Tom Ramstack

Tom Ramstack

Tom Ramstack is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and attorney. Prior to writing for The Well News, he covered transportation and legal affairs for The Washington Times and founded The Legal Forum, a news service for Washington’s legal community that also offers legal services for nonprofit organizations. His work has been featured in Reuters and other publications.

Ramstack notes that as a licensed Washington, D.C., lawyer, he occasionally works on short-term document review projects on a pay-per-project basis for established law firms. He also receives no payment from subscribers or advertisers from The Legal Forum.

You can reach him on LinkedIn and through his website.

Recent Work

December 1, 2023
by Tom Ramstack
Inspector General Investigates Reports of Bias in New FBI Headquarters Choice

WASHINGTON — A federal inspector general’s investigation is checking out reports that conflicts of interest might have influenced the choice... Read More

WASHINGTON — A federal inspector general’s investigation is checking out reports that conflicts of interest might have influenced the choice last month of Greenbelt, Maryland, for the new FBI headquarters. Until the General Services Administration announced the 61-acre Greenbelt site on Nov. 8, a second site... Read More

November 30, 2023
by Tom Ramstack
Supreme Court Leans Toward Reducing Enforcement Authority of Federal Agencies

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed ready Wednesday to cut back on the authority of federal agencies to enforce their... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed ready Wednesday to cut back on the authority of federal agencies to enforce their regulations through fines or seizures of property. Questions from the conservative majority of justices during a hearing focused on whether the agencies were committing unconstitutional procedural... Read More

November 29, 2023
by Tom Ramstack
Congress Confronted With Pros and Cons of Health Care AI

WASHINGTON — A congressional committee took a cautious step Wednesday into the prospects for artificial intelligence to improve health care.... Read More

WASHINGTON — A congressional committee took a cautious step Wednesday into the prospects for artificial intelligence to improve health care. The benefits could be great but so could the risks to privacy, according to medical personnel who testified before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee. “It... Read More

November 28, 2023
by Tom Ramstack
Senate Considers Public Health Strategy to Control Rising Gun Violence

WASHINGTON — Perplexing problems of gun violence returned to a Senate hearing Tuesday, this time with a proposal for treating... Read More

WASHINGTON — Perplexing problems of gun violence returned to a Senate hearing Tuesday, this time with a proposal for treating it as a public health crisis rather than purely a law enforcement issue. A near record surge in violence has resulted in more than 38,000 Americans... Read More

November 22, 2023
by Tom Ramstack
Appeals Court Restricts Right to Sue Under the Voting Rights Act

ST. LOUIS — A federal appeals court ruling this week limits the authority for lawsuits to enforce the Voting Rights... Read More

ST. LOUIS — A federal appeals court ruling this week limits the authority for lawsuits to enforce the Voting Rights Act to government agencies. The ruling by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals means individuals and civil rights advocates can no longer sue to protect voting... Read More

November 21, 2023
by Tom Ramstack
Elon Musk’s X Sues Media Watchdog Over Accusations of White Supremacy

WASHINGTON — The world’s richest man fired back Monday against his accusers who say he supports white supremacy by filing... Read More

WASHINGTON — The world’s richest man fired back Monday against his accusers who say he supports white supremacy by filing a lawsuit against the liberal media watchdog group Media Matters for America. He says in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Texas that Media Matters’... Read More

November 20, 2023
by Tom Ramstack
Appeals Court Considers Lifting Gag Order Against Trump

WASHINGTON — Federal appeals judges in Washington, D.C., seemed skeptical Monday about arguments by attorneys for Donald Trump that a... Read More

WASHINGTON — Federal appeals judges in Washington, D.C., seemed skeptical Monday about arguments by attorneys for Donald Trump that a gag order should be withdrawn to allow him to criticize court personnel in his election interference case. Trump has used phrases like “corrupt,” “deranged” and “red... Read More

November 17, 2023
by Tom Ramstack
Supreme Court Blocks Florida Law Banning Kids From Drag Shows

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a Florida law that bans child access to drag shows, saying... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a Florida law that bans child access to drag shows, saying it violates First Amendment free speech rights. Gov. Ron DeSantis and his supporters enacted the law to protect children from what they consider corrupt influences. The... Read More

November 16, 2023
by Tom Ramstack
Federal Trade Commission Offers Prize for Techniques to Control Voice Cloning

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission announced a $25,000 prize Thursday to anyone who can suggest an effective means of... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Federal Trade Commission announced a $25,000 prize Thursday to anyone who can suggest an effective means of protecting consumers from the artificial intelligence-enabled voice cloning that plays a key role in many scams. The “Voice Cloning Challenge” is the latest of many government... Read More

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December 2, 2023
by Dan McCue
Santos Expelled From House in Lopsided Vote

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives voted to expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., on Friday, leaving the chamber’s Republican leadership... Read More

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives voted to expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., on Friday, leaving the chamber’s Republican leadership — all of whom voted in favor of the embattled congressman staying — with one fewer member in their already... Read More

Empty Cruise Ships Another Absurd Result of 1886 Maritime Law

Cruise ships sailing empty? It’s a recipe for financial loss, and cruise operators avoid it whenever possible. But it does... Read More

Cruise ships sailing empty? It’s a recipe for financial loss, and cruise operators avoid it whenever possible. But it does happen.  As reported by Newsweek, it happened in May, when Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas sailed without guests from Galveston, Texas, to... Read More

December 1, 2023
by Tom Ramstack
Inspector General Investigates Reports of Bias in New FBI Headquarters Choice

WASHINGTON — A federal inspector general’s investigation is checking out reports that conflicts of interest might have influenced the choice... Read More

WASHINGTON — A federal inspector general’s investigation is checking out reports that conflicts of interest might have influenced the choice last month of Greenbelt, Maryland, for the new FBI headquarters. Until the General Services Administration announced the 61-acre Greenbelt site... Read More

Biden Heading to Hollywood for Fundraiser Featuring Steven Spielberg and Shonda Rhimes

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will head to Los Angeles next week for a big-dollar event that will be... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will head to Los Angeles next week for a big-dollar event that will be his first since strikes by writers and actors effectively ground his fundraising to a halt in the heart of the... Read More

AP Exclusive: America's Black Attorneys General Talk Race, Politics and Justice System

BOSTON (AP) — The American legal system is facing a crisis of trust in communities around the country, with people... Read More

BOSTON (AP) — The American legal system is facing a crisis of trust in communities around the country, with people of all races and across the political spectrum. For many, recent protests against police brutality called attention to longstanding discrepancies in the... Read More

Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, First Woman on Supreme Court, Has Died at Age 93

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, an unwavering voice of moderate conservatism and the first woman... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, an unwavering voice of moderate conservatism and the first woman to serve on the nation’s highest court, has died. She was 93. The court says she died in Phoenix on... Read More

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