The Pacific Northwest is expected to sizzle Saturday as a dangerous heat wave brings triple-digit temperatures, shattering records for the region. 

Oregon and Washington residents were already feeling the effects Friday, with normally temperate coastal areas reporting record highs and officials warning of extreme heat and impacts on everything from utilities to bridges.

WASHINGTON, OREGON IN FOR HISTORIC, DANGEROUS HEAT WAVE

At Washington’s Port Angeles, the temperature reached 95 degrees Friday, a record high.

Bellingham Airport, which is closer to Vancouver, Canada than Seattle, hit 86 degrees, also the highest ever for the date. 

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Seattle said a weather balloon launched from Quillayute — close to La Push, of the “Twilight” franchise fame – had reported a freezing level of 18,000 feet.

“In my 22 years at this office, I’ve never seen anything that high,” the agency’s Twitter manager said, writing earlier that evening that high temperatures were expected to be unprecedented.

While Seattle has only hit 100 degrees three times in recorded history, the agency says the city could top triple digits several times and possibly break the all-time mark of 103.

With fewer than half of Pacific Northwest residents having home air conditioning, the intense heat triggered the opening of “cooling centers” and health warnings.

In Portland, the NWS said this weekend would potentially be “the hottest since records began in the late 19th century.”

Oregon meteorologists said highs could soar to 108 degrees, an all-time high.

This weekend, many temperatures in the Pacific Northwest may reach up to 30 degrees above normal, forecasters said.

In response, demand for portable air conditioners and fans has surged and cities have shut down outside COVID-19 vaccination sites and other events. 

The threat of blistering heat comes as the West is experiencing a punishing and crippling drought amid an already worrying wildfire season.

Many western states have felt the heat over the last couple of weeks, also watching records break. 

Northern California, which has felt the brunt of this oppressive heat, is also expected to be impacted this weekend, as well as western Nevada.

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The NWS has issued excessive heat warnings for nearly the entire Pacific Northwest, northern Great Basin and parts of California and Nevada.

The agency warned of the threat of heat-related health risks and elevated fire concerns, urging people to stay indoors, hydrate and check on vulnerable family, friends and neighbors.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Judges appointed by former President Trump have stymied President Biden’s policies on multiple fronts in the early months of the new administration, taking what experts say is a less “deferential” approach to executive power as judges appointed by past presidents. 

“What you’re seeing is that ‘pen and phone’ initiatives are running into legal trouble right off the bat,” Ilya Shapiro, the vice president and director of the libertarian Cato Institute’s Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies, told Fox News. “Trump appointed a lot of judges — more than anyone in one term than Jimmy Carter, for whom Congress created 152 new judgeships to fill — and these folks aren’t as deferential to executive power as past Republican-appointed judges might have been.” 

It’s very early in the new administration with many court cases against other Biden policies yet to be decided – and the decisions against the president could still be overturned by higher courts. But Trump-appointed judges have ruled against the president on immigration, COVID relief, the environment and more. 

GOP LAUDS COURT FOR STOPPING BIDEN’S ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL OVERREACH’ BANNING GAS AND OIL LEASES

Most recently, Trump-appointed Judge Terry Doughty of the Western District of Louisiana implemented a nationwide injunction on the Biden administration’s “pause” on new oil and gas leases, saying that the president does not have the authority to overrule laws requiring the administration to sell those leases. 

“Although there is certainly nothing wrong with performing a comprehensive review, there is a problem in ignoring acts of Congress while the review is being completed,” Doughty wrote in his opinion. 

In another instance, former Trump Supreme Court shortlister Amul Thapar slapped an injunction on an element of the coronavirus stimulus law that used race and sex to prioritize which restaurant owners could get government aid. 

“This case is about whether the government can allocate limited coronavirus relief funds based on the race and sex of the applicants. We hold that it cannot,” Thapar wrote. 

“Because these race-neutral alternatives exist, the government’s use of race is unconstitutional,” he continued. “Aside from the existence of race-neutral alternatives, the government’s use of racial preferences is both overbroad and underinclusive.”

One of the earliest cases of a Trump-appointed judge’s ruling against the administration, however, came when District Judge Drew Tipton issued an indefinite injunction on the deportation moratorium the president ordered shortly after assuming office. 

BIDEN’S 100-DAY DEPORTATION MORATORIUM INDEFINITELY BANNED BY JUDGE

Tipton had previously issued a two-week restraining order on the policy after Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had argued that it violated federal law and an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that Texas be consulted before such a move.

Separately, Trump-appointed D.C. District Judge Dabney Fredrich ruled last month that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) moratorium on evictions was unlawful and vacated it, although she did stay her own ruling to give the government time to appeal. 

“[T]he Public Health Service Act authorizes the Department to combat the spread of disease through a range of measures, but these measures plainly do not encompass the nationwide eviction moratorium set forth in the CDC Order,” Fredrich wrote. She said the way the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is interpreting its authority, there would essentially be “no limit to the reach of [the HHS Secretary’s] authority.” 

The case quickly escalated to the Supreme Court after the D.C. Circuit Court declined a request from the realtors who brought the case to lift the stay. Chief Justice John Roberts requested a response from the government, which came earlier this month. He could soon rule on whether to lift the stay.

“President Trump’s judges have shown an unwavering commitment to the rule of law and the Constitution so it’s not surprising to see opinions reining in executive overreach from the Biden administration,” Carrie Severino, the president of the right-leaning Judicial Crisis Network, told Fox News. 

The White House declined to comment for this story. 

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Those are not the only Biden policies that have been stopped in the court – non-Trump-appointed judges have also handed the administration legal losses. Among them is Judge William Griesbach, a George W. Bush appointee, who halted the coronavirus relief bill’s loan forgiveness targeted specifically at minority farmers earlier this month.

“The obvious response to a government agency that claims it continues to discriminate against farmers because of their race or national origin is to direct it to stop: it is not to direct it to intentionally discriminate against others on the basis of their race and national origin,” Griesbach wrote. 

“Indeed, Congress can implement race-neutral programs to help farmers and ranchers in need of financial assistance,” he continued. “But it cannot discriminate on the basis of race.”

Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report. 

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin received a 270-month prison sentence Friday for second-degree unintentional murder in the death of George Floyd last spring.

Minnesota District Court Judge Peter Cahill said a 22-page sentencing memorandum would explain his reasoning on the sentence in greater detail.

“Most of it’s going to be in writing, 22-page memorandum – to emphasize the fact that determining the appropriate sentence in any case and in this case is a legal analysis,” he said. “It’s applying the rule of law to the facts of an individual and specific case. As opposed to trying to be profound here on the record, I prefer you read the legal analysis.”

He added that the sentence was not motivated by “public opinion,” “emotion or sympathy” and granted Chauvin credit for 199 days in time already served.

“I want to acknowledge the deep and tremendous pain that all the families are feeling, especially the Floyd family,” Cahill said. “You have our sympathies, and I acknowledge and hear the pain that you are feeling. I acknowledge the pain not only of those in this courtroom, but the Floyd family outside this courtroom and other members of the community.”

WHAT TO KNOW AS CHAUVIN SENTENCE IN FLOYD DEATH EXPECTED: EXPLAINED

The judge had been expected to hand down a sentence of between 20 and 25 years, the maximum sentence being 40 years and the average for similar crimes at around 12.5 years. Floyd’s brothers asked the court for the maximum punishment of 40 years, and prosecutors, as expected, asked for 30.

Before the sentencing, Floyd’s brothers read impact statements, lawyers for both sides delivered remarks, and Chauvin, speaking only briefly, expressed condolences to the Floyd family.

“On May 25, 2020, my brother was murdered, everyone knows, by Derek Chauvin,” said Terrence Floyd, one of the victim’s brothers, delivering an emotional impact statement to the court. “The facts of this case were proven beyond a reasonable doubt and three guilty verdicts have been rendered.”

“I wanted to know from the man himself, why? What were you thinking? What was going through your head when you had your knee on my brother’s neck? Why, when you knew that he posed no threat anymore, he was handcuffed, why didn’t you at least get up. Why’d you stay there?”

Chauvin, with a buzzed head and wearing a gray suit, looked on, unmoving, face concealed in part behind a blue face mask.

Floyd held back tears and asked the judge to impose the maximum penalty.

Chauvin’s actions, which were recorded on harrowing video that circulated widely online, prompted an explosion of social justice and anti-police brutality protests that lasted for months. He could be seen pressing his knee to the neck of Floyd, who was laying prone and being restrained by other officers, for 9 minutes and 29 seconds as onlookers pleaded for him to ease up and Floyd begged for his life.

Floyd, who was suspected of passing a fake $20 bill at a nearby corner store, eventually went limp.

After a monthlong trial, a jury convicted him of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in April.

The sentencing began at 2:30 p.m. ET, or 1:30 p.m. CT.

Another brother, Philonise Floyd, also delivered an impact statement. He said the video of his brother’s death gave him nightmares.

“I have had to sit through each day of officer Derek Chauvin’s trial and watch the video of George dying for hours, over and over again,” he said. “For an entire year, I had to relive George being tortured to death.”

Prosecutor Matt Frank noted four aggravating factors the court had previously found that could be used to increase Chauvin’s sentence under state guidelines. They included the fact that there were children present to witness the incident.

“One of the children even said, ‘We’ve gotta call the police on the police,’” he said. “How do you even process that as a 9-year-old?”

The others included an abuse of authority, a lack of respect for the suspect’s dignity and a failure to provide immediate medical care when Floyd stopped breathing. 

“We think they justify a greatly increased sentence,” he said. “This is not a typical second-degree murder.”

Carolyn Pawlenty, Chauvin’s mother, also addressed the court, speaking on behalf of the family.

“It has been difficult for me to read and hear what the media, public and prosecution team believe Derek to be an aggressive, heartless and uncaring person,” she said. “I can tell you that is far from the truth. My son’s identity has also been reduced to that of a racist. I want this court to know that none of these things are true, and that my son is a good man.”

She turned to her son, who at times looked down during her remarks, and told him the two proudest moments in her life were his birth and his graduation from the police academy.

“Derek I want you to know I have always believed in your innocence, and I will never waiver from that,” she said. “I have read numerous letters from people around the world that also believe in your innocence. “

Defense attorney Eric Nelson countered Frank’s aggravating factors with a list of mitigating ones.

Chauvin has received multiple awards for saving lives and had been honored for his valor, Nelson said. He was also a U.S. Army veteran with a family of his own and had no criminal record.

“What he liked to do was help people,” Nelson said. “He’s not coming into this as a career criminal with six points, five points, four points, he’s coming into this never having violated the law because he lived an honorable life.”

Chauvin, during his chance to address the court, said he could only speak briefly due to pending federal litigation but he offered his condolences to the Floyd family.

Experts had predicted a sentence of 20 to 25 years in prison, but he faced a maximum of 40. The average sentence for a first-time offender on the second-degree murder charge is 12-and-a-half years in prison. With good behavior, a prisoner could get parole after serving about two-thirds of a sentence.

The legal team for George Floyd’s family, led by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, praised the sentence in a statement, even though it was shorter than the family had sought.

“This historic sentence brings the Floyd family and our nation one step closer to healing by delivering closure and accountability,” they said in a statement. “For once, a police officer who wrongly took the life of a Black man was held to account. While this shouldn’t be exceptional, tragically it is. Day after day, year after year, police kill Black people without consequence. But today, with Chauvin’s sentence, we take a significant step forward – something that was unimaginable a very short time ago. Now, we look for Chauvin to also be convicted on the federal charges pending against him and for the three other officers to face consequences for their actions. That would represent important additional steps toward justice.”

Before the sentencing, Cahill denied Chauvin’s request for a new trial. Defense attorney Nelson had argued that the intense publicity tainted the jury pool and that the trial should have been moved away from Minneapolis.

The judge also rejected a defense request for a hearing into possible juror misconduct. Nelson had accused a juror of not being candid during jury selection because he didn’t mention his participation in a march last summer to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Prosecutors countered the juror had been open about his views.

Chauvin’s defense team is expected to appeal.

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Chauvin is also facing federal civil rights charges, and three other officers fired after the incident are awaiting a separate manslaughter trial.

Crump said that Chauvin’s mistreatment of Floyd had sparked a nationwide movement to enact police and criminal justice reforms and used the moment to call for the passing of a stalled federal law.

“Not only were Chauvin and the City of Minneapolis held accountable, but cities and states across the country have passed meaningful reforms, including restrictions on chokeholds and better training and protocols,” he said in a statement. “We need this sentence to usher in a new era of accountability that transforms how Black people are treated by police. To achieve that – real, lasting change in police departments from coast to coast – we need the U.S. Senate to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act without further delay.”

Fox News’ Jennifer Girdon and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Justice Department on Friday filed a lawsuit against Georgia over the state’s new voting law.

The lawsuit will challenge several of the provisions in Georgia Senate Bill 202, according to the DOJ.

“The right of all eligible citizens to vote is the central pillar of our democracy, the right from which all other rights ultimately flow,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement. “This lawsuit is the first step of many we are taking to ensure that all eligible voters can cast a vote; that all lawful votes are counted; and that every voter has access to accurate information.”

The provisions the DOJ will target include a ban on government entities from handing out unsolicited absentee ballots; fines on civic groups, places of worship and advocacy organizations groups for distributing follow-up absentee ballots; shortening absentee ballot deadlines to 11 days before Election Day and more, according to a press release.

“The right to vote is one of the most central rights in our democracy and protecting the right to vote for all Americans is at the core of the Civil Rights Division’s mission,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said. “The Department of Justice will use all the tools it has available to ensure that each eligible citizen can register, cast a ballot, and have that ballot counted free from racial discrimination. Laws adopted with a racially motivated purpose, like Georgia Senate Bill 202, simply have no place in democracy today.” 

Georgia. Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger condemned the lawsuit in Friday statements.

“This lawsuit is born out of the lies and misinformation the Biden administration has pushed against Georgia’s Election Integrity Act from the start,” Kemp said. “Joe Biden, Stacey Abrams, and their allies tried to force an unconstitutional elections power grab through Congress – and failed. Now, they are weaponizing the U.S. Department of Justice to carry out their far-left agenda that undermines election integrity and empowers federal government overreach in our democracy.”

Raffensberger out the Biden administration for doing “the bidding of Stacey Abrams and spreads more lies about Georgia’s election law.”

“Their lies already cost Georgia $100 million and got the President awarded with four Pinocchios. It is no surprise that they would operationalize their lies with the full force of the federal government. I look forward to meeting them, and beating them, in court,” he said.

The expected lawsuit comes two weeks after Garland said the Justice Department would scrutinize a wave of new laws in Republican-controlled states that tighten voting rules. He pledged to take action if prosecutors found unlawful activity.

WASHINGTON POST’S JENNIFER RUBIN SAYS MERRICK GARLAND IS ‘WRONG MAN’ FOR AG AFTER DECLARING HIM ‘RIGHT PICK’

Abrams tweeted about the news Friday, saying Americans of all races, parties and zip codes “have an ally on voting rights” in the Justice Department and thanked the attorney general.

The person who spoke to AP was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly before the official announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The move also comes as pressure grows on the Biden administration to respond to GOP-backed laws being pushed in the states this year. An effort to overhaul election laws was blocked this week by Republican senators.

More than 20 GOP-led voting laws have passed in 14 states, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, which researches voting and supports expanded access.

Georgia’s new voting law requires voter ID for mail-in ballots and limits the number of ballot drop boxes in Atlanta. 

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Under the bill, the GOP-dominated legislature gave itself greater influence over a state board that regulates elections and empowered that board to remove local election officials deemed to be underperforming.

That has raised concerns that the state board could intervene in the operations of Democratic-run county election offices in metro Atlanta, the state’s Democratic power center.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.