The US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a notice of appeal Thursday in the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to challenge a decision to strike down a federal law that bans corporations from making direct campaign contributions to candidates. The appeal is challenging a decision last month by Judge James Cacheris to [...]
The US Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously reversed the lower court in Smith v. Bayer Corp. , allowing a class action lawsuit against the company to proceed. The Court held that under the re-litigation exception of the Anti-Injunction Act , a district court exceeded its authority when it enjoined Smith from seeking class certification in [...]
The Ivory Coast on Wednesday announced it would establish a commission to investigate alleged crimes committed as a result of the disputed presidential elections last November. Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara vowed to probe human rights violations and violence that has riddled the nation since the election, after which Ouattara was eventually declared the winner. [...]
The US Supreme Court Thursday ruled in Bond v. United States that a private individual can challenge whether a federal criminal law passed to implement an international treaty is valid under the Tenth Amendment . Carol Anne Bond was charged with burning her husband’s mistress using poisonous chemicals and was indicted under a federal law [...]
Alabama Governor Robert Bentley on Wednesday signed into law a bill that bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The bill contains no exceptions for cases of rape or incest, but permits an abortion if necessary to prevent the death of or serious risk of injury to the woman. The bill also requires physicians to [...]
The US Supreme Court on Thursday ruled 7-2 in Davis v. United States that when the law for what constitutes a legal search changes between a search and an accompanying trial, the evidence is not excluded. Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion states that because suppression of the evidence would do nothing to deter other officers from [...]
The New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled in an advisory opinion on Wednesday that the legislature cannot force Attorney General Michael Delaney to join a lawsuit contesting the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) . The New Hampshire Senate asked for the opinion in reaction to HB 89 , a bill passed by the New [...]
The US Supreme Court on Thursday ruled 5-4 in JDB v. North Carolina that a court should consider a juvenile’s age when determining whether the individual is in custody for purposes of the Miranda warning as set forth in Miranda v. Arizona . JDB, a middle-school student, was removed from a classroom and questioned by [...]
The US Supreme Court Thursday ruled in Tapia v. United States that a federal sentencing law does not permit sentencing judges to impose or lengthen prison terms for the purpose of fostering the defendant’s rehabilitation. Alejandra Tapia was convicted of smuggling unauthorized aliens into the US, for which the guidelines recommended a sentence between 41 [...]
Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in prison for his involvement with a terrorist training camp in the Indonesian province of Aceh to prepare Islamic radicals to carry out attacks in Jakarta. Prosecutors said Bashir provided more than $62,000 to the group , which was allegedly planning attacks modeled after [...]
