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Category Archives: Courts

SCOTUS ruling could completely alter lives of LGBTQ Americans

USA Today: “Four years ago, the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the United States, and many Americans believed the fight for LGBTQ equality was finally won. But that ruling did not address all the ways LGBTQ people experience discrimination in their everyday lives. Same-sex partners can now legally marry, but in a majority of states you can still be… Continue Reading

Court rules FBI surveillance violated Americans’ rights

The Hill – “The secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) ruled last year that some FBI surveillance violated the targets’ constitutional rights, the intelligence community revealed Tuesday. The ruling, a rare loss for the government on surveillance matters, found that the FBI may have violated the law, as well as constitutional protections against unreasonable searches, as it searched… Continue Reading

Martha Minow On Forgiveness In The Criminal Justice System

Berkman Klein Center – Harvard University – ““When Brandt Jean hugged the white police officer who had just been convicted of murdering his unarmed brother while he was in his own home, the act sparked a wider conversation about forgiveness, the law, and race in America. And while some saw officer Amber Guyger’s 10-year prison… Continue Reading

Supreme Court Justices grant new cases for upcoming term

SCOTUS Blog – “The Supreme Court was already scheduled to take on a range of high-profile and potentially controversial issues in the next few months, including federal protection for LGBT employees, the Trump administration’s decision to end the program known as DACA, and gun rights….the Supreme Court’s new term, which starts [Monday October 7, 2019],… Continue Reading

Government Agrees to Preserve Records of Talks with Foreign Leaders

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) Executive Director Noah Bookbinder released the following statement: “Following our request yesterday for a temporary restraining order against President Trump and the Executive Office of the President mandating them to preserve records of the president’s communications and meetings with foreign leaders, the government has agreed to preserve… Continue Reading

The Supreme Court showdown over LGBTQ discrimination, explained

Vox – “The Supreme Court will hear three cases next Tuesday that ask whether it is legal to fire workers because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. That alone is enough to make them three of the most important employment discrimination cases in many years. But there are additional layers to these cases, layers… Continue Reading

Hearing – The Federal Judiciary in the 21st Century

House Cmte. on the Judiciary – The Federal Judiciary in the 21st Century: Ensuring the Public’s Right of Access to the Courts – September 26, 2019 – Documents Witness List  A statement from Judge Steve Leben, Kansas Court of Appeals A letter from Judge Bridget Mary McCormack, Chief Justice, Michigan Supreme Court A letter from… Continue Reading

PACER Court Records ‘Can Never Be Free,’ Judge Says

House Committee on the Judiciary Hearing held September 26, 2019 – The Federal Judiciary in the 21st Century: Ensuring the Public’s Right of Access to the Courts – Statement by The Honorable Audrey G. Fleissig</a, >U.S. District Judge, Eastern District of Missouri “…Based on the experiences of California and the FBI, upgrading the current Judiciary… Continue Reading

The Misadventure of Copyrighting State Law

Johnson, Eric E., The Misadventure of Copyrighting State Law (2019). Kentucky Law Journal, Vol. 107, No. 4, 2019. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3446229 – “Many states have asserted copyright over their own official state legal texts, limiting access to those materials and attempting to monetize them. This Article aims to provide helpful analysis for state officials deciding… Continue Reading

Exposing Animal Abusers: Update on the Animal Welfare Blackout

Animal Legal Defense Fund: “In early 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) purged tens of thousands of important documents related to animal welfare from the agency’s website. The purged inspection reports documented violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and inhumane treatment of animals in research labs, zoos, circuses, and puppy mills, as… Continue Reading

AAP Suit Seeks to Block Implementation of Audible Captions

Publishers Weekly – “The Association of American Publishers filed suit on August 23 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in a bid to stop Audible from moving ahead with its plans to implement its Audible Captions program. Under Captions, Audible will transcribe a book’s audio in order to create… Continue Reading