(WASHINGTON) — One month after the Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling on presidential immunity, the judge overseeing former President Trump’s federal election interference case now has jurisdiction over the case again.
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan is now likely to set a series of deadlines, including a potential status conference.
The case has been stayed for seven months as Trump’s legal team appealed presidential immunity all the way to the Supreme Court.
In a 6-3 ruling authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court found that a president has absolute immunity for acts within their core constitutional powers and a presumption of immunity for “acts within the outer perimeter of his official responsibility.”
Judge Chutkan will now be responsible for applying the Supreme Court’s decision to the allegations in Trump’s criminal case, including whether Trump’s actions were “official acts” or private conduct that can be prosecuted.
Trump last year pleaded not guilty to charges of undertaking a “criminal scheme” to overturn the results of the 2020 election by enlisting a slate of so-called “fake electors,” using the Justice Department to conduct “sham election crime investigations,” trying to enlist the vice president to “alter the election results,” and promoting false claims of a stolen election as the Jan. 6 riot raged — all in an effort to subvert democracy and remain in power.
The former president has denied all wrongdoing.
Trump originally faced a March 4 trial date before his appeal effectively paused the proceedings for more than half a year.
(NEW YORK) — One person is dead and two people have been reported missing with several others injured in what authorities are describing as a “major marine incident” that has caused “mass casualty” in Connecticut, officials said.
The North Madison Volunteer Fire Department says that the three people reported missing do not have life jackets and that multiple personnel and ambulances from the towns surrounding Old Saybrook, where the incident is currently ongoing, are assisting with the operation.
Authorities responded to the boating accident at approximately 9:15 p.m. Monday and discovered a single motorboat floating, half-submerged, near the Harbor One Marina in Old Saybrook. There was significant damage to the boat, which hit the east-facing jetty at the mouth of the Connecticut River.
A total of nine people were on the boat. An adult male was recovered deceased, and six people were taken to the hospital for treatment. As of 1 a.m., two people were still being searched for.
“A mass casualty incident describes an incident in which emergency medical services resources, such as personnel and equipment, are overwhelmed by the number and severity of casualties,” the North Madison Volunteer Fire Department said in a follow up statement online describing the operation.
No other details about the cause of the accident or the identities of the victims have been made available and the incident is ongoing.
(NEW YORK) — Last year’s devastating wildfires on Maui were the deadliest in modern United States history, claiming over 100 lives.
The fires also destroyed thousands of homes, businesses, and cultural and historical sites, particularly in and around the town of Lahaina, which was at one time the first capital of the sovereign Hawaiian Kingdom.
Today, many residents continue on the long road to rebuilding their lives and communities.
ABC News continues to help viewers get involved in recovery efforts for the survivors of last year’s wildfires on Maui.
The Maui Strong Fund continues to support long-term recovery needs for those impacted by the fires. HCF does not collect fees for donations and reinvests any earnings from the fund back into the fund.
(NEW YORK) — Police body camera footage of the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman who was shot in her own home by a deputy after calling 911 to report a possible intruder, was released by the Illinois State Police Monday afternoon.
The video, reviewed by ABC News, shows Massey, 36, being shot in the face by former Illinois Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson. Grayson, 30, who is white, has since been charged with three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct, to which he pleaded not guilty. He has been fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.
According to charging documents filed in Sangamon County Court, Grayson allegedly shot Massey in the face after the deputy “aggressively yelled” at her to put down a pot of boiling water and she threw it on a couch.
The video shows Massey pouring a pot of boiling water into the sink after Grayson points out the pot on her stove. Massey asked where he was going, and Grayson replied “away from your hot steaming water.”
“Aw, away from my hot steaming water? Aw, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Massey said.
Grayson replied “You better [expletive] not, I swear to [expletive] God I’ll shoot you right in your [expletive] face,” and immediately proceeded to draw his gun.
Massey covered her face with the pot as she ducked down and apologized. Grayson told her to “drop the [expletive] pot” three times before he shot her.
Grayson and a second deputy who has not yet been named were dispatched to Massey’s Springfield, Illinois, residence at about 12:50 a.m. on July 6 to investigate a possible prowler, according to the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.
Grayson only activated his body-worn camera after the shooting. The other deputy had activated his camera when he arrived at the scene, according to charging documents filed against Grayson in Sangamon County Court.
Court documents describe Massey as “calm, perhaps unwell, not aggressive” at the time that the deputies responded to her call for help. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the family, told ABC News that Massey struggled with her mental health.
Crump described the body-worn camera footage of Massey’s death as “extremely graphic.” He will join the family to address the media Monday afternoon in a news conference, where mental health professionals will be present to counsel attendees due to the graphic nature of the video.
Grayson allegedly discouraged his partner from retrieving a medical kit to render aid to Massey after the shooting because he allegedly thought the injuries were too severe to revive her, according to prosecutors.
In the video, Grayson tells the second deputy that “she’s done” when he says he’s going to get his med kit immediately after Massey is shot.
“No, head shot, dude. She’s done. You can go get it, but that’s a headshot,” Grayson said. “What else do we do? I’m not taking pot boiling water to the [expletive] face and it already reached us.”
The second responding deputy still proceeded to render aid to Massey. According to a statement from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, “Deputies immediately administered first aid until EMS arrived. The woman was transported to St. John’s Hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased. No deputies were injured during the incident.”
Massey was pronounced dead at 1:47 a.m. on July 6. An autopsy found that she died of a gunshot wound, according to Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon.
Illinois State Police investigated the shooting for use of deadly force at the request of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office. According to Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser, a review of the investigation and the body-worn camera footage found that Grayson was not justified in his use of deadly force.
Massey was honored at a funeral on Friday, July 19. During the funeral, her younger sister, Breeanna Toles, asked the public to keep her family’s feelings in mind when watching the body-worn camera footage of her sister’s shooting.
“I know people wanna see the video, I know people wanna talk about the video; I just ask if you do it, just do it out of respect for us,” Toles said.
President Joe Biden released a statement on Massey’s death.
“Sonya’s death at the hands of a responding officer reminds us that all too often Black Americans face fears for their safety in ways many of the rest of us do not,” Biden’s statement says. “Sonya’s family deserves justice. I am heartbroken for her children and her entire family as they face this unthinkable and senseless loss. Jill and I mourn with the rest of the country and our prayers are with Sonya’s family, loved ones, and community during this devastating time.
Grayson’s attorney, Dan Fultz, declined to comment.