New York Times Sunday Review – “About as many Democrats live in Wisconsin as Republicans do. But you wouldn’t know it from the Wisconsin State Assembly, where Republicans hold 65 percent of the seats, a bigger majority than Republican legislators enjoy in conservative states like Texas and Kentucky. The United States Supreme Court is trying… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Courts
Revised Treatment of Transgender Employment Discrimination Claims Under Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964
October 4, 2017 MEMORANDUM TO: UNITED STATES ATTORNEYS, HEADS OF DEPARTMENT COMPONENTS, FROM: THE ATTORNEY GENERAL [Sessions]: “Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate in the employment of an individual “because of such individual’s…sex.” 42 U.S.C. 2000e-2(a) (prohibiting discrimination by private employers and by state and… Continue Reading
Overview of the Federal Government’s Power to Exclude Aliens
CRS report via FAS – Overview of the Federal Government’s Power to Exclude Aliens, Ben Harrington, Legislative Attorney. September 27, 2017. “The Supreme Court has determined that inherent principles of sovereignty give Congress“ plenary power” to regulate immigration. The core of this power—the part that has proven most impervious to judicial review—is the authority to… Continue Reading
Select Demographic and Other Characteristics of Recent U.S. Circuit and District Court Nominees
CRS Insight, August 17, 2017: “This Insight provides information related to select demographic and other characteristics of U.S. circuit and district court nominees whose nominations were submitted to the Senate by President Trump prior to August 1, 2017. President Trump submitted a total of 26 nominations prior to this date. The select demographic and other… Continue Reading
Federal Courts Web Archive Launched by LC
“The Federal Courts Web Archive, recently launched by the Library of Congress Web Archiving Team and the Law Library of Congress, provides retrospective archival coverage of the websites of the federal judiciary. The websites in this archive include those of the Supreme Court of the United States, as well as federal appellate courts, trial courts,… Continue Reading
Supreme Court October Term 2017: A Preview of Select Cases
CRS report via FAS – Supreme Court October Term 2017: A Preview of Select Cases, September 19, 2017. “On October 2, 2017, the Supreme Court is to begin its new term. While the Court issued a number of notable decisions during its last full term, Court watchers have largely agreed that, at least compared to… Continue Reading
Patent Law: A Primer and Overview of Emerging Issues
CRS report via FAS – Patent Law: A Primer and Overview of Emerging Issues, September 21, 2017 “In an increase over prior terms, the Supreme Court of the United States issued six opinions involving patent law during its October 2016 Term. These decisions addressed issues ranging from patent exhaustion, multi component products, and bio similar… Continue Reading
Supreme Court October Term 2016: A Review of Select Major Rulings
CRS report via FAS – Supreme Court October Term 2016: A Review of Select Major Rulings, September 15, 2017. “The Supreme Court term that began on October 3, 2016, was notably different from recent terms at the High Court . It was the first term (1) in thirty years to begin without Justice Antonin Scalia… Continue Reading
Domestic Terrorism Prosecutions Outnumber International
Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse: “While terrorism prosecutions involving extremists affiliated with ISIS grab the headlines, international terrorists make up only a small proportion of all terrorism prosecutions that take place each year in the United States. The latest available data from the Justice Department show that during the first eleven months of FY 2017 less… Continue Reading
Appellate court rules tracking cellphones without a warrant unconstitutional
Washington Examiner: “The D.C. Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday [September 21, 2017] that it is unconstitutional for law enforcement to use certain technologies that allow the tracking of a suspect’s cellular phone without a warrant. The ruling reversed a decision of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia that allowed police to use… Continue Reading
Court upholds Illinois biometrics law on use of facial scans
Fortune – “A federal judge this week delivered a key victory for customers who claim the digital scrapbook company Shutterfly violated their privacy by collecting scans of their faces without permission. In a 19-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Joan Gottschall rejected Shutterfly’s argument that an Illinois state law, which restricts how companies can use biometric… Continue Reading
Constitutional Cost of Fees for Access to Electronic Public Court Records
Schultze, Stephen, The Price of Ignorance: The Constitutional Cost of Fees for Access to Electronic Public Court Records (August 25, 2017). Georgetown Law Journal, Vol. 106, No. 4, 2018. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3026779 “The United States federal judiciary maintains a system called PACER, “Public Access to Court Electronic Records.” PACER is the public gateway into… Continue Reading
