New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday that he would seek a second term to lead the city as an independent, opting to avoid a crowded Democratic Party primary.

Adams faced sinking approval ratings and declining poll numbers as a federal corruption case loomed over him. On Wednesday, a judge granted the Justice Department’s request to dismiss the case against the mayor but “with prejudice,” meaning it cannot be refiled.

A judge on Wednesday dismissed the corruption indictment against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. 

U.S. District Judge Dale E. Ho of the Southern District of New York dismissed the case against Adams with prejudice, meaning it can't be brought back again. 

A federal judge has permanently dismissed the criminal case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, weeks after the Trump administration directed prosecutors to drop the corruption charges.

A judge on Wednesday dismissed corruption charges against Eric Adams, ending the first criminal case against a New York City mayor in modern history and underscoring how President Trump’s Justice Department is using prosecutorial power to advance his agenda.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Tuesday she is directing prosecutors to pursue the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the young man suspected of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in December.

Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday said she had ordered federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione, who is charged with murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City in December.

“Luigi Mangione’s murder of Brian Thompson — an innocent man and father of two young children — was a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America,” Bondi said in a statement issued by the Department of Justice.

The Democratic-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court defeated a challenger endorsed by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday, cementing a liberal majority for at least three more years.

Judge Susan Crawford, the liberal candidate in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election, beat conservative challenger Judge Brad Schimel in a contest that shattered spending records and turned a state race into a referendum on President Donald Trump.