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June 29, 2026

8 entries on this date.

Arkansas Gov. Sanders announced the state would enforce a SNAP candy-and-soda ban despite a ruling that such bans exceed federal law

On June 29, 2026, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the state would move forward with a ban on using SNAP benefits to buy candy and soft drinks, effective July 1, saying Arkansas was "moving full speed ahead." The announcement came six days after U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ruled that the USDA lacked authority to approve identical waivers in five other states, finding the restrictions conflict with the Food and Nutrition Act's statutory definition of "food." Arkansas, which was not a party to that case, had obtained its own USDA-approved waiver in 2025.

DOJ sued Massachusetts and Rhode Island to block in-state tuition and aid for undocumented students

On June 29, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Massachusetts and Rhode Island in federal court, seeking to block each state's in-state tuition and financial-aid programs for undocumented students, arguing the laws unlawfully grant noncitizens benefits unavailable to U.S. citizens living outside the state. The suits challenge Massachusetts' 2023 Tuition Equity Law and Rhode Island's in-state tuition policy, in place since 2011 and codified in 2021. DOJ said the filings brought its litigation campaign's total to 12 states, following earlier suits that resulted in permanent injunctions in Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Nebraska.

SCOTUS 6-3 overturned Humphrey's Executor, holding presidents may fire independent agency commissioners at will

On June 29, 2026, the Supreme Court overturned Humphrey's Executor v. United States (1935) in a 6-3 ruling authored by Chief Justice Roberts in Trump v. Slaughter, holding that President Trump's firing of FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter without cause was constitutional. The ruling makes Congress's statutory for-cause removal protections for independent agency commissioners — including at the FTC, NLRB, EEOC, MSPB, and CPSC — unenforceable. A separate 5-4 ruling in Trump v. Cook temporarily blocked Trump from removing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, carving out a partial exception for the Fed.

Interior paid Duke Energy $129 million to terminate its Carolina Long Bay offshore wind lease

On June 29, 2026, the Department of the Interior announced a settlement agreement with Duke Energy under which Duke voluntarily terminated its offshore wind lease in the Carolina Long Bay area — 22 miles off southeastern North Carolina — in exchange for $129 million in federal compensation. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the deal advances President Trump's energy agenda, and Duke Energy said it would redirect the funds toward nuclear and natural gas generation. The agreement is the fourth offshore wind lease termination brokered by the Trump administration, bringing total federal wind lease buyout payments to more than $2.75 billion.

DOJ opened an investigation into Sen. Ruben Gallego's campaign spending days after the Senate Ethics Committee cleared him

Around June 29, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation into Sen. Ruben Gallego's (D-AZ) use of campaign funds since 2019, examining family trips and leadership-PAC reimbursements. The probe, reportedly stemming from a whistleblower complaint, became public days after the Senate Ethics Committee closed its own inquiry and found no evidence Gallego violated Senate rules or applicable law. Gallego, a potential 2028 presidential contender, denies wrongdoing and has not been charged.

ICE detained and handcuffed Sister Leticia Ugboaja, a Catholic nun, walking to Sunday Mass in McAllen, Texas

On June 29, 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained Sister Leticia "Letty" Ugboaja, a 56-year-old Nigerian nun and member of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy, as she walked one block from her home to Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church for Sunday Mass. ICE transferred her to the El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville and denied her access to medication. She was released the same evening after Reps. Monica De La Cruz and Henry Cuellar intervened with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

John Yoo confirmed he would advise the diGenova DOJ probe targeting former officials from the Trump–Russia investigation

On June 29, 2026, John Yoo — a UC Berkeley law professor and former Bush administration Justice Department official who authored the so-called torture memos authorizing enhanced interrogation — confirmed he would advise the probe led by Joseph diGenova, who was assigned in April 2026 as Counselor to the Attorney General to investigate whether officials who scrutinized Trump participated in a criminal conspiracy. DiGenova's investigation, conducted from the Southern District of Florida, focuses on former DOJ and FBI officials who led the inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Florida International University disciplined seven students with reprimands and compelled 'reflection' videos over silent anti-ICE protest

On June 29, 2026, Florida International University issued written reprimands to seven students and ordered each to record a compelled two-minute "reflection" video on the university's indoor-protest policy, punishing them for a March 13, 2026 silent protest against FIU's cooperation with immigration enforcement. The students, members of a group called ICEBreakers, had stood silently displaying "ICE OFF FIU" shirts for a few minutes during a campus event and left without disrupting it -- an account FIU's own internal review confirmed. The university nonetheless charged seven of the roughly 20 participating students and threatened a hold on their registration and financial aid if the videos were not submitted.