Federal Government

Afternoon Briefs: Hate speech mustn’t be normalized, ABA president says; Title IX protects gay and transgender students

ABA president: Hate speech legitimizes intolerance ABA President Patricia Lee Refo said Tuesday the association is “deeply troubled” by recent hate speech directed at Jewish, LGBTQ, Asian American and Muslim people. Refo said studies show a correlation between exposure to hate speech and the increase in hate crimes. Hate speech…

Jun 16, 2021 3:45 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Senate confirms Biden appellate judge; how SCOTUS justices supplemented their 2020 income

Senate confirms Biden’s first appellate judge On Monday, the U.S. Senate confirmed U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Jackson is President Joe Biden’s first affirmed appellate judge and will replace Merrick Garland, who is now the U.S. attorney…

Jun 15, 2021 3:41 PM CDT

Judge pursues criminal charges against 3 US marshals after underling won’t disclose COVID-19 vaccination status

A federal judge in South Dakota has said three supervisory U.S. marshals will face criminal charges after an underling refused to disclose her COVID-19 vaccination status and left the courthouse with three defendants scheduled for court hearings.

Jun 15, 2021 10:16 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Dechert associate wins ‘Jeopardy!’ and fans’ hearts; judge sides with hospital requiring vaccines

Dechert associate wins over Jeopardy! fans Dechert associate Julia Markham Cameron won over Jeopardy! fans with her quirky facial expressions during an appearance earlier this month in which she won more than $16,000. “It’s certainly not what I thought I would be known for at this stage in my career.…

Jun 14, 2021 4:29 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Toobin returns to CNN after Zoom exposure; DOJ inspector general will review leak subpoenas

Jeffrey Toobin returns to CNN after Zoom incident Journalist and legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin has returned to CNN eight months after he masturbated during a break in a Zoom call with colleagues at the New Yorker. Toobin was fired from the New Yorker after 27 years with the magazine. In…

Jun 11, 2021 3:18 PM CDT

ABA president urges House to help prevent elder abuse

ABA President Patricia Lee Refo is urging the U.S. House of Representatives to pass bipartisan legislation to help prevent elder abuse across the country.

Jun 11, 2021 9:35 AM CDT

Texas attorney general faces ethics probe over election suit; former AG Barr fares better in DC

Asked to probe two high-profile officials, disciplinary authorities in Texas and Washington, D.C., took different tacks.

Jun 11, 2021 9:22 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: An unusual SCOTUS lineup; suit says Google is a public utility

SCOTUS rules for defendant in career criminal case Two conservative justices supported liberal U.S. Supreme Court justices Thursday to rule that a crime of recklessness is not a “violent felony” requiring a longer sentence under the Armed Career Criminal Act. Justice Elena Kagan wrote a plurality opinion favoring defendant Charles…

Jun 10, 2021 4:09 PM CDT

DOJ says it can defend religious exemption that allows LGBTQ discrimination in education

The U.S. Department of Justice is opposing an attempt by Christian colleges to intervene in a lawsuit by asserting that it can defend a religious exemption that allows the schools to discriminate against LGBTQ students.

Jun 9, 2021 11:25 AM CDT

Taking same stance as former AG Barr, Biden’s DOJ seeks to defend Trump in defamation suit by rape accuser

The U.S. Department of Justice under President Joe Biden is arguing that the United States should be substituted as the defendant in a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump by a woman who claimed that he defamed her by denying her allegations of rape.

Jun 8, 2021 11:36 AM CDT

Not in Kansas anymore: A former congressman’s improbable journey from the heartland to Hollywood

In 2004, Dan Glickman began a six-year stint as chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America. That may seem like an unusual career change for a nine-term congressman from Kansas and former secretary of agriculture. People sometimes questioned his qualifications to lead Hollywood’s trade association. “I used to grow popcorn,” he tells me he’d respond. “And now I sell it.”

Jun 8, 2021 9:38 AM CDT

SCOTUS will hear case involving FBI surveillance of Muslim community and state secrets privilege

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider the government’s ability to invoke the state secrets privilege to defeat a lawsuit accusing the FBI of illegally spying on the Muslim community.

Jun 7, 2021 12:06 PM CDT

Appeals court allows eviction moratorium to continue, says CDC likely to win appeal

A federal appeals court on Wednesday refused to interfere with an eviction moratorium imposed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

Jun 3, 2021 12:18 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Lawyer, 75, is oldest American to scale Mount Everest; fake claims made of SCOTUS justice’s arrest

Retired lawyer is oldest American to climb Mount Everest Retired Chicago lawyer Arthur Muir became the oldest American to scale Mount Everest last month. Muir, 75, tried to climb the mountain in 2019, but he had to turn back after hurting his ankle. Muir took up mountain climbing seven years…

Jun 1, 2021 4:34 PM CDT

Lawyer described as ‘Don Quixote of student debt’ relief decides to run for Congress

A lawyer who has been pursuing relief for student borrowers in bankruptcy court has decided to run for Congress in 2022 on a platform that includes reforming rules for cancellation of such debt.

Jun 1, 2021 4:18 PM CDT