March 9

Liberty Justice Center files Section 122 tariff challenge at Court of International Trade

The Liberty Justice Center filed Burlap and Barrel, Inc. v. Trump at the U.S. Court of International Trade on behalf of two small business importers: Burlap & Barrel, a New York-based spice retailer, and Basic Fun!, a Florida-based toy company. The lawsuit argued that the Trump administration misread Section 122 by treating a persistent goods trade deficit as a balance-of-payments deficit, giving the president effectively unlimited tariff authority that Congress never intended. The case was consolidated with a challenge brought by 24 states, including Oregon and Washington.

Iran's Assembly of Experts elects Mojtaba Khamenei supreme leader under IRGC pressure

Iran's Assembly of Experts announced Mojtaba Khamenei — son of assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — as the country's new supreme leader on March 9, 2026, following a selection process that ran March 3-8. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pressured Assembly members with "repeated contacts and psychological and political pressure" to secure the vote; eight members boycotted in protest. Despite Trump's public declaration that Mojtaba was "unacceptable," and U.S.-Israeli strikes on the Assembly of Experts building in Qom, Iran defied Washington and installed him.

NATO intercepts second Iranian ballistic missile over Turkey in one week

NATO air defenses intercepted a second Iranian ballistic missile over Turkey on March 9, 2026, five days after a first missile was shot down on March 4. Fragments from the second missile fell in empty fields near Gaziantep. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a firm warning to Iran to halt its "wrong and provocative steps." The sequential strikes on Turkey — a NATO member — raised Article 5 consultation pressure and marked the first time Iran directly targeted a NATO member with ballistic missiles.

Rubio designates Afghanistan state sponsor of wrongful detention

Secretary of State Marco Rubio designated Afghanistan as a state sponsor of wrongful detention on March 9, 2026, calling the Taliban's detention of Americans Dennis Coyle and Mahmoud Habibi acts of hostage diplomacy. The designation — the second issued under a Trump executive order — followed Iran's designation on February 27, 2026. Rubio announced it at a ceremony marking the 19th anniversary of former FBI agent Robert Levinson's disappearance in Iran, attended by Levinson's sons.

Graham says Iran war will make U.S. "a tonne of money" and threatens Saudi Arabia with consequences

Senator Lindsey Graham told Fox News "we are going to make a tonne of money" from the Iran war, arguing the U.S. would gain partnership over 31 percent of global oil reserves when Iran and Venezuela's regimes fell. Graham simultaneously threatened Saudi Arabia with "consequences" for refusing to join Operation Epic Fury militarily, saying Gulf nations had "chosen the sidelines." The State Department had ordered evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh by this point due to Iranian strikes on Saudi territory.

Rep. Andy Ogles posts message calling for exclusion of Muslim immigrants

Rep. Andy Ogles posted an anti-Muslim message rejecting pluralism and promoting legislation to restrict immigration from some Muslim countries and target some naturalized Muslim Americans. The post explicitly framed Muslims as incompatible with American civic life.

Mesa County grand jury indicts clerk Tina Peters on 10 felony and misdemeanor counts

A Mesa County grand jury indicted Clerk Tina Peters on March 9, 2022, on 10 counts including seven felonies: attempting to influence a public servant, criminal impersonation, identity theft, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, and official misconduct. Peters and deputy clerk Belinda Knisley turned themselves in at the Mesa County Detention Facility the same day. District Attorney Dan Rubinstein brought the charges after a multiagency investigation.

Trump supporter sucker-punches protester at Fayetteville, NC, rally

At a Trump campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, 78-year-old Trump supporter John McGraw sucker-punched 26-year-old Black protester Rakeem Jones in the face as Jones was being escorted out by sheriff's deputies. McGraw was later charged with assault and disorderly conduct. After the attack, McGraw told a reporter: "We don't know who he is, but we know he's not acting like an American" — and added: "Next time we see him, we might have to kill him." Trump said he would "look into" paying McGraw's legal fees. The incident followed Trump's repeated rally statements urging supporters to "knock the crap out of" protesters.

Anne Gorsuch Burford resigns from EPA amid Superfund scandal

EPA Administrator Anne Gorsuch Burford resigned under pressure after becoming the first agency head cited for contempt of Congress for withholding Superfund records. During her 22-month tenure, EPA's budget fell 22 percent and enforcement cases dropped sharply while staff cuts hit pollution programs hardest. House investigators uncovered political manipulation of $1.6 billion Superfund disbursements, including delays tied to a California political campaign.

Supreme Court protects civil-rights ad in New York Times v. Sullivan

New York Times v. Sullivan made it harder for public officials to use defamation suits to punish criticism. The case began with an advertisement supporting civil-rights protesters in Alabama and became a national press-freedom shield for reporting and advocacy about government power.

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