Afternoon Briefs: Chief justice blocks Trump accounting subpoena; Ginsburg's back at work
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Chief justice temporarily blocks subpoena for Trump accounting records
U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. temporarily stayed an appeals court ruling Monday that upheld a House committee subpoena for President Donald Trump’s financial records from his accounting firm Mazars USA. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit had upheld the subpoena in October, and the full court refused an en banc hearing last week. Roberts issued a stay until the House files a response by a Thursday deadline. The next issue for the Supreme Court will be whether to grant a longer stay and hear the appeal by Trump. The justices will also have to decide whether to hear a second case in which the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New York upheld a subpoena for Trump’s tax records by the Manhattan district attorney. (The New York Times, the National Law Journal, Roberts’ order)
Justice Ginsburg returns to work after stomach bug
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg returned to work Friday after missing oral arguments Wednesday because of a stomach bug. (CNN)
Pennsylvania law students who objected to school’s new name win compromise
The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School came up with a compromise after alumni and students objected to the school’s shortened “Carey Law” name. The school was renamed because of a record $125 million donation from the W.P. Carey Foundation. Those who objected feared that the new shorter name didn’t have the same prestige as “Penn Law.” In an announcement Monday, law dean Ted Ruger said the law school will keep its informal name “Penn Law” until the start of the 2022 academic year. At that time, the shortened form of the school’s name will be “Penn Carey Law.” (Law.com)
Planned Parenthood awarded over $2.2M in RICO case against anti-abortion activists
Jurors in San Francisco have awarded more than $2.2 million to Planned Parenthood in a RICO suit against anti-abortion activists who posed as researchers and recorded undercover videos in hopes of showing that the group sells fetal body parts. The jurors found that the activists violated nondisclosure agreements that they signed before entering Planned Parenthood’s meetings. Jurors also found liability on several other counts, including conspiracy to violate a law banning secret recordings and the federal racketeering act. Two of the activists are also facing criminal charges. (The Recorder, Courthouse News Service, the San Francisco Chronicle)
