DACA from right and left: political corruption or human decency?

News Analysis WASHINGTON—The Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which for seven years has shielded from deportation about 700,000 individuals brought to the United States as minors, has become a flashpoint in American politics. The highly controversial program … Continue reading DACA from right and left: political corruption or human decency?

Supreme Court considers whether parents of foreign national killed by Border Patrol outside US can seek damages

WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court considered for the second time whether the parents of a foreigner killed outside the country—in this case, in Mexico—by a U.S. law enforcement officer can pursue a claim for damages against the officer. During oral arguments this week, some … Continue reading Supreme Court considers whether parents of foreign national killed by Border Patrol outside US can seek damages

Professor resigns over Columbia University’s trend toward communism

A Romanian-born professor who fled communism in his homeland said he recently abandoned his tenured post at Columbia University because various incidents convinced him the prestigious school is “on its way toward full-blown communism.” Andrei Serban, an award-winning film director with an extensive list … Continue reading Professor resigns over Columbia University’s trend toward communism

Preparations made to appeal judge’s ruling approving Harvard’s discriminatory admissions policies

A conservative civil rights group plans to lend its expertise to the legal fight to overturn a federal judge’s ruling that Harvard University’s policy of discriminating against Asian Americans in favor of whites in the undergraduate admissions process is legally sound. The … Continue reading Preparations made to appeal judge’s ruling approving Harvard’s discriminatory admissions policies

Federal judge denies rights of conscience to health care providers

An Obama-appointed federal judge in Manhattan struck down as unconstitutional a Trump administration rule preventing federally funded health care providers from being forced to participate in abortions and other activities that violate their conscience. U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer of the … Continue reading Federal judge denies rights of conscience to health care providers

IBM employees ask Supreme Court to hold pension managers liable for loss

WASHINGTON—A lawyer for IBM employees who invested in company stock told the Supreme Court Nov. 6 that the employees should be able to sue managers of the company’s retirement fund in stock-drop litigation for not disclosing that the company’s microelectronics business was overvalued. The … Continue reading IBM employees ask Supreme Court to hold pension managers liable for loss

Supreme Court seems open to limiting federal regulation of water pollution

WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court seemed inclined during oral arguments Nov. 6 in a dispute over wastewater disposal in Hawaii to reverse new powers to regulate pollution granted in a recent court decision, and also appeared open to reining in some of the regulatory … Continue reading Supreme Court seems open to limiting federal regulation of water pollution

Supreme Court considers whether criminal lawful permanent resident can avoid deportation

WASHINGTON—The lawyer for a lawful U.S. permanent resident told the Supreme Court on Nov. 4 that the hard-to-interpret wording of a federal immigration statute doesn’t allow the government to deport the man, even though in later years he was convicted of serious … Continue reading Supreme Court considers whether criminal lawful permanent resident can avoid deportation

Georgia legislator seeks to prohibit sex-reassignment surgery on minors

A state lawmaker in Georgia wants to make it a felony for medical doctors to perform sex-reassignment surgery on minor children, including vasectomy, castration, mastectomy, and other varieties of genital mutilation, and forbid the prescription of puberty-blocking drugs and cross-sex … Continue reading Georgia legislator seeks to prohibit sex-reassignment surgery on minors

US students favor punishment for offensive Halloween costumes

Most U.S. university students support punishing their peers for wearing “highly offensive” Halloween costumes such as blackface, recent polling suggests. The poll comes after a series of highly publicized events involving public figures such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau being shown in photographs wearing … Continue reading US students favor punishment for offensive Halloween costumes

North Carolina state court orders redistricting that US Supreme Court did not

A North Carolina state court tossed the state’s 2020 congressional map after finding that Democratic Party voters would probably prevail in a lawsuit challenging the redrawn districts as examples of impermissible partisan gerrymandering. It was unclear at press time if Republicans would appeal … Continue reading North Carolina state court orders redistricting that US Supreme Court did not

Ben Carson seeks fairer, more efficient disparate impact rule

WASHINGTON—Conservative thought leaders are applauding the Trump administration’s efforts to fix the so-called disparate impact rule in housing by replacing the current regulation, which tends to presume industry decisions are discriminatory with one that treats housing market participants more equitably. … Continue reading Ben Carson seeks fairer, more efficient disparate impact rule