US Senators Richard Blumenthal, Sheldon Whitehouse and Mazie Hiron dropped a lawsuit Tuesday that challenged the constitutionality of former acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker’s appointment, which was made without the Senate’s consent. The complaint, filed in November, alleged that Whitaker and President Donald Trump violated the Constitution’s Appointments Clause, which requires Congress’s “advice and consent” before principal federal Officers [...]
Judge Thomas Wingate of the Franklin Circuit Court in Kentucky on Monday denied secretary of state candidate Carl Neff’s request to appear on the 2019 Primary Election ballot under the nickname “Trump,” saying it would give an unfair advantage. The decision upholds Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes’ position that Neff offered the nickname “in [...]
A 16-state coalition filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday, requesting the court to issue a judicial determination that Trump’s national emergency declaration over the southern border wall is unconstitutional. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the lawsuit, saying Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the border is unlawful and constitutional. “Unlawful [...]
Amnesty International reported Monday that the Myanmar Army has bombed villages and cut off access to food and humanitarian assistance while targeting rebels in the Rakhine State. “Security forces have also used vague and repressive laws to detain civilians in the area.” The crackdown began on January 4 when the Arakan Army rebels raided police [...]
A Malaysian court on Monday postponed the trial set for Tuesday against former prime minister Najib Razak for money laundering and corruption-related charges, while seven of the charges are brought before the High Court. The charges were brought against Razak under the Malaysian constitution, Criminal Procedure Code and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Act of 2009. In May Razak was [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Friday dismissed a lawsuit against Walmart, Inc., several other stores and several individuals for shoplifter extortion, saying the court lacked jurisdiction over any of the defendants. The lawsuit alleged that each of the plaintiffs were accused of shoplifting at Walmart. Upon apprehension, [...]
The Superior Court of Pennsylvania ruled Tuesday that former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky must be re-sentenced as he was originally sentenced in accordance with mandatory sentencing laws that are now unconstitutional. Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse in 2012 and sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison, in [...]
The West Virginia Supreme Court implemented new judicial policies Monday in light of the extreme corruption that led to four justices’ impeachments last year. The new policies seek to address the former justices’ improper conduct related to wasteful spending of taxpayer funds for office renovations and improper use of resources and property. One set of policies [...]
A judge for the Eastern District of Virginia has ordered a March 13 sentencing date for President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort. A Virginia jury convicted Manafort of eight charges of fraud in August. His original sentencing date was set for this week, until US District Judge TS Ellis III delayed sentencing last week due to Manafort’s [...]
The US Senate Finance Committee on Monday invited seven major pharmaceutical companies to the second in a series of hearings exploring the high prices of prescription drugs. Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Ron Wyden sent the invitations to AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., Pfizer and Sanofi. Some of those companies were [...]
