On 30 May, a New York jury found former president Donald Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records (one count for each falsified document), in a case related to the cover-up of a sex scandal. Trump has become the first former US president to be convicted of a felony. He has stated he will appeal the conviction and has argued he is the target of a political persecution. His sentencing hearing will take place in July.  

Sources: The New York Times, CNN

More than 2,000 students and others have been detained or arrested following pro-Palestinian protests and encampments across college campuses. The student movement began at Columbia University in an effort to pressure the university to sever all financial ties with Israel. The situation escalated on 30 April, when the president of Columbia University requested that the New York City Police Department arrest all students encamped on university grounds. Similar demonstrations have taken place across the country when the demands of protesters to disclose all academic ties with Israel and divest have not been met. Many students have been suspended and in some rare cases even threatened with expulsion. Protests and encampments have sparked a nationwide debate and divided the country over America's longtime support for Israel. There have been multiple reports that antisemitic incidents have marred some of the demonstrations, as well as some reports of counter-protester violence.  

The New York Times, National Public Radio, Public Safety: Colombia University, Cable News Network, Vox 

In a ruling that could have implications for any future challenges to the eligibility of alleged insurrectionists, the Supreme Court determined that states are not entitled to use Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to unilaterally disqualify a person from running for federal office. Section 3 establishes that an “officer of the United States”, having taken an oath to support the Constitution, is disqualified from holding office if they have engaged in insurrection or rebellion.  

Based on this logic, the Court restored Donald Trump to Colorado’s primary ballot, from which he had been disqualified due to his role in the 6 January 2021 riot. Although this resolved the main question before the Court, five justices went beyond and determined that Section 3 required Congress to pass implementing legislation to be enforced. Conversely, the other four justices considered that the issue before the Court did not call for a ruling on the issue of Section 3’s enforceability. Among them, the three liberal justices, who also criticised the majority for not exercising judicial restraint and argued that the Court’s broad ruling would exclude other means of enforcement, such as through the courts, and could “insulate all alleged insurrectionists from future challenges to their holding office”. 
Sources: The New York Times, Reuters, The Guardian, The Washington Post

By a narrow vote of 214 to 213, the House of Representatives impeached Alejandro Mayorkas, Homeland Security Secretary, for allegedly refusing to comply with immigration legislation and violating public confidence. It is the first time an incumbent member of cabinet is impeached. Those voting to impeach argue he has failed to secure the border with Mexico and mismanaged the growing influx of migrants. Three Republicans joined House Democrats in voting against the impeachment, considering that actions of the Homeland Secretary did not meet the threshold of “high crimes and misdemeanors” established by the Constitution. Critics consider the measure to be a partisan prosecution of the government’s immigration policies. Analysts further consider this could be a dangerous precedent for the future weaponization of impeachment to exert political pressure in cases of partisan disagreement over policy.  

Sources: National Public Radio, The Washington Post, The Guardian