A Texas judge granted on Thursday a temporary restraining order (TRO) barring the enforcement of the state’s strict abortion bans on a pregnant woman whose fetus was recently diagnosed with a fatal condition. In effect, the judge’s order allows the plaintiff to access abortion care in Texas at a point in her pregnancy when she [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on Monday ruled against a tool often used to enforce voter protections, finding that private groups and individuals are not permitted to bring lawsuits under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), which prohibits race-based voter suppression. The decision stems from a lawsuit brought by [...]

The US House Ethics Committee published Thursday a report that found “substantial evidence” that Representative George Santos (R-NY) violated federal criminal law. Specifically, the report finds that Santos filed false or incomplete campaign reports, used campaign funds for personal purposes, engaged in fraudulent conduct, and violated the Ethics in Government Act. Santos now faces another [...]

The US Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider the evidentiary scope of expert witness testimony for demonstrating intent in a “blind mule” drug trafficking case, Diaz v. United States. The petition for reconsideration was brought by Delilah Diaz, a California woman who was convicted of transporting drugs into the US after the government presented [...]

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday that Apple will pay $25 million to settle claims that the tech giant participated in discriminatory hiring and recruitment practices on the basis of citizenship. The settlement agreement resolves the determination by the DOJ’s Immigration and Employee Rights Section that Apple violated 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(A)(1)(B), an [...]

The Texas Senate declined to discuss House Bill (HB) 4 on Sunday, instead adjourning until Tuesday, the last day of the legislative body’s special session. The Senate’s failure to act on the pending legislation suggests that the bill will not be passed and will instead have to be revisited during the next session. Since HB [...]

An appeals court in Pennsylvania affirmed a trial court ruling on Thursday which held that welfare fraud and outstanding restitution balance cannot be used to justify the denial of housing assistance. The decision signaled a win for applicants seeking housing vouchers in Pennsylvania. The appeal, heard before the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, concerned the Lawrence [...]

Panama’s President Laurentino Cortizo announced on Sunday that he will hold a referendum to determine the fate of a contentious mining contract. Cortizo also said late last week that he was placing a prohibition on any new mining projects in response to protests. In his national address announcing the citizens’ vote, President Cortizo said, “I’ve [...]

A coalition of cannabis companies in Massachusetts filed a suit Thursday challenging the federal prohibition on marijuana as it applies to individual states. The suit, filed in a Massachusetts district court, names US Attorney General Merrick Garland as its sole defendant. The companies contend that the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), which prohibits the cultivation, manufacturing, [...]

US Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) pleaded not guilty before US District Judge Sidney Stein on Monday on charges that he allegedly conspired to act as a foreign agent of Egypt. The allegations were set forth two weeks ago in an indictment alleging that Menendez accepted “hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes” in exchange for [...]