Federal judge dismisses DNC lawsuit against Trump campaign and Russian agents News
quinntheislander / Pixabay
Federal judge dismisses DNC lawsuit against Trump campaign and Russian agents

A federal judge in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday dismissed the Democratic National Committee’s (DNC) lawsuit against the Trump campaign and various alleged Russian agents for hacking in the 2016 election.

The DNC brought this suit hoping to hold members of the Trump Organization, WikiLeaks and the Russian Federation civilly liable for the hacking of DNC servers in the 2016 election. The DNC specifically alleged that Russian agents hacked DNC servers and then disseminated them through Wikileaks, actions that were welcomed by the Trump Campaign. The DNC sought common law claims for conversion, trespass to chattels, and conspiracy to commit trespass to chattels while also claiming that these actions violated various federal laws including the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act among others. The campaigned denied these allegations and moved for dismissal of the suit and Rule 11 sanctions after the release of the Mueller Report.

The judge reviewed the DNC’s Second Amended complaint and decided to dismiss the case but deny the request for sanctions. The judge could not see a plausible claim of relief as the DNC no longer alleged that any member of the campaign specifically engaged in the hacking. The judge further found that the Russian Government could not be sued in an American court for state action and all other claims were either protected by First Amendment Freedom of the Press or mooted. At the same time, the judge did not grant sanctions as he found that the claim was not “utterly lacking in support.” The judge expressed that sanctions were discretionary and not mandatory and found that this case did not warrant sanctions for action taken in bad faith.

This ends one of the last significant court battles over the 2016 election.

THIS DAY @ LAW

US Supreme Court ruled Indians not US citizens

On November 3, 1884, the US Supreme Court ruled in Elk v. Wilkins that John Elk, an American Indian who had tried to vote in a federal election in Omaha, Nebraska, was not a US citizen entitled to the protection of the 14th and 15th Amendments of the US Constitution. Native Americans became eligible for citizenship in 1887 under the Dawes Act, but only in 1924, under the Indian Citizenship Act, were all Native Americans born in the US made citizens.

Last public execution at Tyburn Gallows in London

On November 3, 1783, the last public execution took place at Tyburn Gallows in London, when John Austin was hanged for highway robbery. From the hanging of William Fitz Osburn in 1196 until Austin's execution, Tyburn served as London's primary location for public executions.

Learn more about the trial of John Austin.