The Supreme Court decided on May 31 not to block a federal court’s order compelling three Republican members of the Texas House of Representatives to appear for depositions in a consolidated lawsuit over congressional and state-level redistricting. The redistricting took place after … Continue reading Supreme Court won’t block GOP lawmaker depositions in Texas redistricting challenge
A coalition of 54 agriculture groups is urging the Biden administration to drop its support for allowing states to impose their own warning labels—in addition to federal labels—on consumer products. The request came after U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar asked the Supreme Court to refrain from taking up an herbicide liability case known as Monsanto Co. v. Hardeman, court file 21-241. In the appeal, chemicals giant Bayer Aktiengesellschaft (Bayer AG) is asking the high court to overturn an appeals court ruling that upheld awarding damages to a customer blaming his cancer on Roundup, as The Epoch Times previously reported. Roundup is a glyphosate-based weed-killer that … Continue reading Farmer groups press Biden to not allow states to use own product safety labels
Voters in Wisconsin’s five largest cities are suing over the use of illegal unmanned absentee ballot drop boxes in elections. Attorneys from the Thomas More Society, a nationwide public interest law firm, filed the legal complaints on May 25 on behalf of … Continue reading Wisconsin voters sue 5 cities over unlawful unmanned ballot drop boxes in elections
The San Diego Unified School District decided on May 24 to postpone for a second time its policy requiring students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as opponents press forward with a federal lawsuit against the district. Paul Jonna, Thomas More … Continue reading Under legal pressure, San Diego schools delay vaccine mandate with no religious exemptions
Virginia is being sued by property owners over its unusual law that allows hunters to invade private property to retrieve their hunting dogs, often resulting in damage to property and livestock. This lawsuit is not aimed at hunting, but at protecting property rights, … Continue reading Virginia sued over law that allows violation of ranchers’ property rights
A federal appeals court greenlighted an effort to disqualify GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn as a candidate for allegedly engaging in insurrectionary activity by attending and speaking at the Jan. 6, 2021, pro-Trump rally that was followed by a security breach of the … Continue reading Appeals court revives ‘insurrection’ challenge to Rep. Madison Cawthorn’s candidacy: 4th Circuit rules 14th Amendment can be used to block Jan. 6 participants from seeking office
The Supreme Court held in a 6–3 ruling on May 23 that federal courts reviewing inmate cases may not conduct evidentiary hearings to fully examine their ineffective-counsel claims that should have been raised in state court proceedings. The Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees a criminal defendant the right to effective assistance of counsel. The ruling is a victory for the state of Arizona, but a defeat for the two death-row inmates who claimed they had compelling claims that their lawyers failed to act on in state court. The decision is expected to make it more difficult for prisoners throughout … Continue reading Supreme Court limits inmate reviews based on ineffective legal representation
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously against a Taco Bell franchise operator on May 23, finding that a federal appeals court exceeded its authority in fashioning an arbitration-related rule in a fast-food employee’s class-action lawsuit over overtime pay. The lawsuit went forward in federal court, … Continue reading Supreme Court rules in favor of Taco Bell worker in overtime dispute
A longtime metalworks employee is suing his former employer, Pittsburgh-based Arconic, for religious discrimination after he was fired for expressing on an anonymous company survey his religious-based objection to the use of the rainbow to represent sexual identity. Specifically, the former employee, … Continue reading Metal worker sues ex-employer Arconic for religious intolerance: A Christian man was fired for saying the rainbow is a biblical symbol that should not be appropriated by the LGBT movement
Despite pressure from the media to accept transgenderism, almost two-thirds of American voters believe it is not a healthy human condition, and more than 7 out of 10 believe elementary-age children should not be taught about sexual identity and sexual behavior, … Continue reading US voter survey: 64% say transgenderism is unhealthy; 72% don’t want children taught about sexual identity
An election integrity group is suing New Jersey Secretary of State Tahesha Way for allegedly violating the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) by refusing to disclose documentation explaining how election officials resolve duplicate voter registrations. The Indianapolis-based Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF) says it … Continue reading New Jersey sued for illegally concealing election records policy
Most Americans want strict limits on when women may obtain abortions, according to a new poll conducted by The Trafalgar Group days after a leaked draft majority opinion indicated the Supreme Court was poised to strike down Roe v. Wade. … Continue reading Poll: Most Americans, including a third of Democrats, support limits on abortion
The Supreme Court has agreed to review the constitutionality of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) system of adjudicating enforcement actions with tenure-protected administrative law judges employed by the prosecuting agency. The high court agreed on May 16 to hear the case, SEC v. Cochran, court file 21-1239, in an unsigned order. The justices, as is their practice, didn’t explain why they granted the petition for certiorari, or review. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit sided with Michelle Cochran, a certified public accountant, finding that she had the right to challenge the constitutionality of the removal protections of … Continue reading Supreme Court to hear challenge to SEC adjudication system
A California judge struck down as unconstitutional a state law forcing publicly held corporations headquartered in California to meet a quota of board members who self-identify as women or face fines. Los Angeles County-based California Superior Court Judge Maureen Duffy-Lewis ruled (pdf) … Continue reading California judge strikes down law forcing companies to appoint women to corporate boards
A divided Supreme Court ruled 5–4 on May 16 against a longtime illegal alien who falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen on a driver’s license application, upholding a law that prevents federal courts from reviewing factual findings made by the Department of Justice in deportation proceedings. The new ruling suggests that federal law isn’t sympathetic to individuals who falsely hold themselves out as U.S. citizens. The majority opinion (pdf) in the case, Patel v. Garland, court file 20-979, was written by Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Four conservative members of the court—Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel … Continue reading Supreme Court rules against illegal alien who falsely claimed citizenship
In a 6–3 vote, the Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional a campaign finance rule regulating the repayment of loans by a candidate to his own campaign, handing a win on May 16 to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who challenged the … Continue reading Victory for Ted Cruz as Supreme Court rebuffs Biden administration, strikes down campaign spending rule
A federal judge has ordered that fired Southwest Airlines flight attendant Charlene Carter’s religious discrimination lawsuit against the company and its union would proceed to trial, after the judge denied a request to dismiss the lawsuit. The case, known as Carter v. … Continue reading Southwest flight attendant fired over pro-life views to have her day in federal court, judge rules
News analysis As the Supreme Court continues struggling with the unprecedented leak earlier this month of a draft majority opinion that would reverse Roe v. Wade, the draft’s author, Justice Samuel Alito, told a law school audience he was bothered by … Continue reading Alito: SCOTUS wrong to rule civil rights law protects gay and transgender employees
Both the Biden administration and two states opposing it in high-stakes litigation told the Supreme Court that it has the power to decide the central legal questions in a case about the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” program that requires non-Mexican … Continue reading Biden administration, 2 states, urge SCOTUS to move forward with ‘Remain in Mexico’ case
The justices of the Supreme Court were to meet face-to-face on May 12 for a private conference on court business for the first time since the unauthorized publication of a draft majority opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade generated a firestorm … Continue reading Supreme Court justices meet for 1st time since draft abortion ruling leak