The US Senate on Thursday approved the USA Freedom Reauthorization Act, which will reinstate expired FBI surveillance tools used for counterintelligence and counterterrorism investigations. The Act would restore the ability of the government to obtain secret court orders requiring third parties to hand over any “tangible thing” that is deemed relevant to national security investigations. This [...]
The state of Michigan announced settlement Thursday in a lawsuit over the poor reading skills of Detroit school children. The case follows a federal appeals court decision affirming that Detroit students at under-performing schools have the fundamental right to a basic minimum education. In the settlement, Governor Gretchen Whitmer agreed to propose legislation to fund [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday in Lucky Brand Dungarees, Inc. v. Marcel Fashions Group, in favor of Lucky Brand. One of the first cases the court heard this year, the trademark dispute largely dealt with a question of civil procedure. Lucky Brand raised a defense in this lawsuit that it had not fully [...]
Seven prisoners in the Oregon state prison system sued Governor Kate Brown, the Department of Corrections and its directors, Wednesday out of fear that COVID-19 would spread among the prison. The suit asks the court to issue a temporary restraining order and preliminary restraining order that would require the Department of Corrections to reduce the [...]
The French National Assembly passed a law Wednesday that will strengthen the national position against online hate speech by fining social media companies if they do not delete certain content such as terrorism, child pornography and genocide denial within one to 24 hours of its posting. Additionally, this law strengthens the ability of the French [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit Thursday rejected President Donald Trump’s efforts to end litigation surrounding a potential violation of the emoluments clause. The case involves Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC. The state of Maryland and District of Columbia are asserting that when foreign officials stay and use the hotel, the [...]
The FBI served a search warrant Wednesday evening on North Carolina Senator Richard Burr in an investigation into his early 2020 stock sales. Reports indicate that Burr provided his cellphone to federal authorities. Officials are examining the communication between the North Carolina Senator and his stockbroker. The investigation stemmed from Burr’s stock sales earlier this [...]
Judge Emmet Sullivan of the US District Court for the District of Columbia entered an order Tuesday allowing “amicus curiae,” of “friend of the court” briefs on how to handle the Department of Justice (DOJ) decision to drop its case against Michael Flynn, a former national security advisor to President Donald Trump. Sullivan also appointed [...]
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled 4-3 Wednesday to invalidate the order by Wisconsin Department of Health Services executive Andrea Palm to remain at home in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Palm also ordered any “non-essential” businesses to remain closed as stated in Emergency Order 28. Palm issued the order on April 24 to remain in [...]
The US Supreme Court concluded oral arguments on Wednesday for the October 2019 term by hearing two cases that may impact the upcoming presidential election. Chiafalo v. Washington and Colorado Department of State v. Baca both ask whether the Constitution prevents a state from requiring its presidential electors to comply with the state’s popular vote [...]
