Search Results for: sotomayor

The US Supreme Court ruled Thursday in Jones v. Mississippi that when sentencing juvenile defendants to life imprisonment with no possibility of parole, judges need not make a separate factual finding concerning the defendant’s youth. The challenge came from Brett Jones, who was convicted in 2004 of killing his grandfather at age 15. Jones argued [...]

US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Acting Commissioner Janet Woodcock on Monday announced that the agency will allow abortion pills by mail during the COVID-19 pandemic—a departure from a Trump-era rule requiring patients to go in-person to a medical clinic or hospital. Woodcock’s communication came via a letter sent to two leading non-profit organizations representing [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in the class action certification case of TransUnion LLC v. Ramirez. The class accuses TransUnion of violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) by producing incorrect credit reports. Sergio Ramirez and other class members matched persons listed on the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals [...]

The US Supreme Court released an unsigned opinion Monday in Mays v. Hines, summarily reversing a lower court decision that had ordered a new trial for a Tennessee death row inmate. In the opinion, the Supreme Court held that the evidence for conviction was straightforward. Anthony Hines was accused and found guilty of murdering Katherine [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled 7-2 Thursday to limit the scope of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by expanding the deliberative process privilege exception to the Act’s disclosure requirement to include “in-house drafts of biological opinions that are both predecisional and deliberative, even if the drafts reflect the agencies’ last views about a proposal.” The case, [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled 5-3 Thursday that undocumented immigrants bear the burden of showing that they have not been convicted of a crime involving “moral turpitude,” or they will face lawful removal. Clemente Pereida, is being deported under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) of 1952. He has lived in the US for more [...]

The US Supreme Court on Monday heard oral arguments Monday in United States v. Arthrex, Inc., a case that intersects patent law, administrative law and the separation of powers. The question before the court is whether administrative patent judges of the US Patent and Trademark Office should be considered “principal officers” who must receive both presidential appointment [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a Michigan college student is unable to proceed with a Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) lawsuit against two federal officers who tackled him after mistaking him for a fugitive in 2014. In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Court found that the claims against the officers have been disqualified [...]

In a divided decision, the Supreme Court ruled Friday against a California ban on indoor church services. However, it did not strike down California’s restrictions on indoor singing, chanting, and limits to the number of worshipers. The ruling permits California churches to hold in-person services with a capacity limit of 25%. The restrictions and bans [...]

In a 5-4 decision delivered by Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Wednesday, the US Supreme Court held that a refusal by the US Railroad Retirement Board to reopen a prior benefits determination is subject to judicial review. In 1992, the petitioner, Manfredo Salinas, began seeking disability benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 (RRA) for [...]