New laws in 2 Southern states make it more difficult to deny occupational licenses for past crimes

Two Southern states passed occupational licensing reforms during the 2019 legislative session with procedural protections that make it more difficult to deny licenses based on criminal history. The laws passed in North Carolina and Mississippi have several similarities, according to the Collateral Consequences Resource Center. Both laws: • Eliminate vague…

Sep 20, 2019 4:55 PM CDT

‘Negative impacts of the travel ban have been felt around our nation,’ ABA president says

On Wednesday, ABA President Judy Perry Martinez urged leaders of the judiciary committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate to ensure that the waiver provision of Presidential Proclamation 9645, known as the “travel ban,” is implemented.

Sep 5, 2019 10:37 AM CDT

Pelvic exams performed without patients’ permission spur new legislation

Sep 1, 2019 1:50 AM CDT

ABA advocacy builds momentum for bipartisan legislation aiding homeless veterans

Recent legislative developments in the nation’s campaign to end veteran homelessness is attributable in part to the persistent efforts of ABA members working in conjunction with the ABA’s Governmental Affairs Office.

Sep 1, 2019 12:30 AM CDT

Lawyer with Crohn’s disease goes public with Starbucks story to publicize bathroom-access laws

A lawyer with Crohn’s disease hopes to raise public awareness about bathroom-access laws with a personal story about his quest to use a bathroom at Starbucks. Stephen Marcus, 64, helped get a law passed in Massachusetts requiring retailers to open employee-only restrooms to people who have inflammatory bowel diseases in…

Aug 22, 2019 9:52 AM CDT

Tony the truck-stop tiger wasn’t an individual under FOIA, 9th Circuit rules

A captive tiger named Tony wasn’t an individual under a Freedom of Information Act provision that allows expedited processing of some records requests, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Aug 15, 2019 11:48 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Lawyer pleads guilty to courthouse parachute jump; cat declawing banned in this state

• The U.S. Department of Justice has informed former special counsel Robert Mueller that he is expected to confine his congressional testimony Wednesday to the boundaries of his public report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The DOJ warned that Mueller shouldn’t discuss the conduct of uncharged third…

Jul 23, 2019 4:24 PM CDT

ABA Grassroots Action Center helps members connect with their representatives

The American Bar Association’s Governmental Affairs Office regularly coordinates with members of Congress on legislation of interest to the legal profession. But lawmakers want to hear from constituents rather than lobbyists when deciding how to vote.

Jul 1, 2019 1:05 AM CDT

Inhumane treatment of immigrant children violates ‘law, court settlements and common decency,’ ABA says

The ABA is "appalled by credible reports of hundreds of children being held in unsafe and unhealthy conditions in violation of federal and state law, court settlements and common decency," ABA President Bob Carlson said Tuesday.

Jun 26, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

New York legislature OKs ban on gay and trans ‘panic defenses’

New York is poised to join the increasing number of states that are banning gay and trans “panic defenses” in murder cases. As the ABA Journal reported in January, legislatures have increasingly considered this type of ban.

Jun 26, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

Supreme Court to consider cases accusing US of shorting health insurers $12B in promised payments

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether Congress must fulfill a statutory promise to pay insurers who lost money by participating in the Affordable Care Act’s insurance marketplaces. The court accepted and consolidated three cases brought by insurers who say they upheld their end of the bargain, and…

Jun 24, 2019 3:30 PM CDT

SCOTUS agrees to decide whether annotated state laws can be copyrighted

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide whether annotations of the Georgia state code can be copyrighted. The court agreed to decide Georgia’s appeal in its suit for copyright infringement against open law advocate Carl Malamud. Malamud had bought and scanned 186 printed volumes of Georgia’s annotated code and…

Jun 24, 2019 1:53 PM CDT

Cap on pain-and-suffering damages violates Kansas Constitution, state supreme court says

The Kansas Supreme Court ruled 4-2 Friday that a cap on noneconomic damages violates the right to a jury trial under the state constitution’s Bill of Rights. The court struck down a damages cap of $250,000 in the case of Diana Hilburn, a passenger in a car rear-ended by a…

Jun 18, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

This state is expected to become the first to collect prosecutor data, with breakdowns by race

Connecticut is expected to become the first state to collect statewide criminal case data from prosecutors broken down by the defendants’ race, sex, ethnicity, age and ZIP code. In votes in late May and early June, Connecticut legislators unanimously approved the transparency bill known as SB 880, report the Associated…

Jun 14, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

Texas governor signs bill banning shutdowns of kids’ lemonade stands

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill Monday to allow children to operate lemonade stands without interference. The new law bans cities, counties and public health officials from blocking or requiring permits from children who occasionally sell lemonade and other nonalcoholic drinks on private property and in public parks. The…

Jun 13, 2019 10:26 AM CDT