US Supreme Court Nixes Cameras During Oral Arguments in Challenge to Obama Health-Care Law

There will be no cameras in the U.S. Supreme Court later this month during arguments over President Barack Obama’s controversial health-care initiative. However, the court in a ruling today has promised to release same-day audio and transcripts of the sessions, which will begin on March 26, reports the Associated Press.…

Mar 16, 2012 8:33 PM CDT

Lawyers and Pols Jockey for Seats at Supreme Court Health Care Arguments

Updated: There are only 400 seats for visitors at the U.S. Supreme Court, and that’s creating problems for lawyers and politicians who want to watch oral arguments on the constitutionality of the Obama administration’s health care law. Former GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann was an outspoken opponent of the measure,…

Mar 16, 2012 4:24 PM CDT

Plaintiff Challenging Health Insurance Mandate Lists Unpaid Medical Bills in Bankruptcy Filing

A plaintiff who is challenging the insurance mandate in President Obama’s health care law is being held up as a symbol of why the law is necessary. The plaintiff, Mary Brown, filed for bankruptcy with her husband last fall, listing $4,500 in unpaid medical bills as part of their debt,…

Mar 9, 2012 3:31 PM CST

Protesters at Scalia Speech Fling Condoms, Unfurl ‘Court of the Conqueror’ Banner

Justice Antonin Scalia encountered protesters in Connecticut on Thursday when he gave a speech for Wesleyan University’s annual Hugo Black Lecture on Freedom of Expression. Outside the school’s Memorial Chapel, a group of about 50 protesters calling itself the Scalia Welcoming Committee chanted slogans to protest the Citizens United decision…

Mar 9, 2012 12:47 PM CST

At Catholic Conference, Scalia Talks About Possibility of Miracles

Justice Antonin Scalia told a Catholic conference on Saturday that Christian beliefs may be derided by pundits and the media who wouldn’t believe a miracle if it happened under their noses. Speaking in Denver at a Living the Catholic Faith Conference, Scalia told the crowd to have “the courage to…

Mar 5, 2012 12:33 PM CST

Limbaugh Bashes 3L for Backing Contraceptive Coverage; She Fires Back for his ‘Attack on All Women’

Updated: Rush Limbaugh is questioning the morals of a Georgetown law student backing contraceptive insurance coverage at religious institutions. During his radio show on Wednesday, Limbaugh criticized Sandra Fluke, the 3L barred from testifying at a congressional hearing on the issue last month, according to the ABC News blog The…

Mar 2, 2012 1:17 PM CST

Sitting This One Out: Health Care Case Again Raises Recusal Controversy

Mar 1, 2012 9:20 AM CST

Scalia Explains Stance on Abortion, GPS Ruling

Mar 1, 2012 7:30 AM CST

Utah Supreme Court Allows Kids’ Suit Claiming Prescription Meds Caused Dad to Murder Their Mom

The Utah Supreme Court has ruled that physicians have a duty to their patients’ family members in a case brought on behalf of the children of a confessed murderer. The ruling “could have a widespread effect on the number of malpractice lawsuits filed against health care providers,” the Salt Lake…

Feb 29, 2012 6:00 PM CST

Feds Announce Record $375M Medicare Fraud Case Against Texas Doctor

Federal officials have announced the indictment of a Texas physician in what they are calling the largest Medicare fraud case in the nation’s history. Dr. Jacques Roy, 54, who practices in the Dallas area, is accused of bilking taxpayers of nearly $375 million in nonexistent home health care services, the…

Feb 28, 2012 11:14 PM CST

Justice Thomas Is More Conservative Than 97 Percent of the Population, Researchers Say

The U.S. Supreme Court “is quite representative of mass opinion,” though some justices are outside the mainstream, according to two professors who surveyed the public on recent decisions. According to the professors, Justice Clarence Thomas is more conservative than 97 percent of the population and 93 percent of Republicans. Justice…

Feb 27, 2012 2:22 PM CST

Judge Rules for 9th Circuit Staff Lawyer Seeking Federal Health Benefits for Same-Sex Spouse

Updated: A federal judge in San Francisco has ruled the Defense of Marriage Act violates the equal protection rights of a California lawyer. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White ruled on behalf of Karen Golinski, a staff lawyer for the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based in San Francisco, report…

Feb 23, 2012 2:58 PM CST

Tribe Seeks Injunction to Curb Alcohol Sales Near Reservation

An Indian tribe in South Dakota is asking a federal judge to issue an injunction as part of its suit against companies that make and sell beer in a Nebraska border town. The Oglala Sioux Tribe has amended its $500 million suit to ask the judge to limit beer sales…

Feb 23, 2012 2:04 PM CST

Founding Fathers Cited by Restaurant Owner Resisting Call to Declare ‘Moral Bankruptcy’

A restaurant owner and his detractors are citing some modified legal concepts in a fight over the high-fat food served there. The Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas is back in the news after a customer eating its Triple Bypass Burger suffered an apparent heart attack on Saturday, Fox News…

Feb 17, 2012 4:24 PM CST

Meet Donald Verrilli, the Lawyer Who Will Defend President Obama’s Health Care Law

Solicitor General Donald Verrilli isn’t talking about the challenge to the Obama administration’s health care law, but he does reflect on his transition from BigLaw to government service in a newspaper interview. Verrilli is a former Jenner & Block partner who oversaw the firm’s Supreme Court practice. He tells USA…

Feb 17, 2012 3:09 PM CST