Health Law

Does 13th Amendment protect a right to abortion? Federal judge orders briefing on the scope of Dobbs

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has asked for briefing on whether the 13th Amendment’s ban on slavery and involuntary servitude—or some other constitutional provision—protects a right to abortion.

Feb 8, 2023 9:27 AM CST

ABA supports right to travel for abortion services and other medical care

All government entities should enact laws and regulations that protect the right of any individual to travel across state lines to access medical care, the House of Delegates said at the 2023 ABA Midyear Meeting in New Orleans on Monday.

Feb 6, 2023 5:31 PM CST

Intersex children should be allowed informed consent on surgeries, ABA House says

Most intersex surgeries are performed on children under the age of 2, according to a report attached to a resolution adopted by the ABA House of Delegates. Some youth would like medical intervention, but others who had it experienced trauma as a result of the choices that were made for them, according to the report.

Feb 6, 2023 4:30 PM CST

High rates of burnout have lawyers in this state considering leaving their jobs or the legal profession

More than three-fourths of Massachusetts lawyers are experiencing burnout, and almost half have thought about leaving their legal employer or the legal profession for that reason or because of stress in the last three years.

Feb 2, 2023 12:07 PM CST

Chemerinsky: When can state governments sue the United States?

A recurring issue before the Supreme Court this term, including in two cases to be argued in the next month, concerns when state governments have standing to sue the United States. Over the last decade, there has been an explosion of such suits.

Feb 1, 2023 11:49 AM CST

Judge’s failure to conduct ‘lodestar cross-check’ dooms Quinn Emanuel’s $185M fee award

A trial judge should not have awarded $185 million in fees to Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan without conducting a “lodestar cross-check” that considers hours worked and billing rates, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled Tuesday.

Feb 1, 2023 10:53 AM CST

After seeing attitude shifts about opiate addiction, MDL lawyer targets Facebook

In 2022, a multidistrict litigation lawyer brought a federal action against Meta Platforms Inc. alleging that the algorithms are designed to be addictive.

Jan 30, 2023 8:30 AM CST

DeSantis violated Florida Constitution by suspending prosecutor, but federal court can’t act, judge says

A federal judge in Florida has ruled that the 11th Amendment prevents him from ordering the reinstatement of a reform prosecutor suspended by Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Jan 24, 2023 8:54 AM CST

SCOTUS justices were questioned but not implicated in Dobbs leak probe; some are concerned about double standard

Investigators questioned U.S. Supreme Court justices as they probed the leak of a draft opinion overturning the right to abortion, but the justices were not required to sign affidavits, the official who oversaw the probe said Friday.

Jan 23, 2023 10:09 AM CST

Who leaked Dobbs? SCOTUS investigators don’t know, despite 97 employee interviews and forensic sleuthing

The U.S. Supreme Court can’t identify who leaked Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion overturning the right to abortion to Politico in May 2022, according to a report released Thursday.

Jan 19, 2023 3:11 PM CST

Supreme Court will hear case of convicted stalker to decide mental state needed for ‘true threats’ conviction

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider what kind of mental state a speaker must have to be convicted for “true threats” that aren’t protected by the First Amendment.

Jan 17, 2023 2:24 PM CST

6th Circuit bans enforcement of Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal contractors against plaintiff states

A federal appeals court has ruled that President Joe Biden exceeded his statutory power when he required federal contractors to ensure that their employees are vaccinated for COVID-19, and that they wear face masks in areas of high transmission.

Jan 17, 2023 8:39 AM CST

Weekly Briefs: Man pleads guilty in cold-case murder of law librarian; near-total abortion ban upheld in Idaho

A man convicted as a minor in 1964 for killing and raping a teen girl in Germany has pleaded guilty to the 1973 murder of a Stanford law librarian.

Jan 13, 2023 1:30 PM CST

Bankruptcy judge suspends lawyer for ‘bizarre gamesmanship,’ urging clients to infect trustee with ‘nasty disease’

A bankruptcy judge in Colorado has suspended a Denver lawyer from practicing before the court for three years as a sanction for “egregious lawyer misconduct” that included asking his clients to infect the trustee with COVID-19 or another “nasty disease.”

Jan 12, 2023 12:38 PM CST

Cashed check costs United Healthcare more than $2M

United Healthcare of Texas can’t pursue a claim of more than $2 million after its check-processing contractor cashed a $24,000 check offered as a settlement, a Texas appeals court has ruled.

Jan 11, 2023 9:43 AM CST