The US Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Monday Henson v. Santander Consumer USA, Inc that a company may collect debts that it purchased for its own account without triggering the statutory definition of “debt collector” provided under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) . The FDCPA defines debt collectors as “any person who regularly [...]
The US Supreme Court granted certiorari in a patent case on Monday. In Oil States Energy Services v. Greene’s Energy Group , a case from the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit , the court will determine whether inter partes review , a process used by the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday overturned the Fourth Circuit’s decision, concluding that the Virginia state court did not unreasonably apply the court’s decision from Graham v. Florida . Under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA) , “a state prisoner is eligible for federal habeas corpus relief if the underlying state [...]
The US Supreme Court overturned the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Microsoft Corp. v. Baker on Monday, denying plaintiffs the opportunity to appeal a trial court’s decision before a final judgment is rendered when the plaintiffs voluntarily dismissed their action with prejudice. 28 USC § 1291 gives courts of appeals jurisdiction after a final judgment is [...]
The attorneys general of Maryland and Washington, DC, filed suit Monday against US President Donald Trump, alleging that he has violated the constitution by accepting payments and gifts from foreign governments while in office. The suit claims that by retaining ownership of and involvement in his company, Trump is in violation of the foreign and [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Monday ruled against the majority of President Donald Trump’s revised executive order limiting travel from six Muslim-majority countries. The ruling affirmed the majority of a district court injunction that blocked the order from being enforced. The judges affirmed the injunction on statutory grounds, finding the [...]
In a non-binding referendum with only 23 percent turnout, 97 percent of Puerto Rico voters opted for statehood Sunday. Governor Ricardo Rosselló Nevares announced the results Sunday and said he will communicate the results with the US Congress. The other options, independence and free association received 1.5 percent of the votes, and the current territorial [...]
A Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court on Sunday awarded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara Netanyahu, USD $32,500 in a libel case. The Netanyahus filed the suit against Igal Sarna , who alleged in a Facebook post that the prime minister was kicked out of his car by his wife during an argument. Prime [...]
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of late Libya leader Muammar Gaddafi, was released from prison Friday, according to the Abu Bakr al-Sideeq militia, which was held him for the past five years. Saif, 44, who was the most high-profile of Gaddafi’s children, was expected to lead Libya after his father. Saif was released under a “General [...]
Brazil’s top electoral court, known as the TSE , dismissed a case on Friday against President Michel Temer for alleged illegal campaign funding in the 2014 election when he was the running mate of impeached president Dilma Rousseff. The TSE voted 4-3 to acquit both Temer and Rousseff, which avoided the annulment of their election [...]
