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Category Archives: Courts

Wyden Introduces Sweeping Court Reforms to Restore Public Trust as Supreme Court Faces Legitimacy Crisis

“Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today announced the introduction of new legislation to restore balance among the three branches of government, increase transparency to improve public trust in America’s courts, and modernize the courts to ensure greater access to justice for more Americans. In the wake of recent rulings upending decades of precedent and evidence of… Continue Reading

Grocery chains are bigger than ever. See who runs the stores near you.

Washington Post: “Tom Thumb in Plano, Texas. Star Market in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Pavilions in Newport Beach, California. Jewel-Osco in Glenview, Illinois. What do these regional grocery chains have in common? They’re all owned by Albertsons, the Boise, Idaho-based company with more than 2,200 locations under about two dozen banners. Over the past three decades, the… Continue Reading

U.S. Court Orders LibGen to Pay $30m to Publishers, Issues Broad Injunction

TorrentFreak: “Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen McMahon granted the default judgment without any changes. The anonymous LibGen defendants are responsible for willful copyright infringement and their activities should be stopped. “Plaintiffs have been irreparably harmed as a result of Defendants’ unlawful conduct and will continue to be irreparably harmed should Defendants be allowed to… Continue Reading

GM’s ‘crappy’ privacy statement is getting some changes after backlash and a lawsuit

Quartz: “…The Detroit automaker has been accused of failing to adequately disclose its relationship with a number of data brokers, including LexisNexis (RELX-0.33%) and Verisk according to a lawsuit filed last month by Texas officials. Data collected by GM vehicles, often through the company’s OnStar Smart Driver feature, was then shared by the brokers with… Continue Reading

How Opus Dei Conquered D.C.

Intelligencer via MSN – “A new book shows just how much sway the mysterious right-wing Catholic group has — and might have over Trump’s next term… Details of the Opus Dei network in the American capital are a significant part of a new, deeply researched book by British financial journalist Gareth Gore, Opus: The Cult… Continue Reading

How Roberts Shaped Trump’s Supreme Court Winning Streak

The New York Times [gift link]: “…But the chief justice and Justice Kavanaugh had spent formative years as White House lawyers, working to protect presidential power. At oral arguments, Justice Kavanaugh and some other conservatives worried aloud that presidents without sufficient immunity might become overly cautious or vulnerable to politically motivated prosecutions. Chief Justice Roberts,… Continue Reading

Impact of the Supreme Court’s reversal of affirmative action, explained in one chart

Vox: “New college admissions data for the first group of admitted students since the US Supreme Court sharply limited affirmative action last year suggests that the decision has had a negative impact on Black enrollment at some universities. While some colleges have seen major fluctuations in the enrollment of students of color in the class… Continue Reading

Justice Alito’s Stock Portfolio Stands Apart on US Supreme Court

Bloomberg via Yahho News: “Justice Samuel Alito is the only US Supreme Court member with a stake in more than two dozen individual companies, a distinction that threatens to sideline him from major business cases. Alito or his wife own tens of thousands of dollars of stock in companies including Raytheon Co., ConocoPhillips and a… Continue Reading

In Tied Presidential Race, Harris and Trump Have Contrasting Strengths, Weaknesses

“Ahead of the scheduled Sept. 10 presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, the presidential race is deadlocked. About half of registered voters (49%) say if the election were held today, they would vote for Harris, while an identical share say they would back Trump. With less than two months… Continue Reading

Ginni Thomas Privately Praised Group Working Against Supreme Court Reform

ProPublica – “Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, privately heaped praise on a major religious-rights group for fighting efforts to reform the nation’s highest court — efforts sparked, in large part, by her husband’s ethical lapses. Thomas expressed her appreciation in an email sent to Kelly Shackelford, an influential litigator whose… Continue Reading

Amicus: Judge Aileen Cannon must be reassigned in Trump case

“Judge Aileen Cannon should be reassigned in the federal classified documents case against former President Donald Trump if the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals reverses and remands her decision, according to an amicus brief filed today on behalf of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, former United States district judge Nancy Gertner, New York… Continue Reading