A judge for the US District Court of Massachusetts on Tuesday upheld Harvard University’s undergraduate admissions process, which had been challenged by Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) as discriminatory against Asian American applicants. Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits race discrimination at schools that receive federal funds. SFFA alleged that Harvard violates [...]

A federal judge on Monday struck down two Virginia laws that restrict access to abortion, ruling that they unconstitutionally burden women seeking abortions. He upheld two other challenged abortion laws, as well as the remainder of the bill containing one of the spiked laws. US District Court Judge Henry Hudson struck down Virginia’s second-trimester hospital [...]

US Representative Chris Collins (R-NY) resigned Monday afternoon after being accused of insider trading in a 2018 criminal complaint. Collins is accused of using his position as a board member of Innate Immunotherapeutics to provide insider information to members of his family. The complaint states that, “Christopher Collins, a member of Innate’s board of directors, [...]

A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit from multiple states alleging that the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts’ (TCJA) cap on deductions for state and local taxes is unconstitutional. District Court Judge Paul Oetken ruled that the states had failed to show that the “SALT cap” exceeded Congress’ powers. Oetken wrote that the [...]

A federal judge on Friday issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration’s plan to implement a procedure that would expedite the deportation process of undocumented immigrants. This policy was initially used to deport individuals who entered the US without a hearing before an immigration court judge. In July the Department of Homeland Security expanded [...]

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Fair Pay to Play Act (SB 206) into law Monday, allowing college athletes to receive compensation for endorsements. Starting in 2023, student athletes attending four-year universities will be eligible to receive monetary compensation for the use of their likeness in advertisements and sponsorship deals. SB 206 will benefit both [...]

The National Redistricting Foundation on Friday filed a lawsuit claiming North Carolina’s 2016 congressional map violated the state Constitution and created a partisan advantage for Republicans. The complaint comes nearly a month after a state court held that North Carolina’s state legislative districts were unconstitutionally gerrymandered towards Republican interest. The new legal challenge states that [...]

The US Department of Justice on Tuesday released an interim policy regarding the use of investigative methods that involve DNA analysis and genealogical research to create leads for unsolved crimes. The Interim Policy on Forensic Genetic Genealogical DNA Analysis and Searching is composed of nine sections that will guide the use of forensic genetic genealogy [...]

The US Department of State on Thursday announced sanctions preventing Raúl Castro, former president of Cuba and the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Cuban Communist Party and First Secretary of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, from traveling to the US. The sanction was imposed under section 7031(c) of the FY 2019 Department [...]

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Match.com, an online dating company, alleging that the company’s advertising and automatic payment policies violated the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTC Act) and the Restore Online Shoppers’ Confidence Act (ROSCA). The complaint alleges that Match.com deceived potential customers by sending advertisements that said a user [...]