In The Courts: November 01, 2026

Junk. Joining us for In the Courts this week, I'm Katie Barlow. And off the top tonight, the trial of accused murderer Naresh Bhatt enters week five tomorrow as the prosecution is expected to rest its case tomorrow morning. Bhatt is accused of killing and dismembering his wife and the mother of their child, Mamta Kaful Bhatt, in Prince William County. And prosecutors believe that she was killed inside the couple's home on July 30th, 2024, but her remains have never been recovered, making it a more challenging case for prosecutors relying on certain evidence. Now, this week, the jury saw evidence of Bott's disturbing Internet searches, including whether he could donate his baby and questions about handsaws and woodcutters. The jury also watched video of Bhatt at several dumpsters and trash sites, pulling small bags out of the trunk of a Tesla and putting on gloves in some instances. They also learned that police were called to the couple's home in February 2024 for a domestic violence incident, but there were no charges or arrests. There were arrests and Momta did not want to speak. with the officers when they arrived. The jury returns tomorrow at noon. We don't know yet whether Bhatt plans to take the stand in his own defense, but we could learn that as early as tomorrow. Also in Prince William County this week, Pastor Ben Pervs with the Occoquan Bible Church is suing to block Virginia voters from weighing in on whether the Commonwealth's constitution should include a provision on marriage equality. While the Supreme Court has affirmed the right to marry whom you choose, Virginia still bans same-sex marriage. So if the court were to reverse its 2015 landmark decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, that ban Could take effect once again, but if voters approve this ballot question, ballot question two this year, that would be a non-issue because the right to marriage would then be enshrined in the state constitution. Question two, the proposed amendment would Strike out the biblical definition of marriage from the Virginia state constitution. So instead of marriage being defined as between a man and a woman, which is how the scriptures define it, it's how marriage is created in Genesis. What question two does is give Virginia voters a chance to make our constitution reflect our values by removing that discriminatory language and replacing it with an affirmative right of any two otherwise qualified people to marry. The suit is not expected to go before a judge before Tuesday, election day, but there could be a retroactive decision that affects the outcome. Also in Virginia, DOJ announced an international fraud scheme involving student loans. Prosecutors accused the alleged fraudsters of creating fake federal student aid accounts through FAFSA. They enrolled the so-called ghost students, meaning a fake student using a stolen U.S. citizen's I.D. And then after the loan and grant money drops into a bank account, it gets diverted to various other bank accounts controlled by foreign actors here and in Kenya, according to DOJ. Throughout the year, Americans submit a FAFSA application with the Department of Education, praying they might receive the funds or loans necessary to attend college. For many, that FAFSA application is their only chance. The American people know this, and so they generously fund federal student aid programs to help students and families who otherwise couldn't pay for college. Prosecutors charged a man in Northern Virginia in connection with this fraud. That case remains under seal, but the alleged fraudster is a Kenyan national accused of stealing over $1.4 million in student aid and transferring at least $1.3 million to accounts in both the United States and Kenya. DOJ says the man used multiple accounts from different banks to receive over 700 fraudulently obtained federal student and refund deposits. In D.C., Cole Allen, the man charged with attempting to kill the president at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, will go to trial next September. Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, set the date this week. Allen is also accused of firing his gun and hitting a Secret Service agent as he attempted to run past security and into the ballroom of the Washington Hilton Hotel. Allen is facing up to life in prison on the attempted assassination charge. The trial is expected to last about three to four weeks. Also in the district, two of President Trump's pet projects are hitting some legal headwinds. On Friday, Biden appointee Judge Ana Reyes held yet another emergency hearing in the fight over East Potomac golf course. She once again ordered the number three official at DOJ, Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward, to attend the hearing in person to answer questions. Now, the DOJ says the Trump administration does, in fact, plan to close not only the golf course, But the entire surrounding area, including the bike and running path in just two. Two weeks, Judge Reyes has now appointed a special master to conduct an investigation into whether DOJ attorneys misled the court. She had already become frustrated with DOJ. Last month, the Trump administration removed over 400 mature trees at East Potomac Park. DOJ filed a notice regarding the work just before it started, which Judge Reyes deemed an intentional attempt to evade judicial review. The judge is troubled and rightly so by these misrepresentations that appear to have been made and has appointed a special master to look into the matter. It's an extraordinary course of conduct, but it's part of a larger pattern by this administration. The Justice Department has confirmed plans to close the course November 15th, but with the legal battle continuing, it remains to be seen whether the administration can move forward on that timeline. The district and Virginia have also filed a joint lawsuit in an effort to stop construction on President Trump's proposed Triumphal Arch near Arlington National Cemetery. Critics say the project could threaten historic landmarks and disrupt the area. The president says the arch would serve as a tourist attraction and at one point, possibly a military complex to store drones and ammunition, although the latest plans don't include those details. That's adding to the controversy surrounding the project. Here's D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, who also serves as a member. The president has indicated that as soon as the National Capital Planning Commission, or NCPC, votes, that they're going to immediately begin excavation and work on the arch. But the district's complaint more broadly is that the district is harmed in a number of ways, I think most notably with regard to transportation. A judge is still weighing whether to halt the ARCH project before the Capital Planning Commission's vote, which is scheduled for Thursday. Meantime, all eyes are on the midterm elections this Tuesday. And while there have been some election-related lawsuits percolating through the courts, don't expect those to stop necessarily on Tuesday. In fact, some of the biggest legal challenges could be ahead. We're going to bring in lawyer and friend of Fox 5, Dante Mills, to discuss. Dante, good to have you on the show. Thanks for joining us. KB, good to see you. So let's talk about what we've seen so far. We saw a case out of Alaska. We've seen a case out of California. In fact, the California case included a Trump appointee denying the Trump administration's efforts to order California to sequester certain ballots of. Who they believed were non-citizens voting. So some Trump appointed judges are saying no to the Trump administration with some of their efforts in the courts leading up to election day. What are you keeping an eye on leading up to Tuesday? Well, KB, we're close to the election. A lot of judges don't want to intervene and in fact, there's precedent that says when you are on the eve of an election, you should not alter any rules because people already So let's look at Alaska, for example, where the Trump administration is saying there was another Daniel Sullivan who was put into the race to confuse people because the Republican incumbent is named Daniel Sullivan. That will because what Alaskans do when they're voting for their senator is they pick who they want to vote for and then they rank people after that. And if they rank one Daniel Sullivan over the other by era, then that could change the outcome of the election. So the Trump administration is saying that was done intentionally. This judge is saying, one, it's too close to the election to change that, because how do we address that for the people who already voted? And two, there's really no way to address it. It may seem nefarious, but what are you gonna do? Ask people why they rank somebody or if they were confused with the name. So the Trump administration is pointing out things that they believe will impact the election against them. But a lot of those things have no legal basis. And also, it's too close right now. To start tinkering with rules or changing rules because we want our process to be consistent and secure for everybody who already voted and the people who will be voting on Tuesday. A president once famously said of the Supreme Court, they've made their decision, let them enforce it, referring to the fact, of course, that our court system in the United States does not have the power of the sword. They cannot enforce their decision. Our entire judicial system is dependent on the fact that the American public has faith in their decision making and will abide by those decisions. Are you concerned at all about the way that courts have been talked about and covered leaning up to the election that we could run into a a problem there when rubber hits the road on Tuesday and politics and political disagreements are at an all-time high. Absolutely. And you're bringing up a topic, KB, that's very important. I think it's already being impacted. When you brought up this topic here that we're talking about and you mentioned the judge, even in the Washington, D.C. case, you said Trump-appointed judge, right? That shouldn't matter. And it never used to matter. We never had to announce what side of the appointed a judge before they made their decision. There was just an assumption that a judge knows the law. They're going to operate to the best of their ability within the law and not have it vary depending on whether they were appointed by a Republican or a Democrat. So the mere fact that we bring that up as a topic, I think, shows that it's already having an impact on how we view our judicial system. And you also said it right. There's three co-equal branches of government, but they all rely on the others. allowing their power to exist and not trying to step over it. So the legislative branch or the executive branch in this case is saying we're not going to listen to the judicial branch. That's a problem and I don't even know if the forefathers are our founding fathers thought enough to say what happens when the president doesn't listen to and co-equal branch of government. What do we do in that scenario? We're in unprecedented territory. All right, we only have about 30 seconds left, but what do you think you're keeping an eye on the most after Tuesday? We're almost certain to see some sort of election-related challenge from either party. What ball are you keeping an eye on the most out of Tuesday? I'm not concerned about our election at all. The history of our election system and our process, it works. There has been no federal election that's been influenced Or change by election fraud at all, ever. I don't think that's going to change on Tuesday. I think our system will work. I do hope that whoever loses gracefully bows out and allows our system to move forward. And I don't want people challenging just because we should believe in our system. There's proof that it works. This Trump administration has been looking for actively examples of fraud, and they have yet to find any. I think at most they found 20 people in the entire United States. That they say voted illegally, 20 people, when millions and millions and millions of people cast ballots. So I'm confident in our system, and I hope we can just keep it moving forward without any challenges. Dante Mills, thank you so much for joining us. We'll have more in the courts when we come back. Don't go away. Welcome back to In the Courts. Abbas Raza is a senior at Rockridge High School in Ashburn, Virginia, and has decided to spend some of his spare time launching a nonprofit aimed at helping community members in need of legal advice, but unable to afford it. He created Know Your Rights Loudon that connects community members and lawyers and provides workshops on everything from tenants' rights to work and wage issues to immigration. Abbas is here with us, and with him, Liz Fuller, partner with Whitbeck. Begles? Is that how I pronounce it? Yes, it is. Whitbeck Begles. Great. And Liz has done some teaching for the nonprofit and is here to share the perspective of what it's like to be a lawyer who works in connection with the nonprofit. But first of all, tell us a little bit about what inspired you to launch this in the first place. Why is a high schooler thinking about this? Yeah. So over the past two summers, I've had the chance to sit in on just over two dozen different trials, mostly the civil docket. But it exposed me to how multifaceted Loudoun County really is and how there's all sorts of problems. The problem that I kept seeing again and again is that people showed up without knowing their rights and a lot of the times they didn't have lawyers, which is why... Trying to bridge that gap, I created Know Your Rights Loud, and so not only can we teach people their rights for free, whereas, you know, anywhere else that usually starts with some sort of consultation fee, also to, you know, if people are having trouble finding lawyers, to refer them to different pro bono organizations to make sure that they get the representation they need. And you mentioned two important lessons in there. One, I'm not sure why that just played. One. Civil cases, you're not guaranteed a lawyer. And so if you can't afford one, you're sometimes stuck without one. And also, you can go sit in the courtrooms and watch anything that's happening and learn. And that's always a fun thing to do just as a member of the community to learn about what's going on. Now, Liz, you focus on helping families who are navigating the educational system and IEPs in particular for their students for special education. That comes with a wealth of specialized knowledge that you've built up over your career. career, but... What made this worth your time, and who are the types of folks that you're hearing from the most through this nonprofit when you're teaching? Well, I think that there are a lot of underrepresented parents and families with children with disabilities, and it's a very overwhelming and daunting thing to go into a school district. know that your child is struggling and not know how to get them the help or to suspect that there might be a learning disability and these are parents who are already expending a lot of resources to get their child therapies and there's all kinds of medical needs and evaluations that come out of pocket and so to be thinking about getting an attorney on top of that can be a real financial strain for people. And so whenever I... I can give back to the community, to educate parents. I try to do that as much as possible. I used to work for a pro bono law firm, and that's how I got into this field. Oh, good for you. So parents who are navigating this, I mean, it's a lot like the health system. You have to be your own advocate because the system is already so bogged down with so many issues that they won't necessarily listen. And having a lawyer's perspective can be so key for that. So under the idea, really it's supposed to make the system accessible to parents. And so actually the school districts have a proactive duty called Child Find to identify children with learning disabilities and then to inform the parents what their rights are and how to get services. But a lot of times teachers are busy and people don't always... Follow up with the referrals, and so that's why it's really important if you suspect that your child is struggling, is getting behind, has learning disabilities, that you should proactively speak to a teacher or an administrator and say that you would like for your child to be screened for eligibility for special education. And Abbas, what are the areas other than education that you're seeing the most need in Loudoun right now in particular? So we have a lot of immigration related cases. People come in with their H-1B stuck for two, three years, sometimes even more. And I know that especially right now, the processing times are crazy. It takes anywhere from nine to 10 years, which is crazy. We see a lot of immigration-related cases. We'll have people come in with, you know, if people have questions about eviction or speeding tickets or they just need to be connected to some sort of, you know, legal help. So I see all sorts of different issues ranging from, again, things as small as speeding tickets to, you know, we've had people come in for even... As things as big as DUIs, so yeah, all sorts of issues. And we were just talking about this during the commercial break, but you have built this so that it can continue even when you leave the school. What happens after you're gone? And talk a little bit about the expansion. We have about 45 seconds. Yeah, so again, I'll be in college, but of course, I will still be very much involved in it. Right now, we're in the process of expanding into Prince William and Fairfax counties, As well as... A number of different states, which include, you know, Washington, the Bay Area in California, New Jersey. So different chapter leaders will lead their chapters and organize their chapters. So each chapter will host different workshops, just as we're doing in Loudoun, and they'll be in charge of their chapters. For me, I'll just be kind of overlooking all the different chapters and making sure that, you know, workshops are being held on a consistent basis. But again, the chapter leaders are going to be hosting their own workshops So know your rights, Loudoun, and the other counties is not going anywhere, even though you'll be graduating. Congratulations on all of your success. Thank you both for your help with the community and of us. You're writing maybe the first couple of paragraphs of your admissions essay for law school eventually, but you've got to get undergrad done first. Oh, yeah. All right. Well, thank you both for joining us. We'll have more in the courts when we come back. Don't go away. Now to stories ripped from the headlines this week. New York Attorney General Letitia James, who's been appointed as a special prosecutor in the Cornell 7 case involving seven male students accused of raping a woman at a fraternity, is facing scrutiny this week after a social media post she made about the case before she took on the role. She said in a Blue Sky post, what this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable. The defendant's lawyers call bias in a new court filing. James defends her remarks as empathy. The judge overseeing the divorce and custody battle between Halle Berry and ex Olivier Martinez split the baby, so to speak, in dueling orders this week. One dissolving a domestic violence restraining order against the actress, the other granting primary custody of the couple's 13-year-old son to Martinez. According to TMZ, the couple previously held joint custody and Berry was hoping to restore that arrangement, but the judge denied her request. Actor Russell Brand is on trial for rape in the United Kingdom this week. He has pleaded not guilty. This week, the jury heard from his 39-year-old wife, Laura, who testified that he is a kind and wonderful father and said that he respected her wishes when she didn't want to engage in sexual activity, according to BBC. Brand also took the stand in his own defense, claiming he believes consent is fundamental and necessary. That case is expected to go to jury on Tuesday. Time now for sports in the courts. And every day seems to present a new legal battle for the NCAA. This time, they're facing a new lawsuit filed by three former and current Division III athletes claiming the association's ban on athletic scholarships at more than 400 schools violates federal competition laws, according to Yahoo Sports. The complaint was filed in federal court in California. The challengers want a court order blocking the NCAA from enforcing the ban, and they want millions of dollars in damages. I'll be back with some final thoughts right after this. Don't go away. I know everyone's watching the midterm elections for what happens to the balance of power on Capitol Hill, but don't forget that in Maryland, there are judges on the ballot throughout the state, including one for a Supreme Court justice whose term is expiring at the end of this year. So don't forget to pay attention to your local races, especially the judicial elections, because the results there could actually directly affect your life and well-being much more than the balance of power in Congress. Happy voting, everyone. We'll be back the same time next week, but until then, have a good night. Good night. I mean, I write poems in these songs dedicated to you and you're in the mood for empathy is blood in my.