A federal judge in New York has ruled that President Donald Trump and the US State Department overstepped their authority when they suspended the processing of visa applications for people from 75 nations earlier this year, a move that critics at the time called a “travesty,” cruel, and counter to the rule of law.

US District Judge Jeannette Vargas, a Biden appointee, ruled Friday that the pause in visa applications—which Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed was necessary to prevent immigrant visitors from freeloading on US taxpayer dollars—was “contrary to law and in excess of statutory authority. ”Diana Konate, deputy executive director for policy and advocacy at African Communities Together, which took part in the legal challenge, said the ruling was a “tremendous victory for the rule of law.”

“This unlawful and racist ban caused immeasurable harm, cruelly keeping families and loved ones apart,” Konate said. “Today, we are elated to tell our community members: this ban is no more.”

Vargas determined that the policy first announced by Rubio in January “runs afoul” of the Immigration and Nationality Act by mandating “the refusal of visas to eligible applicants without any basis in law.”

According to the Associated Press:

Vargas said the policy also undermines the congressional requirement that puts consular officers at the forefront of any visa decision.

“Congress imbued these officers with exclusive authority and discretion to determine if an immigrant is eligible for a visa based upon review of specific and detailed criteria set forth in the statute,” she wrote. “The Policy, which categorically prohibits the issuance of immigrant visas based upon the nationality of the applicant, represents a direct abrogation of this statutory scheme.”

The policy was challenged by two nonprofit organizations along with 11 individuals, including six whose family members had been refused visas. The remaining five are outside the country and had filed “employment-based petitions” to come to the United States.

The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), one of the other nonprofits behind the suit which led to the ruling, welcomed the decision in a statement on Saturday, calling it “an important victory for families who faced prolonged uncertainty and separation because of a policy that treated applicants differently based on their country of origin rather than their individual circumstances.”

“At its heart,” said Anna Gallagher, CLINIC’s executive director, “this case is about keeping families together.”

“The suspension of lawful visa issuance across 75 countries separated spouses, parents and children who were simply following the legal immigration process,” Gallagher said. “Catholic social teaching calls us to uphold the dignity of every person and recognize the family as the foundation of society. Today’s decision affirms both those values and the rule of law, allowing families to once again move forward toward reunification.”

MAGA influencer and pardoned Jan. 6 rioter Jake Lang was arrested Saturday in Minnesota after a vehicle he was occupying drove “toward a crowd of people” near Minneapolis City Hall, according to a statement from the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD).

“At approx. 11:50 a.m., far-right extremist Jake Lang arrived near Minneapolis City Hall with other people in two vehicles. Both vehicles drove onto the sidewalk in front of City Hall toward a crowd of people gathered there,” the statement reads.

“MPD intervened and LE partners later arrested all occupants, including Lang, on probable cause riot. Both vehicles were impounded. Additional arrests by MPD occurred near City Hall.”

A native New Yorker who now lives in West Palm Beach, Florida, Lang was charged with 11 offenses stemming from Jan. 6, including allegations of assaulting officers with a baseball bat, and spent four years awaiting trial before Trump pardoned approximately 1,500 people connected to the insurrection in January 2025. He was never convicted of any of the charges against him.

Since his release, Lang has rebranded as a far-right influencer and has built a reputation for staging provocations that draw counter-protests, including demonstrations in Dearborn, Michigan, Plano, Texas, and Minneapolis since November 2025 that have led to counter-protests, injuries and viral footage.

Rep. Tom Kean (R-NJ) drew a flood of mockery after launching a "laughable" attack on his Democratic opponent Saturday, one critics quickly noted was dripping with irony.

“I do the most local press engagements of any NJ Member of Congress,” Kean wrote Saturday in a social media post on X. “Meanwhile, my opponent [Rebecca Bennett] stays hidden from voters behind a campaign script.”

Critics were quick to point out that Kean had only recently returned from a four-month absence from Congress – an absence which the lawmaker or his aides refused to explain, outside of a delayed statement that it was due to a “personal medical issue.” Casting his last vote before his absence on March 5, Kean finally revealed the reason for his absence in late June upon his return: a “diagnosis of depression.”

“Man who disappeared without explanation for four months straight accuses opponent of hiding,” quipped Ethan Chen, a New Jersey-based elections analyst and political commentator.

MS NOW congressional reporter Matt Fuller called Kean’s attack on Bennett “laughable,” and argued that even outside of Kean’s mysterious four-month absence, he was “one of the very least accessible lawmakers on Capitol Hill.”

New Jersey political communications strategist Ethan Block flagged an incident in which police were called on a New York Times reporter trying to cover a fundraiser for Kean, while the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) separately condemned Kean's attack as ironic.

“Only a career politician could come up with this kind of spin,” reads a post from the DCCC’s X account published Saturday. “Junior, you didn't tell your constituents where you were for nearly 4 months and your team just called the police on a journalist because you're too afraid to answer questions. Could you be any less transparent?”