Supreme Court may soon loosen gun laws as nation reels from massacresWhile the Supreme Court has been working behind closed doors on its first major Second Amendment opinion in more than a decade, three mass shootings have broken the country, including Tuesday’s massacre of 19 schoolchildren in Texas. ….. Read More.CNN – Politics | Politics & GovernmentThu, May 26, 20222 days ago
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court DecisionsPlease enjoy the latest edition of Short Circuit, a weekly feature from the Institute for Justice. Friends, the right to criticize the government is surely one of the most important rights protected by the Constitution. So we’re pleased to report that Mount Pleasant, Wisc. City Attorney Chris Smith’s vexatious defamation suit against our client, Kelly Gallaher—a local activist and critic of the Foxconn land grab, as well as a critic of Chris Smith—was dismissed this week. Smith demanded that Kelly never publicly speak or write his name again, but . . . that’s not going to happen, Chris Smith. Click here to learn more. Rhode Island sued Shell, Chevron, and the other big oil companies on the theory that their role in global warming gives rise to claims under state law. The oil companies removed the suit to federal court, arguing for federal…
California Trucking Association Suffer AB5 Appeal Setback in U.S. Supreme Court AppealThe California Trucking Association recently suffered a setback in appealing an unfavorable ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court that disrupts long-held owner-operator practices. Known as AB5, a California law redefines how truckers work as independent contractors, forcing them to sign on as employees. U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Barchas Prelogar, appointed in 2021 by Pres. Biden, urged the U.S. Supreme Court to deny the trucking advocacy organization their appeal. The move strikes a significant blow to owner-operators in California as the Solicitor General’s recommendation has traditionally been considered persuasive. “Although the circuits have reached differing outcomes with respect to FAAAA preemption of the ABC test as codified under the laws of various states, those case-specific decisions do not create a conflict warranting this Court’s review,” the Solicitor General reportedly stated in its brief. “Moreover, the interlocutory posture of this case…
No Religious Freedom Problem with Court Approving One Parent’s Choice of Religious School,From today’s decision in Karutz v. Karutz, decided by the Kentucky Court of Appeals (Judges Pamela Goodwine, Irv Maze, and J. Christopher McNeill): Mother and Father share joint custody of their daughter, A.R.K. (“child”), who has been at the center of a protracted legal dispute since the parties’ separation in 2016. Relevant to the appeal, the parties could not reach an agreement as to where the child should attend kindergarten and petitioned the court to resolve the issue. Father’s preferred choice was Seton Catholic School in Lexington, Kentucky. Mother wanted child to attend Berea Independent Community School … in Berea, Kentucky…. Father testified that Seton was his preferred school because it was closer to the interstate and thus logistically better for pick-ups and drop-offs; had a later start time so child could sleep in; was more diverse than…
How a Roe Overturn Would Deepen America’s Political DividesThe draft Supreme Court opinion overturning the constitutional right to abortion presents a major setback for reproductive freedom in America and offers a potential jolt to the upcoming midterm elections. But it also illuminates another, deeper phenomenon in American politics: the urgency and ambition of the Republican drive to lock into law the cultural priorities of its preponderantly white, Christian, and older electoral coalition at a moment of rapid demographic change.The fundamental divide in our politics today is between those voters and places most comfortable with the demographic and cultural changes remaking 21st-century America and those most hostile to them—what I’ve called the Democratic “coalition of transformation” and the Republican “coalition of restoration.” A decision overturning Roe v. Wade—especially on the sweeping grounds in Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion that was leaked to Politico—would sharpen the confrontation between these two coalitions.[Adam Serwer:…
How Do You Expect Me to Write My Book With All This Going On?GARYWORDS at GaryTalk.com – Hey, you guys! You House Managers, Trump Attorney’s, Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts, and you guys and gals in the United States Senate, I’m trying to write my first novel, here. Stop taking up all my time and sapping away my energy with this Senate Impeachment Trial you’ve been spending hours and […] ….. Read More.GARYTALK – Conversations & Commentary | This, That and The OtherFri, January 31, 20202 years ago