President Trump has offered a new justification for the arch he is planning, saying it is required for national security now that he believes courts will approve it. According to a New York Times report cited by Above the Law, Trump's reasoning hinges on the idea that judges will "rubberstamp" the project—a remark that suggests a shift from any prior rationale.
The statement is notable because it treats judicial review as a formality rather than a meaningful check. If the president's confidence in court approval is well placed, it could reduce legal obstacles to the project. However, the claim comes without legal analysis, and it remains unclear what specific national security threat the arch would address.
In a separate item from the same Morning Docket, law schools continue to struggle with how to handle artificial intelligence. The report notes that professors are still administering in-person exams, apparently to limit AI's role, but questions whether that approach is effective or sustainable.
The two items are unrelated, but together they highlight how legal institutions are adapting to pressure—whether from executive assertions of power or from new technology. The source is a single roundup, so no independent verification of either claim is provided.