Articles by Josh Gerstein

Academics & Education

State Department official defends canceling visas of pro-Palestinian academics The official testified at an ongoing trial that Trump’s deportation drive targets antisemitism and support for terrorism, not ideology or speech.

July 11, 2025   

(Politico) A top State Department official vigorously defended the Trump administration’s drive to cancel the visas of pro-Palestinian academics, arguing that the effort does not abridge free speech and targets students who are supporting terrorism or promoting antisemitism. John Armstrong, State’s top […]

Academics & Education

Trump officials used shadowy website to target pro-Palestinian academics for deportation, court records show The unsealed court records also reveal how deeply involved Trump aide Stephen Miller was in the effort to revoke the visas of pro-Palestinian academics.

July 9, 2025 and   

(Politico) As the Trump administration identified pro-Palestinian academics to target for deportation, it relied heavily on an anonymously-run pro-Israel website that has been criticized for doxxing, according to newly unsealed court documents and testimony at an ongoing trial. To support President Donald […]

Academics & Education

Trump admin waffles in court on whether pro-Palestinian foreigners have full First Amendment rights It’s a central question in the first major trial of Trump’s second term.

July 7, 2025   

(Politico) A trial on a First Amendment lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s drive to deport pro-Palestinian academics quickly confronted a thorny legal issue Monday: whether foreigners in the U.S. enjoy the same free speech rights as American citizens. The administration’s stance on […]

Academics & Education

Trump’s effort to deport pro-Palestinian activists goes to trial The case challenging the administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian academics marks the first major trial of Trump’s second term.

July 6, 2025 and   

(Politico) At least five times in recent weeks, federal judges have forcefully rejected President Donald Trump’s efforts to deport pro-Palestinian student activists, issuing one stinging ruling after another to declare the efforts unconstitutional — with one judge comparing the deportation drive to […]

Academics & Education

Deported Brown University professor had photos of Hezbollah leaders on her phone, DOJ says The government’s explanation for Rasha Alawieh’s deportation came before a judge postponed a hearing on whether it defied a judge’s order that she not be deported without advance notice to the court.

March 17, 2025   

(Politico) Federal authorities say they deported a Lebanese doctor holding an American visa last week after finding “sympathetic photos and videos” of prominent Hezbollah figures in a deleted items folder on her cell phone. Rasha Alawieh, a physician specializing in kidney transplants […]

Legal

Appeals court looks set to let Pentagon out of 9/11 plea deals An appeals court signaled it will override a military judge’s ruling that the agreements avoiding the death penalty were binding.

February 7, 2025   

(Politico) A federal appeals court appears poised to rule that the Pentagon has the authority to withdraw from plea deals ruling out the death penalty that were negotiated with three Guantanamo Bay prisoners accused of plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. […]

Government & Politics

Appeals court revives suit over Trump ‘Muslim ban’ documents D.C. Circuit ruling could open more draft documents to public disclosure

December 10, 2021 and   

(Politico) A federal appeals court has overturned a lower-court decision that allowed the Department of Justice to withhold emails related to former President Donald Trump’s 2017 travel ban that largely targeted Muslim-majority nations. The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in the […]