Voting machine company settles defamation case with far-right news network
Smartmatic, a voting technology company, reached a confidential settlement in a Washington DC court on Tuesday in its defamation lawsuit against the far-right One America News Network (OAN). The lawsuit was related to OAN’s dissemination of false claims about the 2020 US presidential election. Appearing in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, [...]
Canada Supreme Court rules declaratory relief may be appropriate in First Nations treaty dispute
The Supreme Court of Canada found Friday that the government acted dishonestly when it reneged on an 1877 treaty with an Alberta indigenous community and allowed for declaratory relief. The case concerned the Blood Tribe, which is a member tribe of the Blackfoot Confederacy of First Nations. In 1877, the Crown and the Blackfoot Confederacy [...]
Peru reverses decision to revoke visa exemption for Mexican citizens
Peru’s Foreign Ministry reversed a previous decision on Wednesday to require visas for Mexican visitors. In a press statement, originally published in Spanish, officials stated the rationale for the reversal was a potential negative impact to the country’s tourism sector and a commitment to the free movement of people and goods. The decision to abandon [...]
On Thursday, the Indiana Court of Appeals largely affirmed an injunction the trial court had placed on the state’s near-total abortion ban. The vote was unanimous. The Court of Appeals ruling will send the lawsuit back to the trial court to narrow the effect of the trial court injunction. The Court of Appeals stated that [...]
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost admitted on Friday in a court filing that the state’s ban on most abortions is unconstitutional after voters passed an amendment to the Ohio Constitution in November 2023 enshrining access to abortion. The issue in the pending litigation is a law passed by the Ohio legislature and signed by former [...]
US federal judge orders New Jersey to stop using unique ballot design in primary elections
A federal judge in New Jersey on Friday ordered the state to replace its current ballot design for the upcoming June primary elections. Judge Zahid N. Quraishi ruled that the state’s design raises freedom of association concerns under the First Amendment to the US Constitution because candidates need an endorsement from their party to get a [...]
A panel of federal judges in South Carolina issued an order Thursday reinstating a congressional map that was declared unconstitutional racial gerrymander in 2023 due to concerns that it would be impractical to adopt a new map so close to the 2024 election season. In their five-page opinion, the three-judge panel, all appointed by Democrat [...]
A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled Tuesday that a controversial Texas law, Senate Bill (SB) 4, will remain on hold as litigation continues. SB4, the controversial Texas law that is the subject of this continued litigation, was originally signed into law in December 2023. If enforced, it would [...]
New York appellate panel reduces $464M Trump civil fraud bond to $175M
An appeals court in New York lowered the $464 million bond imposed on former President Donald Trump in his civil fraud case on Monday. The five-judge panel ordered the bond be reduced to $175 million, and the payment date extended another ten days. The decision stayed a previous court order that Trump post the $464 [...]
A federal judge in California on Friday declined to dismiss a lawsuit brought by US Representatives Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor-Greene against California cities Anaheim and Riverside. Gaetz and Greene, who are members of the Republican Party, claim that the cities violated their free-speech rights by cancelling their planned political rally because of their viewpoints. [...]
