This Day in Legal History: Timothy McVeigh Convicted

On June 2, 1997, Timothy McVeigh was convicted by a federal jury for his role in the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in U.S. history at the time—the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The attack killed 168 people, including 19 children, and injured hundreds more. McVeigh, a Gulf War veteran, carried out the bombing using a truck packed with explosives parked in front of the building. The trial, held in Denver due to pretrial publicity concerns in Oklahoma, lasted over five weeks and featured powerful testimony from survivors and victims’ families.

The jury found McVeigh guilty on all 11 counts, including conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and eight counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of federal law enforcement personnel. His conviction marked a pivotal moment in how the U.S. viewed and responded to homegrown terrorism. Eleven days later, McVeigh was sentenced to death by lethal injection, a sentence he did not appeal.

McVeigh’s case underscored the rise of anti-government extremism in the 1990s and prompted a reevaluation of domestic security protocols. It also led to legislative changes, including the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, which aimed to streamline federal habeas corpus appeals and enhance penalties for terrorism-related offenses. McVeigh was executed in 2001, the first federal execution in 38 years.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently handed key legal victories to President Donald Trump’s administration on immigration, allowing it to proceed with controversial deportation policies. The Court lifted lower court orders that had blocked the termination of humanitarian parole and temporary protected status for over 800,000 migrants, including many from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua. Though these rulings advanced Trump’s hardline agenda, the justices also expressed concern over the fairness of how deportations are being carried out, particularly regarding due process rights.

In multiple rulings, the Court emphasized that even non-citizens, including alleged gang members, are entitled to proper notice and the opportunity to contest deportation. In one case, it blocked an attempt to quickly remove migrants from a Texas detention center without giving them enough time or information to respond legally. The justices also limited the administration’s use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants, a law historically used only during wartime.

The Court also ordered the administration to assist in returning a wrongly deported migrant, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, to the U.S.—a directive that has yet to be fulfilled. Legal experts note that while the Court has tried to rein in some of the administration’s most extreme actions, it continues to show broad deference to presidential authority over immigration. This deference was evident as the justices issued high-impact rulings without written explanation, stripping legal protections from hundreds of thousands of migrants.

Pending cases before the Court include challenges to Trump’s attempt to limit birthright citizenship and to expand deportations to unstable third countries like South Sudan. A lower court found the administration violated migrants’ rights by attempting such deportations without adequate legal process.

Trump gets key wins at Supreme Court on immigration, despite some misgivings | Reuters

A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from invalidating work permits and legal status documents for approximately 5,000 Venezuelan migrants, despite the U.S. Supreme Court recently allowing broader termination of protections for hundreds of thousands under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen ruled that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem likely overstepped her authority by voiding these documents in February while ending TPS for Venezuelans more generally.

Although the Supreme Court lifted Chen’s earlier injunction halting the broader termination of TPS on May 19, it did not preclude migrants from challenging the cancellation of individual documents tied to the program. These documents were issued after President Biden extended TPS protections for Venezuelans through October 2026. Judge Chen found that nothing in the TPS statute allowed the Secretary to retroactively invalidate permits already granted.

The decision safeguards the legal status of the small subset of Venezuelans who possess these documents, allowing them to remain employed and protected from deportation. Chen emphasized that the relatively low number—around 5,000—undermines arguments that their continued presence poses economic or national security risks. The ruling comes just hours after the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end a separate parole program affecting over half a million migrants from four countries.

US judge blocks Trump from invalidating 5,000 Venezuelans' legal documents | Reuters

Google announced it will appeal a recent antitrust ruling that found the company unlawfully maintained a monopoly in online search, even as a federal judge considers less aggressive remedies than those sought by U.S. antitrust enforcers. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta recently concluded a trial over how to address Google's dominance, with the Justice Department and a coalition of states advocating for strong structural changes—such as forcing Google to divest parts of its ad tech business and cease paying Apple and other companies to remain the default search engine.

In response, Google reiterated its disagreement with the original decision, arguing that the Court erred and expressing confidence in its planned appeal. Antitrust officials have pushed for remedies that include requiring Google to share search data and end exclusive agreements they claim restrict market competition, particularly in the evolving field of AI-driven search.

At the hearing, Google’s attorney John Schmidtlein noted the company has already taken steps to improve competition, such as ending exclusive deals with smartphone manufacturers and wireless carriers. This, Google argues, allows for more freedom to include rival search and AI applications on devices.

Google says it will appeal online search antitrust decision | Reuters

PBS has filed a lawsuit against Trump over an executive order that cuts federal funding to the public broadcaster, calling the move a violation of the First Amendment. The complaint, filed in a Washington, D.C. federal court, argues that Trump’s May 1 order is an act of viewpoint discrimination because it targets PBS over the content of its programming. PBS claims the funding cut is a retaliatory response to perceived political bias in its coverage, amounting to unconstitutional government interference in free speech.

The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to halt financial support for both PBS and NPR. PBS stated that while CPB provides only 16% of its overall budget, the ban would also affect local member stations that rely on federal support and contribute 61% of PBS’s funding through dues. PBS and Lakeland PBS, a Minnesota-based station, are plaintiffs in the case, arguing that the executive order would destabilize public television across the country.

The Trump administration defended the cuts as a necessary step to prevent public funds from supporting what it labeled partisan or ideologically driven programming. NPR has also filed a separate lawsuit to block the order. The CPB, which receives congressional funding two years in advance to minimize political interference, previously sued Trump over his attempt to remove board members.

PBS sues Trump to reverse funding cuts | Reuters

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