In a 6-4 decision on Friday, the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled that felons in the state of Florida cannot have their voting rights restored until they pay all restitution, fines and fees. Chief Judge William Pryor, writing for the majority, first noted the “historic amendment” that Florida voters passed in [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Thursday declined to expand voting by mail to younger residents of Texas. In an effort to mitigate the detrimental effects and potential spread of COVID-19, many states have expanded their vote-by-mail procedures for the November presidential election. This present lawsuit arose as a challenge to [...]
The California Supreme Court has declined to hear a challenge to Proposition C, a San Francisco ballot measure that will raise an estimated $300 million annually in business taxes to fund homeless services. Proposition C created a tax on San Francisco businesses earning more than $50 million in gross receipts and dedicated that money to [...]
A coalition of seven American cities submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request Wednesday to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) for records pertaining to Executive Order 13933 and the deployment of federal agents to US cities. Executive Order 13933 permits the attorney general and the secretary of Homeland Security [...]
The US District Court for the Southern District of New York Thursday blocked President Trump from excluding undocumented immigrants in certain census counts. More than 20 states and cities had filed the lawsuit in response to a presidential memorandum issued in late July. This memorandum sought to reapportion the House of Representatives by excluding undocumented [...]
The City of Portland passed an ordinance Wednesday prohibiting private companies’ use of facial recognition technologies in places of public accommodation, making it the first city to do so. Facial recognition technology is primarily used to identify, verify, or detect an individual based on their facial features. Portland had already made efforts to ban public [...]
Apple Inc. has filed a countersuit against Epic Games Inc., the creator of the popular Fortnite franchise. Epic Games originally brought suit against Apple on August 13, alleging unfair practices and anti-competitiveness claims. These claims stem from the 30% tax that is charged to software companies who sell their “in-game” upgrades/purchases through the Apple App [...]
A Texas federal judge has ruled that the method by which the state verifies signatures on mail-in ballots must be corrected in advance of the November presidential election. This case arose when plaintiffs had their mail-in ballots rejected on the basis of a perceived signature mismatch. Both plaintiffs were notified that their ballot had been [...]
US President Donald Trump has issued a memorandum that extends the current moratorium on offshore drilling on Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic coasts. This memo also extended the moratorium to the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina. Under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006, Florida’s gulf waters are protected from offshore drilling until 2022. [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Tuesday affirmed a lower court’s decision that Alcolac Inc. (Alcolac), an American chemical manufacturer, was not liable for injuries sustained by several former members of the US military as a result of their exposure to mustard gas during the Gulf War. In their suit, the former US military [...]
