6th Circuit Court

Prisoner who filed pro se appeal of his enhanced sentence wins Supreme Court review

An inmate convicted for breaking into 10 storage lockers has persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to review his mandatory minimum sentence under the Armed Career Criminal Act.

Feb 23, 2021 9:01 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: California defends bar exam facial-recognition tech; pants-on-fire lawyer arrested

California bar responds to disparate impact allegation regarding facial recognition technology After receiving a Feb. 10 demand letter to remove facial recognition technology from the remote bar exam on the basis it could create an unlawful disparate impact for women and people of color, the State Bar of California issued…

Feb 17, 2021 4:45 PM CST

Judge’s threat to add lawyer to pro bono list could be seen as punitive, 6th Circuit says

A federal appeals court has concluded that a federal judge’s comments about a lawyer for a bias plaintiff were "within the bounds of what imperfect men and women, even after having been confirmed as federal judges, sometimes display."

Nov 24, 2020 3:12 PM CST

Federal judge rules students have no right to civics education while warning of peril to democracy

A Rhode Island federal judge has ruled students in the state have no constitutional right to a civics education, even as he warned of a “deep flaw” in education priorities. Judge William Smith said they seem to recognize “American democracy is in peril.”

Oct 23, 2020 10:13 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Antitrust suit filed against Google; pro se litigant accused of judge death threat

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…

Oct 20, 2020 4:23 PM CDT

Meet Joan Larsen, a former Democratic volunteer, who is another potential SCOTUS nominee

U.S. Circuit Judge Joan Larsen, a conservative judge on President Donald Trump’s short list of possible U.S. Supreme Court nominees, had different political leanings as a college student. While in college, Larsen had helped stuff envelopes for then-Sen. Joe Biden’s 1988 presidential run, the Associated Press reports. Eight years later,…

Sep 24, 2020 11:28 AM CDT

Trump plans to nominate a woman to replace Ginsburg; who are the top contenders?

President Donald Trump told Fox & Friends on Monday that he hopes to name a successor to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg this upcoming Friday or Saturday. Ginsburg died this past Friday at age 87 from complications from metastatic cancer of the pancreas.

Sep 21, 2020 10:46 AM CDT

Judge kicked off case after bashing 6th Circuit’s computer sophistication, refusing to budge on sentence

A federal judge in Memphis, Tennessee, has been kicked off a child pornography case after criticizing the computer sophistication of appellate judges and refusing to change the light sentence that she imposed.

Sep 15, 2020 3:02 PM CDT

Lawyer’s ‘colorful insults’ offer no help to arguments in antitrust suit, 6th Circuit says

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Cincinnati chastised a Tennessee lawyer for making disparaging statements against his opponents in its ruling in an antitrust lawsuit Thursday.

Jul 24, 2020 10:43 AM CDT

Emotional support dog didn’t have priority over tenant with allergies, state supreme court says

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a no-pets building in Iowa City, Iowa, should not have allowed a new tenant to have an emotional support dog after an objection by another tenant with severe allergies.

Jul 2, 2020 11:03 AM CDT

Supreme Court rejects cases on qualified immunity used to shield police officers

The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to hear several cases challenging the doctrine of qualified immunity, which often shields police officers accused of misconduct.

Jun 16, 2020 10:30 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: ‘Highly irregular conduct’ by DOJ alleged; satanist loses abortion case

DOJ engaged in ‘highly irregular conduct,’ says amicus appointee in Michael Flynn case The U.S. Department of Justice “engaged in highly irregular conduct to benefit a political ally of the president” when it sought to drop the case against former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, according to an amicus lawyer…

Jun 10, 2020 4:01 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: AG Barr sees lack of confidence in justice system; will students reconsider law school?

AG Barr says ‘witches’ brew’ of extremist groups caused violence U.S. Attorney General William Barr said at a press conference Thursday that many African Americans lack confidence in the American criminal justice system, and that needs to change. Barr said most protesters were peaceful, but there is a “witches’ brew”…

Jun 4, 2020 3:38 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Texas justice has COVID-19; 7th Circuit win for strip clubs seeking payroll loans

Texas Supreme Court justice tests positive for COVID-19 Texas Supreme Court Justice Debra Lehrmann said Thursday she and her husband, Greg, have tested positive for COVID-19. The couple got tested after experiencing fevers and body aches. Lehrmann told the Dallas Morning News that she and her husband left home only…

May 21, 2020 4:51 PM CDT

6th Circuit rules Kentucky church can host in-person services; federal judge allows it statewide

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Cincinnati ruled Saturday that the Maryville Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, may host in-person church services while an appeal of its case is pending.

May 11, 2020 11:14 AM CDT