Federal Judge Again Rules Key Part of New DC Gun Law Unconstitutional – Last fall, Mendelson said, “There’s no question that states have the right to substantially limit the ability of citizens to carry, and the District’s unique status as host to federal officials and the diplomatic corps makes the issue of carrying a fundamental safety concern.”  [The Washington Post]

DC Weighing Appeal of Court Ruling That Loosens Gun Control Law –  DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D), who drafted the law with mayoral and police officials, said Tuesday that lawmakers worked “very carefully” when they wrote the legislation and that he thought the language remains “constitutionally defensible.”  “I would hope that we would appeal the decision,” he said.  [The Washington Post]

Poll: DC Residents Favor Mayor’s Sales Tax Increase – Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) has said he is looking for a way to maintain the current tax rate without making cuts to vital social services.  [The Washington Post]

In Early Power Struggle with Council, DC Mayor Could Winn Battle, Lose War – But on controversial issues, including those involving mayoral authority, there “would be disagreements on the margins,” Mendelson said “We can go to the mat on those.” The chairman said he was girding for a battle with Bowser before the May 27 vote because “every indication is that the mayor is going to resist any change” to her proposed budget.  [The Washington Post]

DC Firefighter Remembered as a Hero – Sadness seeped through. “A man should not go to work and die,” said D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D).  [The Washington Post]

DC Council Backs Expanding Youth Jobs Program, but with Qualms – “It’s troubling,” [Mendelson] said, regarding the need for a retroactive vote. “It makes it harder for the council to say ‘No.’ And that’s why we were struggling here,” he added.  [The Washington Post]

House Committee Votes to Upend First DC Law in 23 Years – Some conservatives have interpreted the bill to mean that employers in the District, including churches and anti-abortion groups like March for Life, could eventually be required to provide coverage for contraception and abortions.  The council passed a temporary fix to the bill to make clear that religious organizations would not be responsible for such medical care, and Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) reiterated that Tuesday in a letter to Chaffetz, but the Republican chairman said the fix was insufficient.  [The Washington Post]

House Votes to Strike Down DC Law Banning Reproductive Discrimination – In a letter last week to Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) just before his oversight committee voted to overturn the bill, Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) pleaded for members of Congress to leave the matter up to the city.  “The fundamental issue is whether individuals or organizations have the right to discriminate,” he wrote. “It is our view that they should not with regard to personal health choices.”  [The Washington Post]

House Votes to Block DC Law – “The Human Rights Act is … a protection for an individual. It’s not a government program,” Mendelson said in a Thursday phone interview. “John Doe doesn’t have the right to discriminate against you. So if Congress says we can’t spend any money to implement that, what does that mean? … It’s not clear how Congress could stop that.”  [Roll Call]

House Votes to Strike Down DC Reproductive Rights Law – Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), the District’s non-voting member of Congress, issued a statement Friday declaring victory because the measure is on track to become law. But after a fierce debate on the House floor late Thursday, neither side felt like cheering.  “I feel rather battered around, beat up, by the whole thing,” DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) said.  [The Washington Post]