Supreme Court appears to take stance in parents’ dispute over LGBTQ books in schools
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority offered strong support for parents seeking the religious liberty right to be informed about and opt their children out of reading material in elementary schools that they say conflicts with their faith.
The Montgomery County, Maryland school board withdrew its original opt-out policy for books related to gender and sexuality, prompting a federal lawsuit.
In a marathon two-and-a-half oral argument, the justices debated whether parents have been unfairly burdened in exercising their constitutional rights.
It is one of three high-profile religious-themed cases the high court will decide this term—including disputes over tax exemptions for religious groups, and taxpayer funding for private religious charter schools—which will be argued next week.
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Justice Sonia Sotomayor and her liberal colleagues appeared to back the county’s position on the storybooks. She noted a lower appeals court had refused a preliminary injunction to temporarily reinstate the opt-out policy.
“They never reached the issue of whether or not there was disruption, or what the motive was for taking away the opt out,” said Sotomayor. “What they decided was that there wasn’t coercion here, that there was mere exposure. I understood from the record that all that was required is that the books be put on the bookshelf. If that’s all that’s required, is that coercion?”
But Justice Samuel Alito echoed the views of several of his conservative colleagues, about returning to the previous policy that he said most schools around the country permit.
“What is the big deal about allowing them to opt out of this?” he asked.
Alito also questioned the content of several of the books raised in the appeal dealing with same-sex marriage.
“I don’t think anybody can read that and say: well, this is just telling children that there are occasions when men marry other men,” said Alito. “It has a clear moral message, and it may be a good message. It’s just a message that a lot of religious people disagree with.”
Hundreds on both sides of the issue rallied outside the court, some carrying signs like “Let Parents Parent” and “Include All Families.”
The suburban Washington county introduced new books with LGBTQ+ characters and themes into the elementary school curriculum in 2022, as part of the district’s “inclusivity” initiative.
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One of the challenged storybooks raised in the appeals is “Prince & Knight,” described as a “modern fairy tale” for ages 4-8, of the two males falling in love after working together to battle a dragon threatening their kingdom, and later marrying.
Another book mentioned repeatedly in the court’s public session was “Uncle Bobby’s Wedding,” about a little girl’s reaction to her favorite relative’s plans to marry a man.
The school district refused to allow parents to opt out of their
The school district refused to allow parents to opt out of their elementary school from the reading program – the same way older students can forego sex ed instruction.
While the school board initially allowed parents to keep their children out of this curriculum, the plaintiffs say officials quickly reversed course, announcing in March 2023 that exceptions would not be granted and that parents would not be notified before the books were introduced into their children’s classrooms. Officials cited increased absenteeism as one of the reasons for the change.
“We felt as parents that we would present these things to our children like we always have, when they’re ready to receive them. And especially a child with special needs, it’s even more difficult for her to understand,” said Grace Morrison, one of the plaintiffs. She and her husband, both Catholics, now homeschool their daughter, after the school refused an accommodation.
“Starting to present issues of gender ideology to a child like this could be extremely confusing and damaging, let alone to the faith that we’re raising her in,” she told Fox News Digital.
A federal appeals court ruled for the school district, concluding educators did not apply any pressure on children to abandon their religious beliefs, and “simply hearing about other views does not necessarily exert pressure to believe or act differently than one’s religious faith requires.”
State officials told the court that parents who choose to send their children to public school are not “coerced” simply by their classroom exposure there to religiously objectionable ideas.
The practical feasibility of an opt-out policy at was the key focus of the high court’s public session.
“Once we articulate a rule like that,” said Justice Elena Kagan, “it would be like, opt outs for everyone.”
SCOTUS HEARS ARGUMENTS OVER PARENTS’ FIGHT TO OPT CHILDREN OUT OF LGBTQ CURRICULUM
But Kagan also raised concerns about young children being exposed to some of the books offered in Montgomery County.
“I too, was struck by these young kids picture books and, on matters concerning sexuality. I suspect there are a lot of non-religious parents who weren’t all that thrilled about this.”
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who noted he grew up in the affluent county and still lives there with his wife and two school-age daughters, said he was “mystified” at the why the county canceled its original opt-out policy.
Some on the bench raised concerns about a sweeping “a la carte” discretion parents would have to object to what goes in schools.
“What about a trans student in the classroom?” said Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. “There’s a student who’s in the class. Must the teacher notify the parents of the student’s existence and give them an opt out to not be in the same classroom with this child?”
Dozens of briefs were filed by advocacy groups on both sides of the issue, including competing coalitions of states and lawmakers.
Many educators say they should be given deference to develop lesson plans that reflect the community at large, and that navigating a flood of individual religious rights claims would make classroom instruction and collaboration extremely problematic.
Parents rights and religious groups counter impressionable children should not be forced to participate in reading activities that undermine their families’ teachings and spirituality. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, representing the parents who sued, called the school policy “compelled instruction.”
The Trump administration is backing the parents, saying in a written brief the board’s no opt-out policy “compromises parents’ ability to act consistent with those [religious] beliefs regardless of whether their children feel pressured or coerced by the instruction.”
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The case is Mahmoud v. Taylor (24-297). A ruling is expected before the court’s summer recess in late June.
Trump’s third term trial balloon gets resounding response in new poll
President Donald Trump has repeatedly teased a 2028 run for a third term in the White House, which is prohibited by the U.S. Constitution.
Now a new poll indicates Americans are far from thrilled with the prospect.
“It will be the greatest honor of my life to serve, not once but twice or three times or four times,” Trump said at rally in Nevada in late January, less than a week after his inauguration to his second term as president.
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After joking that his comment would make headlines, Trump clarified that “no, it will be to serve twice.”
But Trump’s comments were far from a one-off, as he’s continued to flirt with a 2028 re-election run.
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The president said in an interview late last month that he is “not joking” about making another run for the Oval Office.
“A lot of people want me to do it,” Trump told NBC News in a phone interview. “But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration.”
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Standing in Trump’s way is the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution, which was ratified in 1951. The amendment prevents individuals from serving more than two terms as president. It was ratified after Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected as president for four terms.
Public opinion is also clear.
Three-quarters of respondents in a Reuters/Ipsos national survey conducted April 16-21 and released on Monday said Trump should not run for a third term.
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And while the Republican president’s grip over the GOP is stronger than ever, even a majority of Republicans questioned in the poll, 53%, said Trump shouldn’t seek a third term.
The poll, which questioned 4,306 U.S. adults, had an overall sampling error of plus or minus two percentage points.
Gorsuch, Roberts side with left-leaning Supreme Court justices in immigration ruling
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday sided with left-leaning justices in an immigration appeals case, a narrow ruling that could portend the court’s future thinking amid a flurry of legal cases centered on immigration.
The 5-4 ruling in Monsalvo Velazquez v. Bondi centered on the government’s interpretation of a 60-day “voluntary departure” deadline, which authorities can use to allow certain immigrants deemed to be of “good moral character” to depart the U.S. on their own terms within that timeframe.
The Supreme Court ruled, with the backing of Roberts and Gorsuch, that any voluntary departure deadlines for immigrants under the 60-day departure time frame that fall on a weekend or on a legal holiday in the U.S. should be extended to the next business day.
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Writing for the majority, Gorsuch noted that this interpretation of the 60-day period aligns with long-standing administrative practices, including in immigration law.
“When Congress adopts a new law against the backdrop of a ‘long-standing administrative construction,’ the Court generally presumes the new provision works in harmony with what came before,” Gorsuch said.
“Since at least the 1950s, immigration regulations have provided that when calculating deadlines, the term ‘day’ carries its specialized meaning by excluding Sundays and legal holidays (and later Saturdays) if a deadline would otherwise fall on one of those days,” Gorsuch added, noting that the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act passed by Congress uses the same reading.
Gorsuch was joined in the majority decision by Roberts, and Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.
The court’s ruling overturns the decision of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Board of Immigration Appeals, which had voted to reject that interpretation in the case of Monsalvo Velázquez, a 32-year-old Colorado resident targeted for removal in 2019.
And while the case in question centers largely on the technicalities of certain immigration proceedings, the slim majority ruling could offer early signs of the court’s thinking as justices gear up for a flurry of high-profile immigration cases – including cases centered on due process protections for migrants, and on nationwide injunctions that block Trump’s birthright citizenship ban from taking force.
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Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett dissented, noting that, in their view, the court lacked jurisdiction to weigh in on the matter.
While Thomas said he would have remanded the case back to the lower circuit court to consider other outstanding issues, and Barrett took issue with the nature of the appeal filed by Monsalvo, Alito said in a separate dissenting opinion that he viewed the court’s interpretation as a whole as incorrect.
In his view, the 60-day period imposed by the government is straightforward, and should include weekends.
“There will always be a sympathetic pro se alien who is a day or two late,” Alito said. “Unless the Court is willing to extend the statutory deadline indefinitely, it would presumably be forced to say in such cases that a day too late is just too bad.”
“For this reason, sympathy for petitioner cannot justify the Court’s decision,” he said.
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The narrow ruling comes just weeks before May 15, when justices are slated to hear oral arguments in a case challenging President Donald Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship in the U.S.
The case is considered one of the most highly anticipated ones to be reviewed by the high court since Trump took office.
‘60 Minutes’ top producer abruptly resigns in memo to staff
Top “60 Minutes” producer Bill Owens abruptly resigned from the program on Tuesday, saying he no longer had sufficient independence to run the program how he wanted.
“Over the past months, it has also become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it,” he wrote in a memo to staff obtained by Fox News Digital. “To make independent decisions based on what was right for 60 Minutes, right for the audience. So, having defended this show- and what we stand for – from every angle, over time with everything I could, I am stepping aside so the show can move forward.
“The show is too important to the country, it has to continue, just not with me as the Executive Producer.”
The news comes as “60 Minutes” and CBS are embroiled in a $20 billion lawsuit launched by President Donald Trump over the show’s interview of then-Vice President Kamala Harris on the show last year. The network aired different parts of Harris’ response to a question about Israel on separate nights, leading Trump to accuse CBS of election interference.
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Trump has said CBS should lose its broadcast license and accused it of “fraudulent” reporting.
Owens’ comment about losing independence appeared to allude to the Trump suit hanging over the network. According to the New York Times, which first reported on Owens’ resignation, Owens said earlier this year that he would not apologize for the Harris segment as part of any settlement with the president.
CBS parent company Paramount Global is reportedly considering settling the suit ahead of a planned merger with Skydance Media in hopes of preventing potential retribution by Trump’s FCC, which has the authority to halt the multibillion-dollar transaction. Shari Redstone, Paramount’s controlling shareholder, is reportedly in favor of settling with the president.
Many media observers don’t want CBS to settle the suit, which critics have called a hyperbolic reaction to a typical editing decision.
CBS News President Wendy McMahon praised Owens in a message to staff on Tuesday and indicated his replacement would be from within the CBS family. Owens was only the third executive producer in the history of the show, which debuted in 1968.
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“As Executive Producer, Bill has led 60 Minutes with unwavering integrity, curiosity, and a deep commitment to the truth,” she wrote. “He has championed the kind of journalism that informs, enlightens, and often changes the national conversation. His dedication to finding and nurturing talent will be felt across CBS News for years.”
Fox News Digital reached out to CBS News representatives for additional comment.
Trump’s legal entanglements with media organizations are nothing new.
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ABC settled a defamation lawsuit in December with then-President-elect Trump for $15 million, after anchor George Stephanopoulos repeatedly asserted Trump had been found “liable for rape” in a civil trial last year.
Pope Francis’ last words revealed as Vatican describes his final hours
Pope Francis’ last words before his death on Monday were an expression of thanks to his personal nurse and caregiver, Massimiliano Strappetti, the Vatican revealed Tuesday while describing the 88-year-old pontiff’s final hours.
Francis hesitated to surprise a throng of 50,000 faithful who amassed in St. Peter’s Square with a ride in the popemobile following his Easter blessing from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican News reported, with the pontiff asking Strappetti, “Do you think I can manage it?”
Once Francis was reassured, he took his tour of the square, stopping to embrace people, especially children, on his route.
Among Francis’ last words was a heartfelt message to Strappetti.
POPE FRANCIS DEAD AT 88, VATICAN SAYS
“Thank you for bringing me back to the Square,” Francis, widely known as “the People’s Pope,” told his personal health care assistant, Vatican News reported.
Francis rested the rest of Sunday afternoon and had a quiet dinner, according to the official Vatican news agency.
Francis showed the first signs of illness around 5:30 a.m. on Easter Monday and fell into a coma an hour later, according to Vatican News. Before falling into the coma, Francis made “a gesture of farewell with his hand” to Strappetti.
POPE FRANCIS’ OFFICIAL CAUSE OF DEATH REVEALED IN ANNOUNCEMENT FROM VATICAN
Francis died after going into a coma and suffering a heart attack.
Those at his side during his final moments said Francis did not suffer, and his death happened quickly, Vatican News reported.
The Pope’s death follows years of ongoing health concerns, including a recent hospitalization for double pneumonia.
The Vatican released images of Francis lying in state at the Vatican on Tuesday. The Pope was pictured lying in a wooden casket wearing red vestments and his bishop’s miter.
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Francis’ funeral has been set for Saturday at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Square, and a viewing of his body will begin on Wednesday in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Walz staffer accused of vandalizing Teslas might get a slap on the wrist
Minnesota Department of Human Services data analyst Dylan Bryan Adams will likely not face charges for allegedly vandalizing at least six Tesla vehicles, causing a total of $20,000 in damages.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (HCAO) said it would seek “diversion” over charges.
“Our main priorities are to secure restitution for the victims and hold Mr. Adams accountable. As a result, we will file for pre-charge diversion to best facilitate both of those goals,” HCAO spokesperson Daniel Borgertpoepping said, according to Fox 9 Minneapolis. However, he also reportedly said that criminal consequences would be on the table “should unlawful behavior continue.”
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Pre-charge diversion allows individuals accused of committing crimes to avoid prosecution by participating in a program.
Minneapolis police are allegedly unhappy with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office’s decision not to seek criminal charges in this case.
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“The Minneapolis Police Department did its job. It identified and investigated a crime trend, identified, and arrested a suspect, and presented a case file to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for consideration of charges,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in a statement quoted by Fox 9. “This case impacted at least six different victims and totaled over $20,000 in damages. Any frustration related to the charging decision of the Hennepin County Attorney should be directed solely at her office. Our investigators are always frustrated when the cases they poured their hearts into are declined. In my experience, the victims in these cases often feel the same.”
During a news conference on April 17, Minneapolis police showed videos of a suspect keying several Tesla vehicles. According to O’Hara, the acts constituted felonies, with each act causing a minimum of $1,000 in damage.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is no stranger to controversies. In October 2023, Moriarty was criticized for controversial plea deals that upset families of murder victims and sparked concerns from legal experts.
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Tesla vehicles and properties across the country have become targets for vandals. In many cases, the attacks occur as protests against Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s work in the Trump administration.
In March, when the DOJ began going after Tesla vandals, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the wave of attacks was “nothing short of domestic terrorism” and ensured that perpetrators would face consequences.
Fox News Digital reached out to Adams’ attorney, Robert Paule, the Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office and Walz’s office.
House Republican gets big-name support after announcing bid for McConnell’s seat
FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., is officially entering the race to replace longtime retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
Barr, who has served in the House for over a decade, is expected to kick off his campaign in Richmond, Kentucky this evening.
He’s also releasing a video to launch the campaign that paints him as a staunch ally of President Donald Trump and a fierce opponent of “woke” trends on diversity, transgender inclusion, and U.S. energy dominance.
“The United States is the greatest country on Earth, and it’s not even close. But here’s the problem. The woke left wants to neuter America – literally,” the Kentucky Republican said in the video.
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“They hate our values. They hate our history. And goodness knows they hate President Trump. But here in Kentucky, that’s why we love him. I’m Andy Barr, and I’m running for Senate to help our President save this great country.”
His candidacy sets up a high-profile primary race against former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron.
In the video, Barr promised to “deport illegal aliens, instead of putting them up in luxury hotels,” and “get rid of this anti-coal, do-gooder ESG garbage once and for all.”
“Working with President Trump, I’ll fight to create jobs for hardworking Kentuckians, instead of warm and fuzzies for hardcore liberals,” Barr said in the video. “And as a dad, let me be clear. I’ll fight to lock up the sickos who allow biological men to share locker rooms with our daughters.”
His Senate campaign has also been blessed by House GOP leaders, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and House Republican Leadership Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.
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“There is no bigger supporter of President Donald J. Trump and our MAGA movement than my dear friend Andy Barr,” Scalise told Fox News Digital. “I am all-in for Andy in his campaign for the US Senate — proud to support him.”
Stefanik said, “I am proud to call Andy a friend and I wholeheartedly endorse his campaign for US Senate. Kentucky needs a Senator who stands 100% with President Trump — that my friend, Andy Barr.”
Barr said their support “is a strong signal to all Kentuckians that there is only one America First candidate in this race — and only one candidate with a proven record of getting our America First agenda across the finish line.”
The conservative lawmaker has been known as a reliable leadership ally in the House and serves as chair of the House Financial Services Committee’s subcommittee on financial institutions.
He’s also a leader of several groups in the House, including the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, the Congressional Bourbon Caucus, and the American Worker Task Force.
McConnell is the longest-serving senator in Kentucky history and the longest-serving party leader in the upper chamber, only stepping down from leading the Senate GOP conference at the end of last year.
His final years in office have been marked by his rocky relationship with Trump, who has called for an end to McConnell’s political career on multiple occasions.
Trump and McConnell have also broken on matters of foreign policy and defense. McConnell opposed two major Trump nominees in the national security sphere, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth.
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McConnell also opposed Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Barr and Cameron’s campaigns are a stark departure from that – both have painted themselves as staunch Trump allies.
Kentucky businessman Nate Morris is also expected to announce a Republican bid for the seat.
And in Kentucky, where Trump outran former Vice President Kamala Harris by roughly 30%, the president’s endorsement will likely prove decisive.
When reached for comment on Barr’s campaign, Cameron’s campaign general consultant Brandon Moody hammered the House lawmaker.
“The great Andy Barr re-brand is on as he now will try and convince Kentucky he’s actually conservative and MAGA. He’s not. Voters know he went Washington and sold out Kentucky long ago,” Moody said.
Manhole explodes on woman walking her grandchildren back from Easter egg hunt
A New York woman and two young children were seen narrowly avoiding a manhole explosion in a dramatic incident captured on video.
Lisa Davis just missed the blast on Saturday in Poughkeepsie as she and her two grandchildren were walking on a sidewalk after an Easter egg hunt, according to ABC News.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God, I don’t know.’ I didn’t know where to go,” she told the station. “I didn’t know what to do except grab my grandson and run.”
Footage shows a woman walking over the manhole cover while pushing a stroller alongside a young child. Seconds later, the cover explodes, sending concrete into the air.
VIDEO: DRAMATIC BODYCAM FOOTAGE CAPTURES MOMENT FIREFIGHTER IS RESCUED AFTER HOME EXPLOSION
The Poughkeepsie Fire Department said, “A manhole halfway down the block as well as another on the corner of Academy and Church Streets had also exploded very narrowly missing three pedestrians.”
“Companies found high levels of carbon monoxide in multiple buildings and the occupants of all the buildings on that block were evacuated until the gas levels could be mitigated,” it also said.
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A spokesperson for Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. later told Mid Hudson News that the explosion “was the result of an electrical fault on an underground cable and is not related to our natural gas distribution system.”
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“While manhole events stemming from electrical faults are not uncommon, they can still pose risks of damage or injury. Fortunately, we’ve been informed that no one was hurt in this instance,” the spokesperson also said.
Karen Read sums up first day of opening statements with a smile — and 4-word zinger
A smiling Karen Read departed the courthouse following the first day of opening statements in her retrial. Read briefly stopped to take questions from reporters, sharing that she felt “today went well” and her team “prepped hard.”
The departure came after attorneys shared opening statements before two witnesses were called to the stand, kicking off her second trial in the death of John O’Keefe.
Read seemingly addressed questions surrounding how the first day of her retrial went, telling reporters, “We don’t like reruns.”
The prosecution called their second witness, O’Keefe’s high school friend Kerry Roberts. Roberts testified she received an early-morning phone call from a frantic Karen Read, telling her John O’Keefe was dead and had been hit by a snow plow.
Roberts described seeing a missing taillight on Read’s Lexus SUV while the pair were driving separate vehicles to O’Keefe’s house. Upon arriving at Brian Albert’s house, Roberts testified Read began screaming, “There he is,” before exiting the vehicle and running into the snow-covered lawn.
Following a brief sidebar, the jurors were dismissed and the first day of Read’s trial was finished for the day.
Before calling their second witness, the prosecution played a televised interview Karen Read gave to Investigation Discovery (ID), seemingly looking to discredit the defense’s position that Read did not claim she hit O’Keefe the morning his body was found.
“Did I say, could I have hit him, or was it told to me that I said I hit him,” Read said in the interview from 2024. “I knew I never could have said that, so the closest I must have said was, ‘Did I hit him.’ I know I said, ‘I hit him,’ but did I really say it as many times as law enforcement’s claiming I said it?”
Court resumed after a lunch break with sparks flying between defense attorney Alan Jackson and first responder Timothy Nuttall as Jackson questioned the firefighter on his recollection of hearing Karen Read allegedly say, “I hit him” three times as paramedics tended to O’Keefe.
Jackson then provided a report filed by former lead investigator Michael Proctor, grilling Nuttall on if he claimed to witness Read praying over O’Keefe’s body. Jackson pressed Nuttall on testimony he provided last year conceding that his memory surrounding the incident was faulty.
The fiery exchange led Nuttall to testify that he did not tell Proctor he saw Read paying over O’Keefe, but did recall Read saying, “I hit him, I hit him, I hit him.”
Showing dashcam footage from that night, Jackson seemingly looked to discredit Nuttall on if and when Read allegedly told Nuttall, “I hit him. Jackson pointed out inconsistencies in Nuttall’s testimony, highlighting that Read was filmed standing in a different location than where Nuttall said when she allegedly made the confession.
Prosecutor Hank Brennan followed up with a line of questioning, highlighting the state’s video provided timestamps and featured a different timeframe from when first responders were tending to O’Keefe, including the point where Read supposedly admitted to hitting O’Keefe.
Defense attorney Alan Jackson pressed first responder Timothy Nuttall on the night he arrived at the crime scene, pointing out supposed inconsistencies in Nuttall’s recollection of the morning O’Keefe’s body was discovered.
Jackson and Nuttall sparred over Nuttall’s previous description of events, noting he told authorities Karen Read had claimed she “hit him,” twice, but testified earlier that she repeated the phrase three times.
Read’s defense attorney went on to note that the duty of first responders arriving on scene is not to preserve evidence, pointing out that O’Keefe’s clothing was not preserved in evidence bags upon being removed from his body.
Upon being questioned on what could have caused the lacerations on the side of O’Keefe’s face, a sidebar was called and the court broke for lunch.
Following opening statements, the prosecution called their first witness, first responder Timothy Nuttall. Nuttall was one of the first emergency responders on scene after John O’Keefe’s lifeless body was found in the snow.
Nuttall described finding O’Keefe lying on his back, cold to the touch with no signs of life. Upon attempting to render life saving aid, Nuttall testified to looking up and seeing Read standing near O’Keefe’s body with blood on her face.
Nuttall told the court Read told him, “I hit him, I hit him, I hit him,” as first responders were gathering information regarding O’Keefe while trying to resuscitate him. Upon putting O’Keefe into an ambulance, Nuttall worked to maintain his airway while first responders removed O’Keefe’s clothes to regulate his body temperature.
Nuttall described various scratches found on O’Keefe’s arm along with a bump over his right eye and matted blood in his hair at the back of his head.
Brennan went on to show Nuttall dashcam footage from the moment first responders arrived at the crime scene, asking Nuttall to identify the individuals captured and describe what was happening in the footage as emergency personnel attempted to save O’Keefe’s life.
Attorney Alan Jackson began Karen Read’s defense team’s opening statements by highlighting text messages from now-fired lead investigator Michael Proctor, alleging Read was framed by a “corrupted” investigation.
“You will find that the Commonwealth’s case is the literal definition of reasonable doubt,” Jackson told the jury.
Jackson insisted the investigation was botched by an elaborate scheme to protect fellow Boston police officers who were present at Brian Albert’s home on the night of O’Keefe’s death, poking holes in the state’s allegations by claiming Read never told law enforcement she had struck O’Keefe.
“You will see from the evidence this case carries a malignancy, a cancer that cannot be cured, a cancer that cannot be cut out. And that cancer has a name, and his name is Michael Proctor.”
Jackson pointed to injuries found on O’Keefe’s body, claiming O’Keefe was not struck by a vehicle, but instead attacked – allegedly by the Albert family’s dog – while referencing expert analysis suggesting O’Keefe was not initially wounded in a cold climate.
Jackson went on to describe allegedly suspicious behavior from ATF agent Brian Higgins and Albert, claiming the men spoke in the hours following O’Keefe’s death before disposing of their cell phones, with Albert later selling his family’s home.
Toward the end of the state’s opening statements, prosecutor Hank Brennan pointed to an interview Karen Read gave to NBC’s “Dateline,” playing a snippet of the show in court.
“I didn’t think I hit him,” Read said in the interview. “But could I have clipped him? Could I have tagged him in the knee and incapacitated him? He didn’t look mortally wounded, as far as I could see. Or could I’ve done something that knocked him out and, in his drunkenness and in the cold, he didn’t come to again?”
Brennan told the jury the prosecution will show the court various interviews Read has given to the media, retelling the night O’Keefe died in her own words.
Special Assistant District Attorney Hank Brennan kicked off Karen Read’s retrial with opening statements centered around the state’s timeline of the evening John O’Keefe was found dead outside a fellow police officer’s home after a night of drinking on Jan. 29, 2022.
In a dramatic retelling, Brennan described the moments leading up to and immediately following when Read allegedly struck O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV during a drunken argument after a night of partying.
“We are here today because John O’Keefe was killed by the actions and conduct by that defendant, Karen Read,” Brennan told the jury.
Brennan went on to describe O’Keefe as a “family man,” and despite not having biological children he stepped up to help his sister with her two young children after their father died.
Brennan told the jury that Read and O’Keefe met during the pandemic, with the pair eventually spiraling into a contentious relationship marred by Read’s alleged jealous behavior. On the night of O’Keefe’s death, the couple enjoyed a night of drinking at local bars before eventually meeting up with a group of friends.
Citing cell phone data, prosecutors were able to retrace the steps of O’Keefe leading up to his death using information from health and navigation apps. Shortly after his final moments, Brennan revealed Read left several emotionally-charged voicemails on his cell phone, alleging this was the moment she began covering up O’Keefe’s murder.
John O’Keefe’s mother, Peggy, arrived for the first day of opening statements in Karen Read’s retrial at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts on Tuesday. O’Keefe, 46, was found dead in the snow outside another police officer’s home after a night of drinking on Jan. 29, 2022.
An autopsy found the cause of his death to be blunt-force trauma to the head and hypothermia. O’Keefe had skull fractures, brain bleeding, swollen black eyes and cuts to his right arm, but the forensic pathologist held off on calling it a homicide, leaving the manner of death undetermined.
Karen Read arrives to the first day of opening statements in her retrial alongside her defense team at Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts on Tuesday. Read is represented by Alan Jackson, David Yannetti, Victoria George, Robert Alessi and Elizabeth Little.
The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks after taking more than two weeks to seat a jury. If convicted, Read could face a maximum of life in prison.
The special prosecutor appointed to spearhead Karen Read’s second murder trial asked the court in a last-minute filing Friday to block her defense from shifting the blame to his fellow police officers or one of their dogs during opening statements.
In a two-sentence motion just days before the retrial was set to kick off with opening statements, specially appointed assistant district attorney Hank Brennan argued that defense plans to use photos of injuries to O’Keefe’s right arm could violate a prior order prohibiting the defense from trying to blame someone else for Read’s death before establishing the evidence at trial.
The motion came a day after Judge Beverly Cannone denied a prosecution motion to exclude a defense expert on dog bites and partially granted a defense motion to limit testimony from a prosecution expert on the same topic.
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In the months since her first trial ended in a mistrial, the former lead investigator saw himself fired by the Massachusetts State Police over his handling of the investigation, which included sharing confidential materials in text messages that included lewd and unprofessional remarks about Read.
Michael Proctor joked that he’d searched her confiscated phone for nude photos, called her a “c—” and said he wished she’d kill herself.
The defense also raised evidence-collection and chain-of-custody concerns surrounding Read’s vehicle, fragments of the taillight authorities said they recovered at the scene and other key items. Close to the time of his death, she allegedly left him a voicemail saying, “I hate you.” The two had also argued the morning before his death, but they went out drinking that night.
The trial is expected to last six to eight weeks after taking more than two weeks to seat a jury.
Read could face a maximum of life in prison if convicted.
Karen Read’s retrial in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe, kicks off Tuesday with opening statements, months after jurors deadlocked on the case and prosecutors had to start over.
Read, 45, is charged with murder, manslaughter and fleeing the scene for allegedly striking O’Keefe with her Lexus SUV during a snowstorm on Jan. 29, 2022. He was found on fellow officer Brian Albert’s front lawn hours later with signs of hypothermia and traumatic injuries to his head.
Read has pleaded not guilty, denied killing O’Keefe and alleged she is being framed, attempting to sow reasonable doubt in prosecutors’ claims and asserting that someone else killed O’Keefe and had ties to and influence over the investigation.
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