A federal district court threw out a police officer’s lawsuit against prominent Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson last week. The dismissal came after the Supreme Court on April 15 rejected Mr. Mckesson’s request to review the case. The court … Continue reading After Supreme Court rulings, lower court dismisses suit against BLM activist
The Supreme Court said on July 11 that it will formally consider on Sept. 30 whether to hear Jan. 6 defendant Russell Dean Alford’s appeal of a 2022 conviction. Mr. Alford, of Hokes Bluff, Alabama, argues that he shouldn’t have … Continue reading Supreme Court will consider Jan. 6 defendant’s appeal on Sept. 30
Lawyers for the District of Columbia asked a federal district court on July 11 to put a challenge to the capital city’s ban on so-called assault weapons on hold temporarily. They argued in newly filed papers in the case of … Continue reading DC government requests pause in lawsuit against its ban on AR-15 rifles
Legal experts told a panel on July 10 that two recent Supreme Court decisions on presidential immunity and bureaucratic power will generate a great deal of work for lawyers and judges. Panelists speaking at a Heritage Foundation event in Washington … Continue reading Supreme Court’s decisions on presidential immunity, agency authority mean more work for lawyers, judges, panel says
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on July 8 that last week’s Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity put “a crown on Donald Trump’s head.” The lawmaker said he is preparing legislation aimed at lessening the decision’s impact on … Continue reading Schumer says bill to address presidential immunity ruling forthcoming
The Supreme Court denied commentator Rogan O’Handley’s bid last week to appeal a lower court’s decision dismissing his lawsuit that claimed California pressured Twitter to censor his election-related posts. Mr. O’Handley’s account on Twitter, now called X, had been suspended … Continue reading Supreme Court won’t hear online commentator’s censorship suit against California
The Supreme Court last week overturned an appeals court ruling that shielded Republican state legislators in North Dakota from having to comply with subpoenas in a voting rights lawsuit. The new decision quashes a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit that put state lawmakers’ legislative privilege against being subpoenaed on an equal footing with that of federal lawmakers. The circuit court previously held that legislative privilege is needed so public servants can do their jobs without worrying about personal liability or constant litigation and that precedent holds that state lawmakers are entitled to the same … Continue reading Supreme Court rejects lower court ruling shielding state lawmakers from subpoenas
The Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether three offenders dubbed the “Scarecrow Bandits,” whose crimes predate a Trump-era criminal justice reform law, should benefit from the law’s lower mandatory minimum sentences. The nickname for the individuals originated with FBI … Continue reading Supreme Court will hear dispute over First Step Act sentence reductions
Mexico urged the U.S. Supreme Court this week to let its $10 billion lawsuit against U.S. gun manufacturers for allegedly flooding that country with firearms proceed in the lower courts. Although some gun control activists welcome Mexico’s lawsuit, gun rights … Continue reading Mexico asks US Supreme Court to allow its $10 billion lawsuit against US gun makers
The Supreme Court decided this week to review how a 60-day deadline works for illegal immigrants who miss the deadline to leave the country after agreeing to self-deportation. The legal issue in the immigration law appeal is whether such a … Continue reading Supreme Court to weigh the importance of filing deadlines in self-deportation cases
The Supreme Court decided on July 2 to send the cases of two Jan. 6 defendants back to lower courts after ruling this past week that the federal government was wrong to use an accounting law to charge Jan. 6 … Continue reading Supreme Court sends two Jan. 6 cases back for reconsideration
The Supreme Court declined on July 2 to take up the case of a Texas teenager who wanted to revive his unsuccessful lawsuit that accused social media platform Snapchat of failing to protect its young users from sexual predators. The Supreme Court did not provide reasons for its decision. The petitioner was not identified by name in court documents because he was a minor when the lawsuit was initiated. Lower courts threw out the case, finding that Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act barred lawsuits against internet companies for liability for users’ content. The case is John Doe … Continue reading Supreme Court declines Snapchat case about alleged teen sex abuse
The Supreme Court declined on July 2 to take up several Second Amendment-based challenges to an Illinois law that prohibits so-called assault weapons such as the popular AR-15 rifle. The ruling means that the Illinois law will remain on the … Continue reading Supreme Court won’t hear challenge to Illinois ban on ‘assault weapons,’ other gun appeals
The Supreme Court on July 1 sent legal challenges to laws in Florida and Texas that regulate how social media platforms moderate content back to lower courts, finding that they failed to carry out proper analyses of the two cases. … Continue reading Supreme Court punts on Florida and Texas social media laws, sends cases back to lower courts
The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on July 1 that a retailer can challenge the fees the Federal Reserve System allows banks to charge for processing debit card transactions, despite not filing the challenge before the usual six-year cutoff. Justice Amy … Continue reading Supreme Court allows retailer to challenge debit card swipe fees
The Supreme Court’s ruling that the federal government should not have used an accounting law to charge Joseph Fischer with obstruction of an official proceeding for briefly entering the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, will affect prosecutions involving other … Continue reading Lawyers say some Jan. 6 defendants will benefit from new Supreme Court ruling
The Supreme Court ruled 6–3 on June 28 in favor of Jan. 6 defendant Joseph Fischer, a former police officer charged under an accounting law after he briefly entered the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The new ruling is … Continue reading Supreme Court rules for Jan. 6 defendant who challenged obstruction charge
The Supreme Court, in a vote of 6–3, overturned the Chevron deference doctrine, a bureaucracy-empowering judicial doctrine that critics say led to the explosive growth of the U.S. government in recent decades. The new decision will make it more difficult … Continue reading Supreme Court overturns ‘Chevron doctrine,’ curtailing federal government power
The Supreme Court on June 28 upheld on a 6–3 vote a local ordinance banning public camping, which activists claimed unconstitutionally punished homeless people for being homeless. The majority opinion in City of Grants Pass v. Johnson was written by … Continue reading Supreme Court allows city’s ban on public camping targeting homeless encampments
The Supreme Court on June 27 decided to dismiss Idaho’s appeal against a lower court ruling that granted an exception to its strict abortion law for abortions deemed to be medical emergencies. The decision allows emergency abortions to proceed in Idaho, while a challenge to the state’s abortion law moves through the lower courts. President Joe Biden praised the ruling. “Today’s Supreme Court order ensures that women in Idaho can access the emergency medical care they need while this case returns to the lower courts. No woman should be denied care, made to wait until she’s near death, or forced … Continue reading Supreme Court temporarily allows emergency abortions in Idaho