Government

SCOTUS curbs agency power in ruling that ends Chevron deference; dissent dubs opinion ‘Hubris Squared’

Courts may not defer to an agency’s interpretation of a statute simply because it is ambiguous, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday in a decision that curbs agency power.

Jun 28, 2024 10:17 AM CDT

SCOTUS blocks EPA’s ‘downwind’ air-quality initiative

The Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation of air quality on Thursday, putting on hold a major initiative to improve public health by reducing smog-forming pollution from power plants and factories that blows across state lines.

Jun 27, 2024 11:40 AM CDT

‘Storm clouds loom ahead’ after Supreme Court dismisses abortion dispute, Justice Jackson says

Updated: The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday turned aside an Idaho abortion dispute, which had the effect of blocking Idaho from enforcing its abortion ban in emergency situations.

Jun 27, 2024 11:04 AM CDT

How did Scalia Law respond to seduction complaints against law prof? Lawmaker wants answers

A lawmaker who chairs the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce wants George Mason University to disclose steps that it took to investigate allegations that one of its law professors used his influence “to seduce young female law students.”

Jun 27, 2024 9:25 AM CDT

Supreme Court would allow emergency abortions in Idaho, Bloomberg reports

The Supreme Court would allow emergency abortion care in Idaho for now despite the state’s restrictions on the procedure, according to Bloomberg Law, which viewed a copy of a not-yet-released opinion that was briefly posted on the court’s website Wednesday.

Jun 26, 2024 1:11 PM CDT

Suit filed against Louisiana law requiring Ten Commandments in classrooms

A coalition of groups filed a lawsuit Monday against the state of Louisiana’s new requirement to post the Ten Commandments in every school classroom, claiming parents’ rights are violated by the new law.

Jun 26, 2024 10:00 AM CDT

5th Circuit ‘glossed over complexities,’ Supreme Court says in refusing to curb US social media contacts

Two states and five social media users don’t have standing to sue U.S. officials for allegedly pressuring social media companies to curb protected speech, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday.

Jun 26, 2024 9:49 AM CDT

Judge arrested outside nightclub is ousted from bench, partly for jailing litigant

Updated: A Georgia judge arrested outside an Atlanta nightclub June 20 for allegedly obstructing a police officer won't be returning to the bench.

Jun 26, 2024 9:09 AM CDT

SCOTUS could be next stop after top Oklahoma court rules on state-funded religious school

A contract providing for state funding of an online Catholic charter school violates the First Amendment’s establishment clause, the Oklahoma Constitution and a state law governing charter schools, the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.

Jun 25, 2024 3:29 PM CDT

Courts grant injunctions against Biden’s student loan repayment plan

The future of President Biden’s new student loan repayment plan is in doubt after a pair of federal judges issued separate injunctions Monday preventing the government from fully implementing and forgiving any more loans through the program while they consider lawsuits to end the policy.

Jun 25, 2024 12:55 PM CDT

Ex-justice sought Holy Spirit compassion before sentencing of ‘land the tuna’ politician husband

Former Chicago Ald. Ed Burke was sentenced Monday to two years in prison and fined $2 million for pressuring developers to use his law firm and threatening to punish a museum that ignored his goddaughter’s internship application.

Jun 25, 2024 10:26 AM CDT

Judge hears challenge to appointment, funding of special counsel in Trump documents case

A federal judge overseeing the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump heard arguments Friday on whether U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland had constitutional authority to appoint special counsel Jack Smith.

Jun 24, 2024 3:19 PM CDT

Ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors will be reviewed by Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to review the constitutionality of a Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming surgeries, puberty blockers and hormones for transgender minors.

Jun 24, 2024 12:23 PM CDT

19 state AGs fire back after others demand ABA diversity standards change

Nineteen state attorneys general signed a letter calling on the American Bar Association, Fortune 100 CEOs and other organizations to retain “their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Jun 20, 2024 3:58 PM CDT

A Few Good Friends: Loneliness can be a JAG’s toughest battle

It is not just the Police who find themselves “so lonely;” we too should find “no surprise, no mystery” in loneliness’s pervasiveness. Military lawyers, in particular, feel its unavoidable sting accentuated by the military attorney lifestyle. Together, let’s look at how to work past the inevitable to succeed where possible.

Jun 20, 2024 12:31 PM CDT