Wisconsin bar redefines ‘diversity’ to settle challenge to clerkship program; both sides claim success

The State Bar of Wisconsin has agreed to redefine “diversity” as it applies to its Diversity Clerkship Program to settle a challenge filed by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty.

Apr 9, 2024 2:49 PM CDT

New York prison will let inmates go outdoors to view eclipse after lawsuit

Six New York prison inmates who sued the state’s corrections department over a planned lockdown that would have forced them indoors during Monday’s solar eclipse will be allowed to view the celestial phenomenon outside under a settlement agreement, their attorneys announced Thursday.

Apr 8, 2024 9:00 AM CDT

Inmates in New York are suing to be allowed to see the solar eclipse

New York inmates are suing the state over its plan to lockdown prisons during next week’s solar eclipse, alleging that in barring them from viewing the rare phenomenon, the corrections department is stripping them of their constitutional right to exercise their religion.

Apr 3, 2024 10:30 AM CDT

A ‘divinely created’ being: States try to define fetal personhood

When is a human embryo not simply a clump of cells but a person with distinct legal rights? The answer, which holds much consequence in a post-Roe world, depends on the state where that embryo resides.

Apr 1, 2024 3:30 PM CDT

Relying on ‘secret evidence’ to deny visa for spouse violates due process, ABA says in SCOTUS amicus brief

The U.S. Supreme Court should rule that the government can’t deny visas for noncitizen spouses of U.S. citizens without explaining the reason and disclosing the evidence that was the basis for the decision, the ABA has said in an amicus brief.

Apr 1, 2024 1:08 PM CDT

Academic freedom standards are now part of ABA’s accreditation process for law schools

Apr 1, 2024 12:15 AM CDT

DNA issues ‘cast a pall’ over murder conviction, warranting SCOTUS review, ABA amicus brief says

The U.S. Supreme Court should once again consider the case of a Texas death row inmate whose conviction was based on DNA evidence tested by a lab that “consistently and egregiously mishandled DNA evidence,” the ABA has said in an amicus brief.

Mar 28, 2024 9:02 AM CDT

5th Circuit rules for prisoner allowed to sleep no more than 3.5 hours per night

A sleep-deprived prisoner can show that his treatment constituted cruel and unusual punishment without proving that his health issues stemmed from the restricted bedtime hours, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Mar 26, 2024 3:10 PM CDT

Judiciary ‘has no power to unimpeach,’ federal judge says while citing Dr. Seuss

A federal judge has tossed former Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s pro se lawsuit seeking the right to run for political office, despite his impeachment and conviction, saying the complaint is “riddled with problems” and is an “Issue-Spotting Wonderland.”

Mar 26, 2024 8:57 AM CDT

Federal judges end ‘oral-argument affirmative action,’ leading Stephen Miller group to declare victory

A legal group founded by Stephen Miller, a former senior policy adviser in the Trump White House, has declared victory after two federal judges in Illinois rescinded polices promoting what the group calls “oral-argument affirmative action.”

Mar 25, 2024 3:02 PM CDT

Man who claimed US wanted him to spy on mosque can pursue suit over 6-year no-fly-list status, SCOTUS says

An Oregon man’s challenge to his placement on the no-fly list did not become moot after the government lifted the ban on flying, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in a unanimous opinion.

Mar 19, 2024 11:34 AM CDT

Supreme Court hears free speech case that united the NRA and the ACLU

The Supreme Court on Monday heard arguments in a case in which the National Rifle Association accused a former New York state official of improperly pressuring banks and insurers to cut ties with the gun-rights group after the Parkland, Fla., high school massacre in 2018.

Mar 19, 2024 10:20 AM CDT

Supreme Court likely to reject limits on White House social media contacts

The Supreme Court seemed prepared Monday to reject a Republican-led effort to sharply limit the federal government from pressuring social media companies to remove harmful posts and misinformation from their platforms.

Mar 19, 2024 9:45 AM CDT

Supreme Court sets rules for officials who block social media critics

The Supreme Court on Friday set new ground rules for when public officials can block critical voices from their social media accounts, ruling in two of several cases this term that will shape the future of online interactions between the government and its citizens.

Mar 15, 2024 12:30 PM CDT

Warrant required for overhead zoom-lens search that could reveal ‘intimate’ and ‘unflattering’ details, top state court says

The Alaska Constitution requires police to get a warrant if they use binoculars or cameras with zoom lenses to look into a yard from a plane, the Alaska Supreme Court has ruled.

Mar 12, 2024 1:29 PM CDT