The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to let it resume building a border wall through Texas's Big Bend region. A lower court had halted construction, a setback to one of President Donald Trump’s key projects. The administration has been pushing forward with the wall from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. Ranchers, residents and environmentalists in Big Bend oppose the project, citing low illegal immigration in the area. Judge Kathleen Cardone ordered a stop to construction on Oct. 2, siding with opponents who argue the waivers used to bypass regulations exceed the secretary of Homeland Security's authority.

Democratic Party leaders are suing to block President Donald Trump’s administration from usurping states’ authority to administer elections. Their lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal court. It accuses the administration of trying to intimidate state and local election officials into complying with illegal demands before the Nov. 3 midterm election. The plaintiffs are seeking a court order barring the administration from purging legally registered voters from statewide voter registration lists or denying ballots to legally registered voters. The Justice Department said election integrity is a top priority for the administration. The plaintiffs include Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.

The Supreme Court has refused to allow the Trump administration to immediately enforce new medical restrictions for transgender people in prison. An executive order by President Donald Trump had called on the Bureau of Prisons to revise its medical care policies so that federal funds aren’t spent “for the purpose of conforming an inmate’s appearance to that of the opposite sex.” The policy blocked earlier by a lower court would halt surgeries, taper off hormones and end social accommodations like makeup and wigs. Trump plans to visit South Carolina on Wednesday to boost U.S. Sen. Darline Graham.

The Supreme Court has rejected a Trump administration appeal seeking to immediately enforce medical care restrictions for transgender people in prison. The decision leaves in place lower court orders requiring prison officials to continue providing treatments like hormone therapy. The administration had asked to enforce for now a policy halting surgeries, hormones, and social accommodations. It was adopted after an executive order from President Donald Trump. Attorneys for transgender inmates said the policy violated their rights and amounted to cruel and unusual punishment. The Trump administration argued that treatments raised security concerns and “could no longer be justified.”

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case about race in middle school admissions. This comes three years after it struck down affirmative action in college admissions. The case involves four selective middle schools in Montgomery County, Maryland. A parent group claims the district's policy boosts Black and Latino admissions while disadvantaging Asian American students. The court will decide if there's enough evidence of discrimination for the case to proceed. The court is expected to hear arguments in the coming months.

Federal prosecutors say a former OpenAI engineer secretly installed a recording device in a conference room to gather company details. The Saudi national was reportedly close to fleeing to Saudi Arabia. Abdulrahman Alfozan's wife and son left the U.S. after his arrest, with tickets paid for by a Saudi military official. Prosecutors argue Alfozan has resources and foreign support, noting Saudi Arabia has no extradition treaty with the U.S. Alfozan's lawyers claim the trip was planned for paternity leave and that he was pursuing U.S. citizenship. A judge will decide on his detention.

The Supreme Court has rejected an effort to revive a plea deal for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the September 11 attacks. The deal would have spared him the death penalty in exchange for a guilty plea and life in prison without parole. Military prosecutors and the Pentagon initially approved the agreement, but then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin canceled it, saying the defense secretary should decide on the death penalty for such a grave attack. Relatives of the victims are divided on the issue. A trial date has been set for 2028.