The Supreme Court ruled 5–4 on June 27 that U.S. bankruptcy law does not allow courts to approve an opioid manufacturer’s bankruptcy settlement that extinguishes the claims of those alleging they were harmed by opioid use. The case is Harrington … Continue reading Supreme Court rejects Purdue Pharma’s multibillion-dollar opioid settlement
The Supreme Court voted 5–4 on June 27 to temporarily put on hold the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) “good neighbor” rule that cracks down on states whose industries are said to be contributing to smog. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote … Continue reading Supreme Court pauses EPA’s ‘good neighbor’ rule that cracks down on smog
The Supreme Court decided this week to consider whether a retired Florida firefighter with Parkinson’s disease can sue her former employer for discrimination in the provision of post-employment benefits. The justices granted the petition for certiorari, or review, in Stanley … Continue reading Supreme Court to hear case of firefighter with Parkinson’s who sued city for discrimination
The Supreme Court voted 6–3 on June 26 to toss the conviction of James Snyder, a former small-town mayor in Indiana who was convicted of accepting an illegal gratuity. The court held that federal law prohibits bribes to state and … Continue reading Supreme Court tosses corruption conviction of former Indiana mayor
The Supreme Court threw out a challenge on June 26 to the federal government’s actions when it communicated with social media platforms about public health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. The justices voted 6–3, finding that two Republican-led states and … Continue reading Supreme Court rules for Biden admin in social media free speech case
The Supreme Court on June 24 reversed a lower court’s ruling against bump stock purchasers after the justices overturned a federal ban on the devices days before. The regulation, which came into being during the Trump administration after a gunman … Continue reading Supreme Court rules for bump stock owners after striking down federal ban
The Supreme Court agreed on June 24 to hear a challenge by the federal government to a Tennessee law that prohibits the use of puberty blockers and medical treatments for minors who identify as transgender. The decision comes as several … Continue reading Supreme Court to hear case on state’s restrictions of transgender treatments for minors
The Supreme Court voted 6–3 last week to allow an Ohio jeweler to bring civil rights claims against police for malicious prosecution after criminal charges brought against him were dropped. The jeweler claims that local police fabricated evidence against him. … Continue reading Supreme Court allows Ohio man to sue police over alleged malicious prosecution
Two Democrat lawmakers are demanding Chief Justice John Roberts reveal what steps he has taken to investigate what they call “allegations of serious ethical misconduct” by conservative Supreme Court justices. Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) of the … Continue reading Democrat lawmakers seek answers from chief justice over Supreme Court ethics
The Supreme Court ruled on June 21 that prosecutors infringed on an Arizona drug defendant’s constitutional right to confront witnesses against him by using the testimony of a substitute expert witness who didn’t actually conduct the drug tests that another … Continue reading Supreme Court finds prosecutors violated drug defendant’s rights by switching expert witnesses
The Supreme Court on June 21 denied an appeal aimed at allowing U.S. citizens whose spouses were denied immigrant visas an opportunity to challenge those denials in court. The 6–3 decision, which held that a U.S. citizen does not have … Continue reading Supreme Court holds 6–3 that certain visa decisions cannot be challenged
The Supreme Court on June 21 upheld by 8–1 a federal gun control law that bars people under domestic violence-related restraining orders from possessing firearms. The justices found that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution isn’t violated when an … Continue reading Supreme Court upholds ban on guns for people under domestic restraining orders
The Supreme Court on June 20 ruled in favor of a former city council member in Texas who sued for retaliation after she was arrested following her criticism of city officials. The new opinion in Gonzalez v. Trevino was marked … Continue reading Supreme Court allows Texas council member to sue over arrest she claims was politically motivated
The Supreme Court on June 20 upheld a 2017 tax on “unrealized” income from overseas investments by a vote of 7–2. Unrealized income reflects theoretical profits that exist “on paper.” The investor doesn’t “realize” the income until he sells the … Continue reading Supreme Court upholds Trump-era tax on overseas income
The Supreme Court has agreed to consider the standards of evidence for employers trying to prove that their workers should not qualify for overtime pay and other legal protections provided by U.S. wage laws. The court granted the petition for certiorari, or review, in E.M.D. Sales Inc. v. Carrera in an unsigned order on June 17. No justices dissented. The court did not explain its decision. At least four of the nine justices must vote to grant a petition for it to advance to the oral argument stage. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which covers more than 140 … Continue reading Supreme Court to review evidence standards for employers in overtime exemption cases
The Supreme Court recently overturned a lower court ruling that had vacated the sentence of an Alabama death row inmate after finding that he had received ineffective assistance of counsel during the sentencing process. The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. … Continue reading Supreme Court rejects Alabama death row prisoner’s request for resentencing
The Supreme Court agreed on June 17 to hear a case from Silicon Valley tech giant Nvidia that could make it more difficult for shareholders to pursue securities fraud lawsuits. The case comes after Nvidia agreed in May 2022 to pay the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) $5.5 million to resolve civil charges that the company failed to properly disclose the effect of cryptocurrency mining on its gaming operations. In two quarters in fiscal 2018, the company did not disclose that crypto mining was a “significant element” of its revenue growth from sales of chips made for gaming, the … Continue reading Supreme Court will hear shareholder lawsuit alleging NVIDIA deceived investors
The Supreme Court on June 14 rejected on a 6–3 vote a bankrupt company’s claim that excessive court fees that it paid should be refunded after the nation’s highest court struck down the law authorizing the fee schedule in 2022. … Continue reading Supreme Court says government doesn’t have to refund bankruptcy fees
The Senate Judiciary Committee on June 13 released new information about flights and excursions that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas took for which Republican donor Harlan Crow paid. Justice Thomas previously said he was advised by colleagues that “this sort … Continue reading Senate committee discloses more free trips taken by Justice Thomas
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of Starbucks on June 13, reining in the National Labor Relations Board’s authority to decide whether fired union activists in Tennessee should get their jobs back. For years, the coffee giant has been … Continue reading Supreme Court sides with Starbucks in labor dispute with union activists