federal courts

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Disney's Florida Suit Is Tossed
Disney's Florida Suit Is Tossed
Jan 31, 2024 4:13 PM CST

Disney's Florida Suit Is Tossed

Company suggests it will appeal ruling in First Amendment case

(Newser) - A federal judge threw out Disney's First Amendment lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday, finding that the company doesn't have legal standing to bring the case against the governor and the secretary of the state's Commerce Department. And the suit against members of the board...

DOJ Fires Back at Texas' 'Unprecedented Scheme'

Agency asks federal court for restraining order on abortion ban while its suit moves through courts

(Newser) - The Justice Department, which is suing Texas over its controversial abortion ban, has just made a big follow-up move. The DOJ has filed a 45-page emergency motion with a federal court, seeking a restraining order to block the ban while the agency's complaint works its way through the courts....

Weeks Before Trial, R. Kelly's Lawyers Want Out

Remaining attorneys say singer actually fired them

(Newser) - R. Kelly is to face trial in federal court in New York this August for allegedly abusing various women and girls over 25 years. But whether the trial will go ahead is now unclear, with a report suggesting the singer has fired his two lead attorneys. In a statement to...

As Judge Reads Verdict, Convict Kills Himself

Jeffrey Sahl Ferris slit his throat in Fargo courtroom

(Newser) - Upon learning that he would face a minimum of seven years in prison, a convicted man stood in federal court and slit his throat from ear to ear with a letter opener while the judge looked on, according to reports. The suicide occurred as a partial guilty verdict was being...

Back in Court, Holmes Looks on Verge of Small Win

Judge suggests it could be 'dangerous' for jurors to hear details of her luxury lifestyle

(Newser) - Former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes' trial on fraud charges is still months away, but she was back in court for the first time in more than a year this week as the sides argued over what information should be included. The argument about whether jurors should hear about Holmes' luxury...

How Biden's First Judicial Nominees Differ From Trump's

There aren't so many white guys, for starters

(Newser) - President Biden on Tuesday announced his intent to nominate a "trailblazing slate" of judicial nominees, a field that includes Black, Muslim American, and Asian American Pacific Islander candidates for federal courts and for the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, per the AP . The White House said the...

Court Rules on Weapon Made Famous by Bruce Lee

Judge Pamela Chen rules in light of the Second Amendment

(Newser) - A 1974 New York state ban on nunchucks that was put into place over fears that youth inspired by martial arts movies would create widespread mayhem is unconstitutional under the Second Amendment, a federal court has ruled. Judge Pamela Chen issued her ruling Friday in a Brooklyn federal court on...

Court Strikes Down Kentucky Gay Marriage Ban

But ruling on hold pending appeal

(Newser) - You can put yet another mark in same-sex marriage's win column, because a federal judge in Kentucky just struck down the state's ban on same-sex couples marrying in the state. The ban violates the Equal Protection Clause of the US Constitution by treating gay couples differently than straight...

2 More Courts Find Gay Marriage Bans Unconstitutional

Same-sex marriage's post-DOMA winning streak continues

(Newser) - Same-sex marriage continued its remarkable legal winning streak today, as a federal appeals court affirmed that Utah's ban was unconstitutional, and a separate court said the same of Indiana's ban. The Utah decision is the first such ruling from a federal appeals court, according to the AP . "...

Secret Tapes of Gitmo Force-Feedings Do Exist

Well, at least tapes of one detainee being force-fed

(Newser) - In an unprecedented ruling, non-government officials have been given the go-ahead to view secret recordings that depict force-feedings at Guantanamo Bay—a ruling that by its nature establishes the fact that these tapes actually do exist, reports the Guardian . A federal judge yesterday ruled that lawyers for Abu Wa’el...

Judge: Kentucky Must Recognize Gay Marriages

Court rules state's ban unconstitutional

(Newser) - Kentucky must recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, a federal judge ruled today, striking down a 2004 amendment to Kentucky's constitution. "It is clear that Kentucky's laws treat gay and lesbian persons differently in a way that demeans them," Judge John Heyburn said, citing the...

Court Strikes Big Blow to Net Neutrality

Says ISPs can discriminate against traffic

(Newser) - A federal court has rejected FCC Open Internet regulations to ensure Internet service providers can’t discriminate when it comes to web traffic. In Verizon v. FCC, the Washington, DC, court found that ISPs can legally prioritize or block some traffic, the Washington Post reports. The court did, however, rule...

Bomb Threat Clears Boston Courthouse
 Bomb Threat Clears 
 Boston Courthouse 
UPDATED
Apr 17, 2013 4:14 PM CDT

Bomb Threat Clears Boston Courthouse

Police declare it safe after about an hour

(Newser) - More confusion and stress in Boston: The federal courthouse had to be evacuated briefly today over a bomb threat, reports ABC News . Police conducted an hourlong sweep and gave the all-clear to return late this afternoon. The courthouse was especially packed after reports surfaced that a suspect in the marathon...

Judge Orders Ohio to Lift Early Voting Ban

State had tried to block voting for non-troops in three days before election

(Newser) - A federal judge today struck down a new Ohio law that forbids early voting in the three days before Election Day for non-military voters, the Toledo Blade reports. Ohio has long allowed voters to cast absentee ballots by mail or in person starting 35 days before the election, but the...

Texas Voting Maps Discriminate: US Court

Victory for minority activists, but state plans to appeal

(Newser) - A federal court says Texas' new voting maps, redrawn by a Republican legislature, violate the Voting Rights Act. They contain signs of discrimination against minorities, judges said in a 154-page opinion. "The three-judge panel unanimously found intentional discrimination across the state. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about...

Study: Voter ID Laws Will Keep Poor From Ballot Box

Many don't have money or a car to get the new documents

(Newser) - A new report asserts that voter ID laws passed in 10 states will discourage low-income voters because they do not have the money or transportation to meet the new requirements. Conducted by NYU Law School's Brennan Center, which opposes the laws, the report reveals that roughly half a million...

Netflix May Have to Provide Captions Online

Deaf advocacy groups win one round of legal battle over disability act

(Newser) - Netflix could soon be legally forced to offer closed captions on its streaming videos. The National Association for the Deaf sued the company, saying it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide captions for the bulk of its online content. Netflix asked a federal judge to dismiss...

Court Kills Terrorist's Suit Against Bush Lawyer

Jose Padilla can't sue John Yoo, 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rules

(Newser) - Convicted terrorist Jose Padilla can't sue the Bush administration lawyer who helped craft the legal justification for torturing him—nor can any American citizen in the same predicament, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today. Padilla, an American citizen dubbed an "enemy combatant" in 2002, has been...

Mexican-American Studies Are Illegal: Arizona Judge

State law bars studies promoting ethnic solidarity

(Newser) - An Arizona judge has declared that a Tucson Mexican-American ethnic studies program in city high schools violates state law. The ruling backs a determination by controversial state Schools Superintendent John Huppenthal that the program is illegal under a new law banning educational programs that promote ethnic solidarity and provoke "...

Whitey Bulger: I Could Afford a Lawyer if...

... the feds would give 'me my money back,' he tells court

(Newser) - Suspected mobster and longtime flight risk James "Whitey" Bulger will be cooling his heels in lockup after a federal judge denied him bail in his first court appearance yesterday. Bulger, who had $800,000 stashed in his Santa Monica apartment, asked to be declared indigent so that he could...

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