Columbia University in New York is planning to conduct six additional graduation ceremonies for students according to their race, ethnic backgrounds, income level, and other self-identifications—a move that critics labeled as undoing the work of the civil rights era and taking a step toward re-segregating society. The school’s website provides details of upcoming graduation ceremonies for Native, Asian, “Latinx,” and black students scheduled for late April for Columbia College, Columbia Engineering, General Studies, and Barnard College. Another ceremony, “FLI Graduation” is for “first generation and/or low income community,” and the “Lavender” graduation is intended for the “LGBTIAQ+ community.” Because of continuing pandemic-related restrictions, the events … Continue reading Columbia University to hold ‘multicultural graduation celebrations’

An isolated Amish community in Minnesota is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a ruling by the state’s high court that allows a regulator to force its members to install a septic system that conflicts with their religious beliefs. The case is Mast v. Fillmore County, court file 20-7028. The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled against the Amish on Aug. 25, 2020. The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, which is representing the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), has been asked by the U.S. Supreme Court to respond to the petition brought by members of the Fillmore County Amish community. The attorney general’s … Continue reading Amish challenge forced water treatment system in Supreme Court on religious grounds

Low-level crack cocaine defendants should benefit from a 2018 federal law that reduced prison sentences for certain offenses, the Biden administration advised the Supreme Court, distancing itself from a more hardline position taken by the Trump administration. Although then-President Donald Trump signed the criminal justice reform measure known as the First Step Act into law, his administration held the view that possession of a small amount of crack cocaine wasn’t covered under the statute. Acting Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar let the high court know in a March 15 letter about a pending case that the new administration has reversed course and now … Continue reading Biden DOJ reverses position on crack cocaine appeal before Supreme Court

A military-readiness group is urging the Supreme Court not to take up a petition from a men’s rights group that asks the court to strike down the law that authorizes military conscription solely for men as unconstitutional. The case is National Coalition for Men v. Selective Service System, court file 20-928. Based in San Diego, the National Coalition for Men (NCFM) was “founded in 1977 upon the realization that men needed a unified voice in addressing issues concerning men and boys,” according to its website. The NCFM is represented in the case by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which … Continue reading Group urges Supreme Court not to hear challenge to military draft

Just weeks after the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case involving a Trump-era rule preventing federally funded health care providers in a family planning program from referring patients for abortions, the Biden administration asked the court to drop the case. All the parties in the case consented to ask that it not be heard, in expectation of President Joe Biden withdrawing the rule. Biden telegraphed that he would do so when he issued an executive memorandum on Jan. 28 directing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to consider rescinding the rule governing the family planning program for poor people under Title … Continue reading Biden administration asks Supreme Court to drop abortion case

A federal judge struck down a nationwide eviction moratorium issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ruling the 2020 ban was beyond the agency’s authority. The ruling in the lawsuit, known as Skyworks Ltd. v. CDC, came on March 10. The ruling consisted of a declaratory judgment but not an injunction. It’s unclear if the Biden administration will appeal. The legal action was filed Oct. 23, 2020, in federal court in Ohio, as The Epoch Times previously reported. Among the plaintiffs were Ohio landlord Skyworks Ltd. and the National Association of Homebuilders. Attorney Luke Wake, who represented a … Continue reading Federal judge strikes down CDC’s nationwide eviction ban

Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson is asking the Supreme Court to review a $2.11 billion jury verdict from Missouri over baby powder it produced that allegedly contained asbestos that caused ovarian cancer. In addition to a vaccine used against the CCP virus, which causes the disease COVID-19, the 135-year-old New Jersey-based company has been known for making a variety of talc-based consumer products such as its iconic baby powder, which is the subject of the litigation. The petition in the case, known as Johnson & Johnson v. Ingham, court file 20-1223, was filed with the Supreme Court on March 4. The verdict came out … Continue reading Johnson & Johnson appeals $2 billion cancer verdict over baby powder to Supreme Court

The Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of a New York man suing police for malicious prosecution after they raided his home without a warrant to conduct a fruitless child abuse investigation and held him in custody for two days on charges that were later dismissed. In an unsigned order March 8 the court agreed to review the case known as Thompson v. Clark, court file 20-659. Clark in the title of proceeding refers to Pagiel Clark, one of four New York Police Department (NYPD) officers named in the lawsuit. The other officers are Paul Montefusco, Phillip Romano, and … Continue reading Supreme Court to hear case of Navy veteran suing NYPD officers for malicious prosecution

News Analysis President Joe Biden differs sharply from his predecessor when it comes to how the federal government should treat Americans who identify as transgender. Biden is a progressive leveler. He embraces the transgender ideology unreservedly, demanding that society accept and normalize transgender people, whereas former President Donald Trump was more restrained, respecting the right of transgender people to exist without rearranging society to accommodate them or supporting the radical socially transformative goals of the left-wing transgender movement. Trump banned some transgender individuals from military service; Biden welcomes them. Trump opposed letting transgender persons use school bathrooms corresponding to their gender identity; Biden does not. … Continue reading Biden champions transgender movement, while Trump had reservations

The Supreme Court on March 8 dismissed former President Donald Trump’s final remaining challenge to the 2020 presidential election results, a lawsuit challenging the results in the state of Wisconsin. At the same time, the high court also declined to hear an emergency petition for mandamus brought by pro-Trump lawyer L. Lin Wood, who, on Dec. 30, 2020, asked the court to block the Jan. 5 runoff elections for Georgia’s two U.S. Senate seats. The races were won by Democrats who unseated two incumbent Republicans, handing control of that chamber to Democrats as President Joe Biden began his term of office. The … Continue reading Supreme Court refuses to hear Trump’s last remaining election challenge

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled against a former Michigan college student who sued police officers for beating him after mistaking him for a criminal suspect, finding on technical grounds that his claim was barred by the Federal Tort Claims Act. The case is Brownback v. King, court file 19-546. The high court’s opinion, dated Feb. 25, which overturned a decision by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, was written by Justice Clarence Thomas. Justice Sonia Sotomayor filed a separate opinion concurring with the result. Respondent James King, at the time a student at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, was roughed up by police … Continue reading Supreme Court tosses suit brought by Michigan man beaten by police in mistaken identity case

The Supreme Court should make clear the extent to which the doctrine of hot pursuit applies in cases in which an individual is charged with a minor offense, the justices heard in oral arguments. Hot pursuit is a legal doctrine that allows police to enter a premises without a warrant when delay “would endanger their lives or the lives of others and lead to the escape of the alleged perpetrator.”  The case law about hot pursuit is well-developed for serious criminal offenses but is less than clear about misdemeanors. The case known as Lange v. California, court file 20-18, is an appeal … Continue reading Supreme Court asked to clarify if ‘hot pursuit’ allows warrantless entry

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the federal government’s appeal of a lower court decision against a Trump-era public-charge rule that requires prospective immigrants to be able to support themselves financially—while the Biden administration is considering rescinding the rule. The case, known as U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) v. New York, court file 20-449, began when Donald Trump was president. The petition of certiorari was granted on Feb. 22. Apart from the state of New York, the other governmental respondents are Connecticut, Vermont, and New York City. Several advocacy groups, including Make the Road New York and Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. also … Continue reading Supreme Court to consider Trump-era public charge rule that Biden may dump