Here’s a look at some of the actions by federal court judges recently, leading off with a decision by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh who once again sided with the Missouri Supreme Court in blocking implementation of a new electoral map, gerrymandered to create an additional safe-Republican congressional district. Judge Stephen Clark, nominated by President Trump to the District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, had ordered the state to use the gerrymandered map despite the state supreme court’s decision and the Eighth Circuit Court agreed. 

• President George W. Bush nominated Judge F. Dennis Saylor of the District Court for the District of Massachusetts halted a new Trump administration rule that would have limited the amount of time foreign students and journalists could stay in the US without applying for visa extensions. The rule would have hampered the ability of international students to pursue higher education in the US.

• Judge Susan Watters of the District Court for the District of Montana, an Obama nominee, ruled that Montana could not enforce its law against using “deep fake” AI images in campaign ads because the law targeted specific viewpoints by prohibiting use in negative ads and not those that are designed to bolster a candidate’s image. 

• Judge Christopher Cooper of the District Court for the District of Columbia, nominated by President Obama, ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30-days notice before engaging in any major physical changes to the building.