Afternoon Briefs: Antitrust suit filed against Google; pro se litigant accused of judge death threat
Google Headquarters, Mountain View, California. Photo from Shutterstock.com.
DOJ files antitrust suit against Google
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Google on Tuesday that alleges that the tech company maintains a monopoly in search services and search advertising. The suit alleges that Google uses anti-competitive tactics to make itself the default search engine for mobile and computer searches. Eleven state attorneys general also joined the lawsuit as plaintiffs. Google is represented by Williams & Connolly and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. (The Washington Post, the New York Times here and here, the National Law Journal, Department of Justice press releases here and here, the lawsuit)
Pro se litigant is accused of threatening life of federal judge
Pro se litigant William Kaetz, 56, of Paramus, New Jersey, has been charged with threatening to assault and murder a federal judge. Kaetz allegedly sent an email to the judge and the U.S. Marshals Service that said the judge was stonewalling his case, the judge was a “traitor,” and being a traitor carries a death sentence. He also threatened to reveal the judge’s home address, which he obtained from a paid internet service. (The New Jersey Law Journal here and here, the Daily Voice, Department of Justice press release, the federal criminal complaint)
6th Circuit reinstates abortion clinic restrictions
The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Cincinnati on Friday reinstated a Kentucky law that requires abortion clinics to have signed agreements to transfer and admit patients to hospitals during an emergency. The two judges in the majority, Joan Larsen and Chad Readler, are appointees of President Donald Trump. Challengers had argued that then-Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin was pressuring hospitals to refuse to enter into such agreements. (The Louisville Courier Journal and Courthouse News Service via How Appealing, the 6th Circuit opinion)
Report finds racism in New York criminal justice system
An independent review has found pervasive racism in New York courts. The overburdened court system has a “dehumanizing effect,” leading to a second-class system of justice for people of color, wrote Jeh Johnson, a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison who led the investigation. The report also noted racism among white court officers who commonly used racial slurs without punishment. (The New York Times, the New York Law Journal, the report)
