The US Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit that sought to strike down the Affordable Care Act (ACA), rebuking a number of Republican-led states that want to see the law invalidated. The case, California v. Texas, was seen by many court observers as a sequel to the 2012 suit National Federation of Independent Business [...]

The US Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit that “reckless” crimes qualify as violent felonies for purposes of the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA). The ACCA mandates a 15-year sentence for those persons found guilty of illegally possessing a firearm who have been convicted [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a lower court decision to block enforcement of a Missouri law that would place tight restrictions on access to abortion. House Bill 126, the “Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act,” includes a gestational age provision and a Down syndrome provision. The first bans [...]

Ohio’s attorney general on Tuesday filed a lawsuit asking the court to declare Google a public utility and/or a common carrier under Ohio common law. In the complaint, Attorney General Dave Yost argues that Google’s dominance of the internet search market necessarily leads to it being categorized as a common carrier or public utility under [...]

In a 6-3 decision on Thursday, the US Supreme Court held that a former police sergeant did not violate the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) when he used his patrol car computer to access a police database for personal purposes. Sergeant Nathan Van Buren was paid $5,000 by an FBI informant to run [...]

Nevada’s governor on Wednesday signed a bill into law expanding voter access at a time when legislatures across the country are restricting access. The new law mandates that county and city clerks send mail ballots to all registered voters in the state no later than fourteen days before an election. Governor Steve Sisolak, a Democrat, [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held Thursday that Michigan’s redistricting commission can bar people with political connections from serving on the commission. In 2018 61 percent of Michigan voters approved a constitutional amendment that creates a 13-person commission to draw the state legislative districts following the 2020 election. The amendment prohibits [...]

The German parliament Thursday voted in favor of the rehabilitation and compensation of soldiers who have faced discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation. Until the year 2000, German military policy held that gay soldiers posed a threat to discipline and were not eligible to be superior officers. For many years gay soldiers were denied [...]

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) filed a lawsuit against Russia Wednesday in the European Court of Human Rights, challenging Russia’s designation of RFE/RL as a “foreign agent.” RFE/RL is an independent media company funded by a grant from the U.S. Congress. In 2012 Russia passed a law requiring groups to register as foreign agents if they [...]

Tennessee’s governor has signed a slate of bills in recent days that civil rights groups say will have a discriminatory effect on transgender people. Late last week Republican governor Bill Lee signed HB 1233, the so-called Student Bathroom Bill, which denies transgender students access to the bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity. [...]