Kate Scanlon

The Biden administration June 18 announced an executive action that allows certain noncitizen spouses and children of U.S. citizens to apply for lawful permanent residency without first having to leave the country, as they were previously required to do.

A lawyer representing Annunciation House in El Paso, Texas, a Catholic nonprofit serving migrants, told reporters shortly after a June 17 hearing in the case that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's attempt to shut down that ministry is an "attack on religious liberty."

Arizona voters in November will consider a measure to make unauthorized crossings of the state's international border a state crime separate from a federal one after state lawmakers approved its inclusion on the general election ballot.

Catholic immigration advocates expressed concern about the impact Biden's order could have on asylum-seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Lawmakers on the House and Senate agriculture committees released differing frameworks for the 2024 farm bill, with one version praised by a Catholic aid group.

The study found that a majority — 63% — of Americans said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, an increase of four percentage points from 2021, the year prior to the Dobbs ruling. That includes 59% of Catholics surveyed.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton revived his attempt to shut down El Paso's Annunciation House, a Catholic nonprofit serving migrants, just a couple of months after his previous effort was blocked by a state judge.

At a ceremony to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom President Joe Biden said Jesuit Fr. Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, "changed countless lives" through his former gang member rehabilitation ministry. 

The Supreme Court on April 24 weighed a potential conflict between Idaho's abortion restrictions and federal law governing emergency health care.

The Supreme Court on April 22 heard a case concerning the constitutionality of local laws that ban public camping and their impact on people who are homeless.

A bipartisan coalition the U.S. House of Representatives, led by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., voted April 20 to approve a $95 billion package providing aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan and other U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific region, over the objections of some far-right lawmakers who indicated they would attempt to remove Johnson from his role over the deal.

The concept of Christian nationalism is not compatible with Catholic teaching, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, said on a recent episode of his 'Walk Humbly' podcast.
 

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments March 26 in a case concerning mifepristone, a pill commonly used for abortion. It is the first major case involving abortion on its docket since the high court overturned its previous abortion precedent in 2022.

Catholic and Christian groups joined together March 20 to discuss a faith-driven approach to solving problems associated with climate change in a panel discussion on Capitol Hill.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision late March 19 once again blocking Texas from enforcing its controversial law that makes it a state crime for unauthorized migrants to cross into Texas from Mexico.

District Judge Francisco Dominguez in El Paso issued an order blocking Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's subpoena of Annunciation House, indicating both that Paxton's effort seemed politically motivated and that it must go through appropriate due process in the state court system.

"My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy, a future based on core values that defined America: honesty, decency, dignity, equality," President Biden said during his March 7 address.

Biden said, "the issue facing our nation isn't how old we are -- it's how old our ideas are."

"Hate, anger, revenge, retribution are among the oldest of ideas," he said. "But you can't lead America with ancient ideas that only take us back. To lead America, the land of possibilities, you need a vision for the future of what America can and should be."

Four major nonprofits recently launched a joint effort to counteract rising polarization and isolation in the U.S., including Catholic Charities USA, the organization dedicated to carrying out the domestic humanitarian work of the Catholic Church in the United States. For the Team Up Project, a new initiative to foster service and human connection, Catholic Charities has partnered with Habitat for Humanity International, Interfaith America and YMCA of the USA. 

Ivan Cantu was executed Feb. 28 by the state of Texas despite claims that the Texan's 2001 conviction for killing James Mosqueda and Amy Kitchen, his cousin and his cousin's fiancee, was based on false testimony.