WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court is working to address concerns about justices’ ethics, Chief Justice John Roberts told a gathering of lawyers in the nation’s capital on May 23 in a speech that was short on specifics. Roberts’s comments came at a … Continue reading Chief Justice Roberts says the Supreme Court is trying to address court ethics
A defamation lawsuit that controversial former Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) brought against independent political groups over the 2018 election was dismissed by the Supreme Court on May 22. The formerly high-profile, left-wing, ex-lawmaker represented Florida’s 9th congressional district from 2013 … Continue reading Supreme Court won’t hear Florida Democrat’s defamation appeal
The Supreme Court unanimously reversed a lower court’s order that a banker be banned from the financial services industry for life on May 22. Harry C. Calcutt III was president and CEO of Traverse City, Michigan-based Northwestern Bank before it was purchased by a competitor. The government alleged Calcutt participated in improper lending practices that led the small bank to incur millions of dollars in losses. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) brought an enforcement action against Calcutt for allegedly mismanaging one of the bank’s loan relationships in the wake of the “Great Recession” of 2007–2009. After an FDIC administrative … Continue reading Supreme Court overturns lifetime ban for Michigan bank executive
The Supreme Court has ruled unanimously in a delinquent taxpayer case that it is lawful for the IRS to secretly summons the bank records of third parties. In other words, the nation’s highest court recognized that the Internal Revenue Service … Continue reading Supreme Court rules IRS can secretly grab bank records of outside parties
The Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of a photographer who claimed her intellectual property rights were violated by Andy Warhol’s eponymous foundation when it published multiple stylized prints he made based on her photo of the iconic musician Prince. Warhol, … Continue reading Supreme Court rules against Andy Warhol Foundation in copyright dispute
The Supreme Court unanimously sided with Twitter, Google, and Facebook, finding in a pair of decisions on May 18 that the Silicon Valley giants are shielded from liability for content posted by users. The lawsuits arose after deadly Islamic terrorist attacks overseas. Victims’ families argued that the Big Tech companies were liable because they allowed terrorist videos to be posted online or failed to do enough to police the terrorist accounts posting the videos. Big Tech and its supporters had been deeply concerned that the court could eviscerate Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act of 1996, which generally … Continue reading Supreme Court rules in favor of Twitter, Google, Facebook in liability case over user-posted content
A federal appeals court appears skeptical of Biden administration arguments given on May 17 that a lower court ruling overturning a decades-old U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of abortion pill mifepristone was wrongly decided. The case is one … Continue reading Appeals court seems skeptical of Biden admin arguments in favor of abortion pill
Senate Democrats unveiled a new bill that would pack the Supreme Court by adding four new seats beyond the current nine seats, a move that could lead to the loss of the court’s current conservative majority. The legislation comes after … Continue reading Democrat bill would pack Supreme Court to lessen conservative influence
A Second Amendment group won a preliminary injunction on May 16 against parts of a New Jersey gun control law that restricts the ability of those with a concealed weapon permit to actually carry firearms in public. The state immediately … Continue reading Second Amendment advocates win major challenge to NJ’s strict concealed carry law
The Supreme Court sided on May 15 with a condemned man in Alabama who wants to be executed by nitrogen gas instead of lethal injection, refusing to set aside a stay of execution by lethal injection previously granted by the … Continue reading Supreme Court sides with inmate who wants to be executed with nitrogen gas
The Supreme Court will consider whether the South Carolina legislature racially gerrymandered the congressional seat currently held by Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican. The case will be closely watched, given the Republicans’ thin current majority in the U.S. House of … Continue reading Supreme Court to consider if GOP lawmakers racially gerrymandered South Carolina district
The Supreme Court decided on May 15 to take up a long-running dispute between former President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats over the former Trump International Hotel in the nation’s capital. The case goes back to 2017, when Trump had … Continue reading Supreme Court agrees to hear dispute over Trump’s former DC hotel
Tina Trent (website) is sending out an urgent appeal to help a victim in need. Here it is: Dear Friends, Tina here. I have never sent an email like this one before, which is why you can see the … Continue reading Hate crime hoax victim, elderly daughter of Holocaust survivor, fighting for her life in Milwaukee
The Biden administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to dismiss a high-profile case in which Republicans want the court to recognize state legislatures’ power to regulate federal elections without interference from state courts, which they say the U.S. Constitution requires. … Continue reading Biden DOJ asks Supreme Court to dismiss major GOP election lawsuit
The Supreme Court ruled 8–1 against journalists seeking documents from a financial control board in Puerto Rico created to deal with the U.S. commonwealth’s fiscal troubles. The majority opinion in the case, Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico … Continue reading Supreme Court finds journalists cannot sue Puerto Rican control board
The Supreme Court unanimously overturned the public corruption conviction of Joe Percoco, formerly a longtime aide to former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in a May 11 ruling. The new decision, a defeat for the Biden administration, is a blow to prosecutors and … Continue reading Supreme Court overturns corruption conviction of former Cuomo aide
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled May 11 in favor of a transgender illegal alien from Guatemala seeking asylum who claims he would face persecution if forced to return to his home country. The ruling, a defeat for the Biden administration, … Continue reading Supreme Court sides with transgender asylum claimant in deportation dispute
The Supreme Court narrowly upheld a voter-approved animal welfare law in California on May 11 that bans the sale of pork from hogs unless the animals were raised in a space that exceeds industry norms. The court split 5–4 in its … Continue reading Supreme Court upholds restrictive California pork production law
Two parents are suing state and local officials in Massachusetts in federal court for heavy-handed treatment during a bungled investigation into allegations of child abuse that were later discredited. The plight of the family received national attention in December 2022, … Continue reading Parents who had children taken in police raid sue Massachusetts in federal court
Texas billionaire Harlan Crow refused to answer questions from a Democratic senator who is examining whether gifts such as luxury vacations that Crow gave his friend Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas violated U.S. tax law. The relationship between Crow and … Continue reading Harlan Crow refuses to answer Democrats’ questions about Justice Thomas, casts probe as illegitimate