Welcome back to the Unify Brief, where we track the latest developments facing our nation.
Trump’s new tariffs following SCOTUS ruling
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) struck down President Trump’s sweeping emergency tariffs, marking one of the first major losses for the Trump administration at the majority-conservative Supreme Court.
Challenged in lower courts by small businesses, these lawsuits all said they were impacted by the increased tariffs. SCOTUS found that the president’s tariffs exceeded the powers granted to him by Congress under a 1977 law, which provides him with the authority to regulate commerce during national emergencies caused by a foreign threat, called the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
President Trump called the three conservative justices who joined the majority “disloyal” and “unpatriotic.” In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, the president announced on Truth Social that he will raise global tariffs from 10 to 15 percent.
Democrats quickly spoke out about this, with those on the House Ways and Means Committee accusing Trump of “pickpocketing the American people” with the higher tariff.
More on this:
National: Democrats rejoice in the Supreme Court rebuke of Trump tariffs they have called illegal (CNBC)
Local: Trump withdraws endorsement of Colorado Rep. Jeff Hurd, cites ‘lack of support’ on tariffs (Axios Denver)
What other college campuses have to say: Who’s really paying for the Trump administration tariffs? (University of Chicago)
Fatal ICE shooting occurred in Texas months before the killing of Renee Good
New records show that in March 2025, 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez was fatally shot in his car by a federal immigration officer.
Martinez’s death was reported by local media outlets, but the federal and state authorities did not disclose that the shooting involved the Homeland Security Investigations team. In a statement on Friday, the Department of Homeland Security accused Martinez of “intentionally running over an agent,” and the shooting was defined as an act of self-defense.
At least half a dozen other people have died during the U.S. immigration crackdown, including Renee Good, a Minnesota mother, and Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse.
National: Read Full DHS? ICE Report on Fatal Shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez (Newsweek)
Local: ACLU of Colorado Demands Immediate Withdrawal of Federal Agents from Minneapolis and Other Communities After Killing of Alex Pretti (ACLU Colorado)
What other college campuses have to say: Minnesotan students wrestle with ICE presence, civilian killings (The Davidsonian)
The death of Civil Rights Leader, Rev. Jesse Jackson
Rev. Jesse Jackson passed away on Feb. 17 at age 84. In 2017, Jackson announced he had Parkinson’s disease. In November, he was hospitalized for progressive supranuclear palsy.
Jackson was considered the protégé of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. After King’s assassination in 1968, Jackson was positioned as his successor. In his lifetime, Jackson ran for president with the Democratic Party twice, the first in 1984 and then again in 1988, making him the second Black candidate to run for a major party after Shirley Chisholm in 1972.
In 1990, Jackson became a “statehood senator” for the District of Columbia, where his job was to lobby for statehood to be granted to the U.S. capital city.
His family, in a statement, stated that Jackson died peacefully and was survived by his wife, his children and his grandchildren.
National: Jesse Jackson, Charismatic Champion of Civil Rights, Dies at 84 (The New York Times)
Local: Colorado Black leaders speak of Rev. Jesse Jackson’s impact in Denver (9 News)
What other college campuses have to say: Rev. Jesse Jackson dies at 84 (The Maroon Tiger)
Take Action:
At DU:
- Visit the Black History Month exhibit in Community Commons Room 1001
On Your Own:
- Browse Change.Org to find petitions concerning ICE
- Call your representatives
- Denver County Representative: Diana DeGette
