US Supreme Court refuses to block Illinois assault rifle ban, again
The US Supreme Court refused to block Illinois’ assault weapon and high-capacity magazine ban on Thursday. This decision comes after the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit allowed the ban to go into effect in November. In a one-page order the Supreme Court stated, “The application for a writ of injunction pending certiorari [...]
US Supreme Court declines case surrounding reproductive health clinic 'buffer zones'
The US Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider a case that would have restricted the use of “bubble” zones around abortion clinics, areas where protesters are not permitted. The court’s decision means that the buffer zones will remain in place. The case under consideration involved Debra Vitagliano, a Catholic woman in Westchester County, New [...]
This Day in History: The Law of Gobblers and Other Tasty Sides
It is Thanksgiving Day. The aroma of turkey; of dressing; candied sweet potatoes; green bean casserole; cranberry sauce; freshly baked yeast rolls; giblet gravy, and of pies emanating from the kitchen fills our nostrils. Home is the place to be today. But have you ever given thought to the law of the gobbler? This Day in [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit struck down part of Maryland’s Firearm Safety Act of 2013, which the Maryland General Assembly passed in response to the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting. This decision partially reverses a decision from the US District Court for the District of Maryland at Baltimore. Following oral arguments, [...]
The Muscogee (Creek) Nation filed a complaint in US federal court Wednesday against the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, accusing the city of violating tribal sovereignty by writing tickets to tribal members for traffic violations committed within reservation boundaries. The nation asserts that the city lacks criminal jurisdiction over Native Americans on the tribe’s lands without [...]
US appeals court sets date for Louisiana to draw new congressional map
Louisiana’s political landscape faces a critical deadline as a US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Friday set a January 15 deadline for the state legislature to draw up a new congressional map. The urgency stems from a previous ruling of a lower court last year that deemed the current political boundaries as [...]
US federal appeals court temporarily freezes gag order against Trump
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal District of Columbia Circuit on Friday temporarily froze a gag order against Trump. The per curium decision stated the purpose of the temporary freeze was to give the court time to consider an appealed emergency motion for a stay of the order requested by the former [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit vacated a preliminary injunction on Friday against the Illinois assault weapon ban passed earlier this year. This allows the ban to go into effect. Circuit Judge Diane Wood authored the 2-1 majority opinion of the court. Wood noted that, under the precedent of the Supreme Court [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Biden administration can temporarily continue to communicate with social media companies about moderation policies, lifting a lower court ruling blocking communication between social media companies and a limited number of Executive Branch officials. The order from the court’s majority both temporarily removes the lower court stay and [...]
US judge declares California assault weapon ban unconstitutional
Senior US District Judge Roger T. Benitez declared Califonia’s assault weapon ban unconstitutional on Thursday because it violates the right to bear arms enumerated in the US Constitution’s Second Amendment. The case is in the US District Court for the Southern District of California. The California law makes it a felony to manufacture, distribute, import, [...]
