The US Supreme Court held Monday in Banister v. Davis that Rule 59(e) of federal civil procedure does not change a habeas court’s judgment, and it thus is not considered a “second or successive habeas petition,” expanding the scope of federal post-conviction review. The petitioner in this case is Gregory Banister, who was convicted for [...]

The US Supreme Court held Monday in Thole v. US Bank that plaintiffs who have not experienced an actual financial injury cannot sue pension fund managers. In this case, plaintiffs James Thole and Sherry Smith sued US Bank under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to allege that the defendants violated the [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday in Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico v. Aurelius Investment, LLC that the president did not require the Senate’s advice and consent before making appointments to the Financial Oversight and Management Board in Puerto Rico based on the Appointments Clause of the Constitution. The Oversight Board [...]

The US Supreme Court on Friday rejected South Bay United Pentecostal Church’s challenge against California Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order restricting the number of people at religious gatherings. The majority held that the state guidelines in place “appear consistent with the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.” The opinion, written by Justice Kagan, stated [...]

Associate Chief Justice H. Holmes of the Supreme Court of British Columbia ruled against Meng Wanzhou on Wednesday in her challenge to extradition to the US. She argued that the “double criminality” requirement for her extradition to the Eastern District of New York could not be met because her conduct related entirely to conduct in [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled Tuesday that state courts should be the forum for hearing public nuisance lawsuits against petroleum producers. These lawsuits allege that the producers were promoting petroleum even though they knew that it was causing environmental harms such as drought, rising sea-levels and wildfires. The case comes [...]

The CyberPeace Institute worked with leaders from around the world to send a letter to the UN on Tuesday calling for greater prevention efforts against cyberattacks that have been plaguing the healthcare industry during the COVID-19 outbreak. The letter was signed by more than 40 individuals such as former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright, [...]

Despite President Donald Trump’s statement during a press briefing on Friday that religious services would be considered “essential” operations during the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, a Federal Appeals Court ruled the same day that the California Governor’s order banning in-person religious services is binding. The South Bay United Pentecostal Church challenged Governor Gavin Newsom’s May 4th [...]

During a press briefing on Friday, US President Donald Trump announced that places of worship will be considered “essential” operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump stated that “they have places ‘essential’ that aren’t essential, and they open. And yet the churches aren’t allowed to open and the synagogues and—places of faith—mosques, places of faith.” Under [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Tuesday that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) actions in enforcing air quality standards across state lines were somewhat lacking. While the court determined that some of the EPA’s steps in evaluating air quality assessment requests under the Clean Air Act’s “Good Neighbor” provision [...]