New Jersey
Federal employee caused shooter hoax to bond with co-workers, prosecutors say
An active shooter hoax that prompted a lockdown at New Jersey’s largest military base was caused by a civilian employee who wanted to “trauma bond” with her colleagues, according to court documents.
Malika Brittingham, who works for the Naval Air Warfare Center in Maryland and is assigned to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, faces counts of knowingly conveying false and misleading information related to the use of firearms at a federal facility, according to a criminal complaint filed by federal prosecutors. It wasn’t known Wednesday if she’s retained an attorney.
The lockdown order was issued shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday at the sprawling base, which is among the nation’s largest military installations. According to a criminal complaint filed in the case, Brittingham allegedly texted someone around 10:15 a.m., writing that a shooter was on the base, that she had heard five or six shots and that she was hiding in a closet with co-workers.
The person she texted then called the base’s operation center and 911, relaying what Brittingham told her, the complaint stated. That prompted the lockdown order, officials said.
The lockdown lasted about an hour before base officials determined there was no shooter.
Brittingham initially told authorities that she did not send the text until after she was told to shelter in place, according to the complaint, but further investigation regarding the timing proved that was false,
prosecutors said.
Brittingham eventually admitted that she sent the text and knew there was no active shooter, prosecutors said. She told investigators she carried out the hoax because she had been “ostracized by her co-workers and hoped that their shared experience in response to an active shooter would allow them to ‘trauma bond,’” the complaint said.
The U.S. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst spans 42,000 acres (17,000 hectares) and combines Air Force, Army and Navy functions with more than 42,000 service members, relatives and civilian employees.
The incident unfolded as U.S. military leaders gathered at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had summoned them from around the world to hear him declare an end to “woke” culture in the armed forces, among other Trump administration priorities.
Nevada
Court disqualifies Trump-appointed U.S. attorney from overseeing several criminal cases
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A federal judge disqualified Nevada acting U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah from several cases after concluding Tuesday that the Trump appointee has stayed in the temporary job longer than allowed by law.
U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell disqualified Chattah from supervising the criminal prosecutions, siding with defense lawyers who argued that her authority expired in July.
Campbell ordered government attorneys on the cases to tell the court within seven days that Chattah is not directing their work. He did not dismiss the indictments, however.
A phone call seeking comment was not answered Tuesday night by Chattah’s office, and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to an emailed request.
It was the second setback in recent weeks for the Trump administration’s effort to extend handpicked acting U.S. attorneys beyond the 120-day limit set by federal law. A judge reached the same conclusion as Campbell in August in ruling acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey, Alina Habba, was in the job illegally.
Under federal law, if a permanent U.S. attorney is not nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate within 120 days, judges of the federal district court can appoint an interim until the vacancy is filled, Campbell wrote in his ruling.
Campbell took aim at the Trump administration’s strategy of using a string of temporary appointments to allow Trump’s candidates to bypass the usual requirement that U.S. attorneys be confirmed by the Senate — something that generally requires a degree of bipartisan support.
He pointed to the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, which Congress passed specifically to regulate the temporary filling of executive branch vacancies that require presidential appointment and Senate confirmation.
“The procedure used by the government to appoint Ms. Chattah was never intended by Congress,” Campbell wrote.
Chattah, a conservative lawyer, drew opposition from Nevada’s Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen. Both vowed to block her if the administration sought to make her appointment permanent, calling her an election denier who has advocated for political violence and supported illegal actions by Trump.
Chattah previously represented Nevada churches that challenged the state’s COVID-19 restrictions, arguing they violated First Amendment rights by treating churches differently than casinos or other secular businesses. She ran for state attorney general in 2022 but lost to Aaron Ford, a Democrat.
Chattah also represented one of six Nevada Republican Party members accused of submitting certificates to Congress falsely declaring Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 presidential election in the state.
The appointment of Trump loyalists to the Department of Justice has also deepened concerns that the agency, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, is being weaponized in pursuit of investigations and now prosecutions of people the president regards as political enemies.
Last Thursday former FBI Director James Comey was charged with lying to Congress in a criminal case filed days after Trump appeared to urge Bondi to prosecute him.
Trump has also pushed the department to prosecute New York Attorney General Letitia James, who successfully sued him for fraud. Pressure from the White House also led to the resignation of a top federal prosecutor in Virginia.
California
Federal judge allows Pac-12’s lawsuit against Mountain West over poaching fees to go forward
A federal judge has allowed the Pac-12 Conference’s lawsuit against the Mountain West Conference over $55 million in “poaching fees” to go forward.
Northern District of California Senior Judge Claudia Wilken denied the Mountain West’s motion to dismiss the case on Tuesday. She set an initial case management conference for Nov. 18.
“The Pac-12 Conference is pleased that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California denied the Mountain West Conference’s motion to dismiss,” the Pac-12 said in a statement. “We will move forward with our case. The ruling allows our antitrust and related claims to proceed. We remain confident in our position and focused on advancing academic excellence, athletic achievement, and the tradition that has defined the Pac-12 for more than a century.”
The conferences failed to reach an agreement by a July deadline for mediation, and the Pac-12 requested the hearing on a pending motion to dismiss.
The Pac-12 and some of its new schools filed lawsuits last year, claiming the poaching clause it agreed to when it signed a scheduling agreement for its football teams for last season was invalid.
The clause called for payments to the Mountain West of $10 million for the first team that left, with the amount growing by $500,000 for every additional team. That was on top of the $17 million plus exit fees that schools were responsible for as part of a different agreement.
The Mountain West said in a statement that its lawyers were reviewing the judge’s decision.
Colorado State, Utah State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Boise State are set to leave the Mountain West and join the Pac-12 starting in 2026. The conference added Texas State in June to reach the eight-team minimum to be eligible for an automatic bid for its champion in the College Football Playoff.
Oregon State and Washington State are the only remaining Pac-12 members following an exodus last year that threatened the conference’s future. The two schools reached a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West so they could piece together a football schedule last season.
The Mountain West has added UTEP, Hawaii and Northern Illinois for football starting in 2026.
Boise State, Colorado State and Utah State also filed an updated lawsuit against the Mountain West last month, alleging it improperly withheld millions of dollars and misled them about a plan to accelerate Grand Canyon’s membership.
California
Woman violently arrested by sheriff’s deputies secures $17 million settlement with county
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A woman who was knocked unconscious and arrested by two sheriff’s deputies in Northern California after stopping to change drivers during a family trip in 2020 has reached a $17 million settlement with the county, her lawyer said Monday.
Nakia Porter had filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Solano County Sheriff’s Office deputies violating state and federal civil rights statutes by engaging in “unlawful seizure, assault and excessive force.”
Porter, her father and her three young children were driving home at night on Aug. 6, 2020, when they pulled off the road. Porter, who is Black, was already out of the car when the deputies pulled up with lights flashing and she explained that they were just switching drivers and would be on their way, according to the lawsuit.
Body cameras worn by the deputies recorded them pulling guns on Porter before slamming her to the pavement while handcuffing her along a rural road in the town of Dixon. Her father, Joe Powell, was also placed in handcuffs and briefly detained.
Porter was jailed overnight on suspicion of resisting arrest, but never charged.
“What happened to Ms. Porter and her family should never happen in our society,” Porter’s attorney Yasin Almadani said in a news release announcing the settlement.
Solano County spokesperson Matthew Davis said in a statement that the settlement was reached as both parties “acknowledge that all claims and causes of action relating to the incident are disputed.”
Davis said he could not comment on whether the two deputies involved are still employed.
“We continuously review training, policies, and practices to strengthen community trust and prevent future incidents,” he said.
The lawsuit also accused the deputies of lying on their arrest reports about Porter fighting them and the length of time she was unconscious.
“For those that are listening, I am not resisting,” Porter can be heard saying on the body camera footage. “You are not reading me my rights.”
The deputies then push Porter against the squad car and then to the pavement while trying to handcuff her.
“Put your hands behind your back. Get on your stomach,” one deputy shouts.
Porter alleged the deputies punched her in the head and the stomach, knelt on her back and pulled her hair. She said she passed out seconds after the deputies closed the handcuffs.
“I think she’s out,” a deputy can be heard saying on the video.
Porter, who is 5-foot-2 (1.6 meters) and 125 pounds (57 kilograms), said she was dragged unconscious to the back of the squad car, where she came to about five minutes later.
“These deputies treated us less than human and left a void we are still struggling to fill,” Porter said in Monday’s news release. “I cannot describe what this type of experience does to a person, but I wish it on no one.”
Federal employee caused shooter hoax to bond with co-workers, prosecutors say
An active shooter hoax that prompted a lockdown at New Jersey’s largest military base was caused by a civilian employee who wanted to “trauma bond” with her colleagues, according to court documents.
Malika Brittingham, who works for the Naval Air Warfare Center in Maryland and is assigned to Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, faces counts of knowingly conveying false and misleading information related to the use of firearms at a federal facility, according to a criminal complaint filed by federal prosecutors. It wasn’t known Wednesday if she’s retained an attorney.
The lockdown order was issued shortly before 11 a.m. Tuesday at the sprawling base, which is among the nation’s largest military installations. According to a criminal complaint filed in the case, Brittingham allegedly texted someone around 10:15 a.m., writing that a shooter was on the base, that she had heard five or six shots and that she was hiding in a closet with co-workers.
The person she texted then called the base’s operation center and 911, relaying what Brittingham told her, the complaint stated. That prompted the lockdown order, officials said.
The lockdown lasted about an hour before base officials determined there was no shooter.
Brittingham initially told authorities that she did not send the text until after she was told to shelter in place, according to the complaint, but further investigation regarding the timing proved that was false,
prosecutors said.
Brittingham eventually admitted that she sent the text and knew there was no active shooter, prosecutors said. She told investigators she carried out the hoax because she had been “ostracized by her co-workers and hoped that their shared experience in response to an active shooter would allow them to ‘trauma bond,’” the complaint said.
The U.S. Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst spans 42,000 acres (17,000 hectares) and combines Air Force, Army and Navy functions with more than 42,000 service members, relatives and civilian employees.
The incident unfolded as U.S. military leaders gathered at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had summoned them from around the world to hear him declare an end to “woke” culture in the armed forces, among other Trump administration priorities.
Nevada
Court disqualifies Trump-appointed U.S. attorney from overseeing several criminal cases
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A federal judge disqualified Nevada acting U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah from several cases after concluding Tuesday that the Trump appointee has stayed in the temporary job longer than allowed by law.
U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell disqualified Chattah from supervising the criminal prosecutions, siding with defense lawyers who argued that her authority expired in July.
Campbell ordered government attorneys on the cases to tell the court within seven days that Chattah is not directing their work. He did not dismiss the indictments, however.
A phone call seeking comment was not answered Tuesday night by Chattah’s office, and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to an emailed request.
It was the second setback in recent weeks for the Trump administration’s effort to extend handpicked acting U.S. attorneys beyond the 120-day limit set by federal law. A judge reached the same conclusion as Campbell in August in ruling acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey, Alina Habba, was in the job illegally.
Under federal law, if a permanent U.S. attorney is not nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate within 120 days, judges of the federal district court can appoint an interim until the vacancy is filled, Campbell wrote in his ruling.
Campbell took aim at the Trump administration’s strategy of using a string of temporary appointments to allow Trump’s candidates to bypass the usual requirement that U.S. attorneys be confirmed by the Senate — something that generally requires a degree of bipartisan support.
He pointed to the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, which Congress passed specifically to regulate the temporary filling of executive branch vacancies that require presidential appointment and Senate confirmation.
“The procedure used by the government to appoint Ms. Chattah was never intended by Congress,” Campbell wrote.
Chattah, a conservative lawyer, drew opposition from Nevada’s Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen. Both vowed to block her if the administration sought to make her appointment permanent, calling her an election denier who has advocated for political violence and supported illegal actions by Trump.
Chattah previously represented Nevada churches that challenged the state’s COVID-19 restrictions, arguing they violated First Amendment rights by treating churches differently than casinos or other secular businesses. She ran for state attorney general in 2022 but lost to Aaron Ford, a Democrat.
Chattah also represented one of six Nevada Republican Party members accused of submitting certificates to Congress falsely declaring Donald Trump the winner of the 2020 presidential election in the state.
The appointment of Trump loyalists to the Department of Justice has also deepened concerns that the agency, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, is being weaponized in pursuit of investigations and now prosecutions of people the president regards as political enemies.
Last Thursday former FBI Director James Comey was charged with lying to Congress in a criminal case filed days after Trump appeared to urge Bondi to prosecute him.
Trump has also pushed the department to prosecute New York Attorney General Letitia James, who successfully sued him for fraud. Pressure from the White House also led to the resignation of a top federal prosecutor in Virginia.
California
Federal judge allows Pac-12’s lawsuit against Mountain West over poaching fees to go forward
A federal judge has allowed the Pac-12 Conference’s lawsuit against the Mountain West Conference over $55 million in “poaching fees” to go forward.
Northern District of California Senior Judge Claudia Wilken denied the Mountain West’s motion to dismiss the case on Tuesday. She set an initial case management conference for Nov. 18.
“The Pac-12 Conference is pleased that the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California denied the Mountain West Conference’s motion to dismiss,” the Pac-12 said in a statement. “We will move forward with our case. The ruling allows our antitrust and related claims to proceed. We remain confident in our position and focused on advancing academic excellence, athletic achievement, and the tradition that has defined the Pac-12 for more than a century.”
The conferences failed to reach an agreement by a July deadline for mediation, and the Pac-12 requested the hearing on a pending motion to dismiss.
The Pac-12 and some of its new schools filed lawsuits last year, claiming the poaching clause it agreed to when it signed a scheduling agreement for its football teams for last season was invalid.
The clause called for payments to the Mountain West of $10 million for the first team that left, with the amount growing by $500,000 for every additional team. That was on top of the $17 million plus exit fees that schools were responsible for as part of a different agreement.
The Mountain West said in a statement that its lawyers were reviewing the judge’s decision.
Colorado State, Utah State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Boise State are set to leave the Mountain West and join the Pac-12 starting in 2026. The conference added Texas State in June to reach the eight-team minimum to be eligible for an automatic bid for its champion in the College Football Playoff.
Oregon State and Washington State are the only remaining Pac-12 members following an exodus last year that threatened the conference’s future. The two schools reached a scheduling agreement with the Mountain West so they could piece together a football schedule last season.
The Mountain West has added UTEP, Hawaii and Northern Illinois for football starting in 2026.
Boise State, Colorado State and Utah State also filed an updated lawsuit against the Mountain West last month, alleging it improperly withheld millions of dollars and misled them about a plan to accelerate Grand Canyon’s membership.
California
Woman violently arrested by sheriff’s deputies secures $17 million settlement with county
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A woman who was knocked unconscious and arrested by two sheriff’s deputies in Northern California after stopping to change drivers during a family trip in 2020 has reached a $17 million settlement with the county, her lawyer said Monday.
Nakia Porter had filed a federal lawsuit accusing the Solano County Sheriff’s Office deputies violating state and federal civil rights statutes by engaging in “unlawful seizure, assault and excessive force.”
Porter, her father and her three young children were driving home at night on Aug. 6, 2020, when they pulled off the road. Porter, who is Black, was already out of the car when the deputies pulled up with lights flashing and she explained that they were just switching drivers and would be on their way, according to the lawsuit.
Body cameras worn by the deputies recorded them pulling guns on Porter before slamming her to the pavement while handcuffing her along a rural road in the town of Dixon. Her father, Joe Powell, was also placed in handcuffs and briefly detained.
Porter was jailed overnight on suspicion of resisting arrest, but never charged.
“What happened to Ms. Porter and her family should never happen in our society,” Porter’s attorney Yasin Almadani said in a news release announcing the settlement.
Solano County spokesperson Matthew Davis said in a statement that the settlement was reached as both parties “acknowledge that all claims and causes of action relating to the incident are disputed.”
Davis said he could not comment on whether the two deputies involved are still employed.
“We continuously review training, policies, and practices to strengthen community trust and prevent future incidents,” he said.
The lawsuit also accused the deputies of lying on their arrest reports about Porter fighting them and the length of time she was unconscious.
“For those that are listening, I am not resisting,” Porter can be heard saying on the body camera footage. “You are not reading me my rights.”
The deputies then push Porter against the squad car and then to the pavement while trying to handcuff her.
“Put your hands behind your back. Get on your stomach,” one deputy shouts.
Porter alleged the deputies punched her in the head and the stomach, knelt on her back and pulled her hair. She said she passed out seconds after the deputies closed the handcuffs.
“I think she’s out,” a deputy can be heard saying on the video.
Porter, who is 5-foot-2 (1.6 meters) and 125 pounds (57 kilograms), said she was dragged unconscious to the back of the squad car, where she came to about five minutes later.
“These deputies treated us less than human and left a void we are still struggling to fill,” Porter said in Monday’s news release. “I cannot describe what this type of experience does to a person, but I wish it on no one.”
