Crow's Nest

Breaking Surveillance

On Sept. 21, Senators Warnock and Britt asked DOJ to regulate police ALPR systems; 20 Georgia officers and 50 nationwide have faced charges for misusing data

Sens. Raphael Warnock and Katie Britt against a backrop of Flock Safety automated license plate readers — reason.com, updated 3h ago

Bipartisan Senate Effort Urges DOJ Action Against Flock License-Plate Reader Abuse (Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal)
Bipartisan Senators Ask Justice Department to Curb Police Misuse of Flock Cameras (WSFA)
Senators Urge Federal Oversight of Automatic License Plate Readers After Abuse Reports (thecurrentga.org)
Senators Urge Justice Department to Impose Safeguards on License Plate Readers (WTVA)
Senators Urge DOJ to Enact Safeguards for Automated License-Plate Readers (WBRC)
Bipartisan Senators Urge Justice Department to Set Guardrails on Flock License-Plate Cameras (1819 News)
+27 more sources

Get the brief — one email each weekday.Subscribe →

The beat

Sep 25

Opinion: In a 5-page ruling with no noted dissents, the Supreme Court blocks Missouri from using a disputed 7-1 map; a lower court had allowed it for November

scotusblog.comElections

Supreme Court Unanimously Blocks Missouri's Gerrymandered Congressional Map (arkansasadvocate.com)
Supreme Court Blocks Missouri Congressional Redistricting Map for Upcoming Elections (missouriindependent.com)
+3 more sources

Sep 25

Ruling: A court orders the White House to restore press passes to CNN, MS NOW, Politico, and 3 reporters; Trump revoked them on Sept. 18, 2026 without notice

reason.comPress

Analysis Federal Judge Blocks White House Order Revoking Press Credentials for 78 Journalists (heathercoxrichardson.substack.com)
Counterpoint Judge Orders White House to Temporarily Restore Press Access for Banned Outlets (100percentfedup.com)
+16 more sources

Sep 25

Ruling: the Supreme Court allows the Trump administration to use an overhauled immigration database for November voter checks; a judge had blocked the rollout

electionlawblog.orgElections

Supreme Court Allows Federal Citizenship Database for Voter Verification (scotusblog.com)
Supreme Court Allows Overhauled Immigration Database for Midterm Voter Citizenship Checks (thehill.com)
+1 more sources

Sep 25

Filing: DHS asks the Supreme Court to allow it to resume deporting migrants to third countries where they have no ties under Trump administration agreements

scotusblog.comImmigration

Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Allow Rapid Third-Country Deportations (rhodeislandcurrent.com)
Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Permit Rapid Third-Country Deportations (idahocapitalsun.com)
+22 more sources

Sep 25

Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism schedules hearing on Flock Safety cameras; over 200 cities terminated ALPR contracts in 2026

American Civil Liberties UnionSurveillance

Woman Jailed for 13 Days After Flock License Plate Reader Misidentifies Car (WKRN News 2)
Primary Senators Urge Justice Department Guidance to Prevent License Plate Reader Misuse (U.S. Senate (.gov))
+80 more sources

Sep 25

The D.C. Circuit weighed due process for 137 Venezuelans deported under the Alien Enemies Act in March 2025; the U.S. paid up to $6 million to detain them

courthousenews.comImmigration

Appeals Panel Weighs Due Process Rights for Detainees Deported Under Wartime Law (northdakotamonitor.com)
Appeals Panel Signals Men Deported Under Alien Enemies Act Deserve Due Process (coloradonewsline.com)
+11 more sources

Sep 25

Ruling: D.C. Circuit upholds the Pentagon blacklist of AI firm Anthropic; a 2-1 panel found the Department of Defense had ample support for its security label

thehill.comNational Security

DC Circuit Upholds Pentagon Supply-Chain Blacklisting of AI Firm Anthropic (thehill.com)
Appeals Court Upholds Pentagon Designation of Anthropic as Supply Chain Risk (wired.com)

Sep 25

Ruling: D.C. Circuit rejects Anthropic's First Amendment challenge to Defense Department exclusion over a federal supply-chain risk designation

courtlistener.comSpeech

Analysis D.C. Circuit Rejects First Amendment Challenge Over Federal Supply-Chain Risk Designation (reason.com)

12:15 AM

Senate Judiciary subcommittee examines warrantless tracking by Flock Safety's network of over 120,000 cameras; Hawaii is the only state without the devices

lailluminator.comSurveillance

Sheriff Testifies to Congress on Privacy Concerns Surrounding Flock License-Plate Readers (KTAR News 92.3 FM)
Senators Question Constitutional Impact of Expanding Flock Surveillance Camera Network (WCLU Radio)
+56 more sources

1:03 AM

President Trump excludes CNN from Air Force One; a 2025 D.C. Circuit ruling in AP v. Budowich found restricted presidential spaces are not First Amendment fora

reason.comPress

Sep 25

Oregon Reps. Willy Chotzen and Alek Skarlatos plan 2027 legislation to ban automated license plate readers; Senate Bill 1516 capped data retention at 30 days

idahocapitalsun.comSurveillance

Oregon Lawmakers Consider Banning Automated License-Plate Readers Statewide (Herald and News)
Oregon Lawmakers Consider Statewide Ban on Automated License Plate Readers (Your Oregon News)
+6 more sources

Sep 25

Ruling: In 2 lawsuits, the Sixth Circuit held Ohio and Tennessee may apply sports betting laws to Kalshi; the panel ruled its event contracts are not federal swaps

courthousenews.comEconomic Liberty

Sep 25

Ruling: California Supreme Court orders Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco to return 650,000 ballots; state law bars taking ballots from election officials

electionlawblog.orgElections

Analysis California Supreme Court Orders Sheriff to Return More Than 650,000 Seized Ballots (electionlawblog.org)
California Supreme Court Orders Sheriff to Return 650,000 Seized Ballots (thehill.com)

Sep 25

Rulemaking: Moldova's Ministry of Internal Affairs proposed a national facial registry for 1:1 and 1:N searches; the draft is undergoing public consultation

biometricupdate.comSurveillance

Moldova Proposes National Facial Image Registry for Law Enforcement Biometric Identification (Moldova 1)