The US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit on Monday ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to review the biofuel waivers it granted to three oil refineries. The waivers exempt small oil refineries from complying with an amendment to the Clean Air Act passed by Congress in the early 2000s. The amendments require crude [...]
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signed an executive order Monday establishing the People’s Maps Commission, a non-partisan redistricting commission. Wisconsin is the fourteenth state to give authority over redistricting to an office outside the state legislature, and the eleventh to give said authority to an independent commission. Wisconsin’s current congressional districts are considered highly partisan and [...]
The Trump administration announced the singing of a new trade deal with China on Wednesday. The treaty covers intellectual property, technology transfer, food and agriculture, and financial services. It also discusses economic policies such as exchange rates and a commitment to expand trade between the US and China. Despite the US’ long opposition to China’s [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday denied a petition for review filed by the Republic of Sudan concerning the 1998 embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. In 2017 the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit awarded several billion dollars to family members of victims of the embassy bombings. A 2001 lawsuit [...]
The United Steelworkers (USW) filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday, challenging the federal government’s decision to remove provisions from the Chemical Disaster Rule, which were intended to prevent chemical disasters and save lives. In the lawsuit, the USW alleges that the changes to the Chemical Disaster Rule places workers, first [...]
The Hanoi People’s Court on Saturday handed out sentences to 14 people who participated in the MobiFone corruption scandal. This sentencing concluded Vietnam’s largest corruption investigation since the government began its anti-graft campaign. The case stemmed from a deal in which state telecommunications firm MobiFone overpaid for a 95% stake in the television provider Audio [...]
The US Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear the question of whether President Donald Trump will be required to disclose his tax returns and financial records. Arguments will be heard during the March 2020 session. The petition for certiorari followed a ruling by the 2nd Circuit ordering Trump’s accountants to comply with subpoenas issued [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on Monday affirmed a district court’s denial of the defendant’s motion to strike the government’s notice of sentencing enhancement. In 2008 the defendant, Joe Santillan, received a felony convicted for possession of marijuana for sale. In 2016 Californians voted to reclassify possession of marijuana for sale [...]
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled Wednesday that the protected status of the name “Aceto Balsamico di Modena” does not extend to the non-geographic terms in the name. The ruling favored the German vinegar producer Balema, which uses “balsamico” and “deutscher balsamico” to market vinegar-based products made from local wines. A group of Italian [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit rejected a claim Monday that local government institutions enjoy sovereign immunity. The appeals court held that the Tarrant County Local Workforce Development Board (WDB) failed to provide sufficient evidence to support its claim that for all intents and purposes in this situation, it was the state [...]
