Judge gives Trump deadline to object to unsealing Jan. 6 evidence

Judge Tanya Chutkan on Friday gave former President Donald Trump until Tuesday to file any objection to her unsealing a dossier of evidence from special counsel Jack Smith in the federal Jan. 6 election interference case.

In an electronic order, Chutkan gave Trump’s defense team the Oct. 1 deadline to counter Smith’s claim that the public should get to see the 180-page document dump in which prosecutors make the case that Trump’s alleged misdeeds were not covered by the Supreme Court’s decision to grant him significant immunity.

The Washington, D.C., district court judge gave no hint as to when she might rule on the dispute or when the Smith filing might be made public if she sides with the government.

With a criminal trial postponed indefinitely, a public filing would likely be the final chance before Election Day for voters to assess so-far secret evidence of Trump’s effort to overturn his loss in the 2020 election.

Trump says it’s all part of a Democratic-inspired witch hunt designed to smear his good name and prevent him from winning another term in the White House.

—New York Daily News

8 Georgia counties are facing a probe over voter challenges

ATLANTA — Eight county election boards are facing investigation by the State Election Board over their handling of thousands of challenges aiming to cancel voter registrations.

The board launched the investigation after activists expressed concerns that county-level election officials had dismissed almost all their challenges since Georgia’s latest voter challenge law — Senate Bill 189 — went into effect July 1.

The investigation is aimed at Athens- Clarke, Bibb, Cobb, DeKalb, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett and Jackson counties.

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis found that Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett, alone, have rejected more than 45,000 voter eligibility challenges since July.

Those 45,000 were on top of more than 350,000 other voter challenges filed since the 2020 election. State laws passed since then — driven by conservatives who questioned Democrat Joe Biden’s victory over then-President Donald Trump, despite numerous investigations, recounts and court proceedings confirming the results — allow any registered voter to file an unlimited number of challenges.

State Election Board member Janice Johnston said she thought challengers provided valid evidence for county election boards to consider.

—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Alaska says no to defining gender dysphoria as a disability

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska is one of 17 Republican-controlled states that signed on to a lawsuit filed this week against the federal government over a rule change that classified gender dysphoria as a disability.

The rule change sought by the administration of President Joe Biden means states that do not accommodate individuals experiencing gender dysphoria could be at risk of losing federal funding for a variety of programs, including Medicaid.

Gender dysphoria generally refers to the psychological distress experienced by transgender people as a result of the disparity between their assigned sex and their gender identity.

The lawsuit, led by Texas, asked the court to declare that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services exceeded its authority when it adopted the rule in May.

In Alaska, several attempts to restrict the rights of transgender people have failed to pass the Legislature.

—Anchorage Daily News

Top NYC mayor adviser gets subpoena, home is searched

NEW YORK — Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Mayor Eric Adams’ chief adviser and longtime political confidante, had her Brooklyn home searched by state authorities Friday and was stopped by both state and federal investigators at JFK Airport as she returned from an overseas trip, the Daily News has learned.

State investigators from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office seized cellphones from Lewis-Martin at JFK on Friday morning as she arrived on a flight from Japan, where sources say she has been vacationing. In a separate action, federal investigators from the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office served Lewis-Martin with a subpoena when she arrived at JFK.

The subpoena is asking her to furnish testimony and documents, sources said.

It wasn’t immediately clear what investigations prompted the law enforcement actions.

“Ms. Lewis is not the target of any case of which we are aware,” Arthur Aidala, her attorney, said.

Spokespeople for the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office and the Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to comment.

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