes that since Israel began its attacks:
- Nine out of every 10 Palestinians who have been killed in Gaza were civilians;
- 100% of hospitals have been damaged or destroyed;
- 45,600 children have been orphaned;
- 12% of all Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, injured, detained, or are missing.
- 40,000 people now have permanent or long-term disabilities, including 21,000 children;
- 100% of the population faces acute food insecurity; and
- 100% of the population has suffered psychological trauma.
The Euro-Med Monitor also warned that Israel is continuing to block movement in both directions at the Rafah crossing, restricting civilians who are sick or wounded from getting medical care.
"These actions are not isolated incidents but part of a systematic pattern indicating a clear policy by the Israeli political and military leadership to use the ceasefire as a cover to continue genocide against Gaza’s residents," said the group. "By maintaining a disguised military assault and perpetuating killing, starvation, and systematic destruction, Israel exploits the absence of international will to protect civilians and hold perpetrators accountable."
A "grave development" included in Euro-Med Monitor's report is "the dismantling of the Gaza Strip’s geographical unity, turning it into an isolated and uninhabitable area."
Ramy Abdul, chairman of the organization, posted a video on social media of an Israeli soldier "proudly documenting" his army unit's use of excavators, "flattening what's left of northern Gaza" behind the "yellow line" to which Israeli troops were required to withdraw under the ceasefire deal.
"The continued silence of the international community and the failure to activate accountability mechanisms provide Israel with practical cover to continue committing genocide, albeit at a slower pace, as part of a consistent policy aimed at eliminating the Palestinian presence in the Gaza Strip," said Euro-Med Monitor.
The group's analysis came as Politico reported that Trump administration officials have begun privately expressing concerns that the peace deal could break down due to an inability to implement core provisions, such as deploying an "International Stabilization Force" that would officially be tasked with peacekeeping in Gaza.
"The administration took its victory lap after the initial ceasefire and hostage release, but all the hard work, the real hard work, remains," David Schenker, former assistant secretary of state for the Middle East, told Politico.
Countries including the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Jordan, and Azerbaijan have said they will not commit to contributing forces, with the latter declining to attend a recent planning meeting and saying it would not participate until a full ceasefire is in place.
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‘A Significant Rupture’: Trump's Boat Bombing Spree Leads UK to Curb Intel-Sharing With US
"We're told that the UK is deeply uncomfortable with [the boat strikes], and they believe that it is pretty blatantly illegal," revealed a CNN reporter.
Nov 11, 2025
President Donald Trump's policy of bombing purported drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, which multiple legal experts have decried as an illegal act extrajudicial murder, is now meeting resistance from a top US ally.
CNN reported on Tuesday that the UK has now stopped sharing intelligence related to suspected drug-trafficking vessels with the US because the country does not want to be complicit in strikes that it believes violate international law.
CNN's sources say that the UK stopped giving the US information about boats in the region roughly a month ago, shortly after Trump began authorizing drone strikes against them in a campaign that so far has killed at least 76 people.
"Before the US military began blowing up boats in September, countering illicit drug trafficking was handled by law enforcement and the US Coast Guard, [and] cartel members and drug smugglers were treated as criminals with due process rights," explained CNN.
Last month, after his administration had already launched several strikes, Trump declared drug cartels enemy combatants and claimed he has the right to launch military strikes against suspected drug-trafficking boats.
Appearing on CNN on Tuesday to discuss the story, reporter Natasha Bertrand described the decision to stop sharing intelligence as "a really significant rupture" between the US and its closest ally.
"We're told that the UK is deeply uncomfortable with [the boat strikes], and they believe that it is pretty blatantly illegal," Bertrand explained. "It really underscores the continued questions surrounding the legality of this US military campaign."
🚨HOLY SHIT: The UK - our closest ally since WWI - just cut off ALL intelligence sharing with the U.S. about Caribbean drug trafficking boats, calling the strikes illegal.
Britain doesn’t trust us anymore. Trump has torched a century of friendship while he sucks up to dictators. pic.twitter.com/E0Was3WrrY
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) November 11, 2025
The US military began its boat attacks in the Caribbean in September, and has since expanded them to purported drug boats operating in the Pacific Ocean.
Reporting last month from the Wall Street Journal indicated that the administration was also preparing to attack a variety of targets inside Venezuela, whose government Trump has baselessly accused of running drug cartels. Potential targets include “ports and airports controlled by the military that are allegedly used to traffic drugs, including naval facilities and airstrips.”
The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier has now arrived off the coast of Latin America, in a move that the paper notes "has fueled speculation the Trump administration intends to dramatically escalate its deadly counternarcotics campaign there, possibly through direct attacks on Venezuela."
Reports from the US government and the United Nations have not identified Venezuela as a significant source of drugs that enter the United States, and the country plays virtually no role in the trafficking of fentanyl, the primary cause of drug overdoses in the US.
The administration's military aggression in Latin America has also sparked a fierce backlash in the region, where dozens of political leaders last month condemned the boat attacks, while also warning that they could just be the start of a regime change war reminiscent of Cold War-era US-backed coups like ones that occurred in Chile, Brazil, and other nations.
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