Justice Alito temporarily blocks curbs on Biden administration’s communications with social media

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Thursday temporarily blocked an injunction that curbed the Biden administration’s communications with social media.

Sep 15, 2023 9:45 AM CDT

State can’t rely on ‘gossamers of speculation’ to justify ban on gun marketing to minors, 9th Circuit says

A law that bans truthful firearms advertising that appeals to minors should be blocked, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Sep 14, 2023 1:29 PM CDT

Ginni Thomas’ work with conservative activists led to movement that helped overturn precedent

The conservative legal movement gained ground after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down restrictions on independent campaign spending by corporations in the 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling.

Sep 12, 2023 8:15 AM CDT

US pressure on social media over misinformation likely unconstitutional, 5th Circuit says

Updated: The U.S. government likely violated the First Amendment by pressuring social media companies to block COVID-19 misinformation and other content, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

Sep 11, 2023 10:42 AM CDT

Federal appeals court tosses lawyer’s challenge to anti-bias ethics rule

A Pennsylvania lawyer does not have standing to challenge a state ethics rule banning discrimination and harassment in the practice of law, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Aug 31, 2023 8:55 AM CDT

Onetime SCOTUS contender sues judicial conduct commission, alleging bid to stifle criticism

A North Carolina justice who was once a U.S. Supreme Court contender is alleging that ethics regulators in her state are chilling her First Amendment right to free speech.

Aug 30, 2023 10:43 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: These recent Supreme Court decisions have sparked a wave of litigation

The U.S. Supreme Court’s October 2022 term ended just a couple of months ago, but it’s already apparent that the decisions are leading to a great deal of litigation. What are the major issues left open by the cases that are likely to be litigated in state and federal courts?

Aug 30, 2023 8:17 AM CDT

Louisiana man’s jokes about sheriff’s department are protected free speech, 5th Circuit says

A federal appeals court has ruled in favor of a Louisiana man who was arrested after posting on Facebook that a local sheriff’s department had ordered its deputies to shoot people who were infected with COVID-19.

Aug 28, 2023 11:43 AM CDT

Professors, administrators and counsel applaud proposed ABA standard on academic freedom

Following various controversies around campus speech and a U.S. House of Representatives committee request to investigate a Stanford Law School incident, the Strategic Review Committee of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has proposed a new accreditation standard focused on guidance for academic freedom policies.

Aug 16, 2023 10:02 AM CDT

Black lawyer alleges he was wearing handcuffs as judge pressed him to settle or produce documents

A Black lawyer who is a former pro football player has sued a Pennsylvania judge for allegedly ordering the lawyer’s arrest and having him hauled into court in shackles, where the lawyer was presented with a stark choice.

Aug 15, 2023 3:47 PM CDT

Religious act may protect Jehovah’s Witness who refused psychiatric meds before trial, 5th Circuit says

A federal judge should consider the religious claims of a defendant who has refused to take psychiatric medications to become competent for trial on a charge of threatening a New Orleans judge, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Aug 15, 2023 2:09 PM CDT

Constitution bars Trump from presidency, 2 conservative law profs conclude in upcoming article

Former President Donald Trump is barred from office under the 14th Amendment because he “engaged in insurrection,” two conservative law professors have concluded in an upcoming law review article.

Aug 14, 2023 10:45 AM CDT

2nd Circuit rejects free exercise challenge to law ending religious exemptions for immunization mandate

A Connecticut law ending a religious exemption for required vaccinations does not violate constitutional guarantees, including the First Amendment right to free exercise of religion, a federal appeals court has held.

Aug 9, 2023 8:41 AM CDT

Sanctioned lawyers must take classes from conservative Christian nonprofit, federal judge rules

A federal judge in Dallas has ordered three in-house lawyers for Southwest Airlines to attend classes with Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal advocacy group, to purge itself of civil contempt for "inverting" the language in a court-ordered message.

Aug 9, 2023 8:35 AM CDT

Citing 1st Amendment rights of students, ABA House passes resolution against book bans

Aug 8, 2023 4:54 PM CDT