Ban on baring of female breasts is likely unconstitutional, 10th Circuit rules

A federal appeals court has ruled a female-only topless ban in Fort Collins, Colorado, likely violates the equal protection clause. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Denver ruled Feb. 15, report Westword, Courthouse News Service and the Denver Post. How Appealing links to the 2-1 decision. The decision…

Feb 20, 2019 2:20 PM CST

Red light malfunctioning? Bill in this state would allow you to run it

A House committee in Utah has approved a bill that would allow drivers to run red lights that appear to be cycling improperly, provided they pause for a sufficient amount of time and proceed only when it’s safe. The committee approved the bill on Tuesday despite opposition from police, prosecutors…

Feb 15, 2019 7:00 AM CST

Will Supreme Court allow restrictive abortion law to take effect? Some look for clue to Roe viability

The fight over abortion rights has returned to the U.S. Supreme Court as the justices consider an emergency petition to temporarily block a restrictive Louisiana abortion law from taking effect.

Feb 1, 2019 7:00 AM CST

Privacy rights of lawyers and their clients should be protected during border searches, ABA House urges

The federal judiciary, Congress and the Department of Homeland Security should protect the privacy of those crossing the border by setting standards for searches and seizures of electronic devices and for protection of attorney-client privilege, the work product doctrine and lawyer-client confidentiality, according to a resolution passed overwhelmingly by the ABA House of Delegates on Monday at the ABA Midyear Meeting in Las Vegas.

Jan 28, 2019 6:21 PM CST

Iowa fetal heartbeat law struck down; other states mull similar bills and look to Supreme Court

A state court judge has overturned an Iowa law that bans most abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. Judge Michael Huppert of Polk County, Iowa, ruled Tuesday that the law violates the Iowa Constitution, report the Des Moines Register and Iowa Public Radio. The decision comes as abortion opponents…

Jan 23, 2019 11:30 AM CST

Skadden to pay over $4.6M, register as Ukraine foreign agent to resolve allegations tied to Manafort case

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom has agreed to pay more than $4.6 million to the U.S. Treasury and register retroactively as a foreign agent of the Ukrainian government in a case tied to Paul Manafort, a former campaign manager for President Donald Trump. The civil settlement resolves allegations that…

Jan 18, 2019 12:23 PM CST

In unusual 5-4 lineup, Supreme Court deems necklace snatching to be violent felony

The U.S. Supreme Court’s newest member, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, joined in an unusual majority lineup on Tuesday in a decision that deemed a necklace snatching to be a violent felony under an enhanced sentencing law. Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the majority opinion holding that Denard Stokeling had to be…

Jan 16, 2019 10:39 AM CST

Federal judiciary says money won’t run out just yet

Updated: The federal judiciary will be able to keep paying its employees until about Jan. 25, thanks to efforts to defer and delay expenses for noncritical functions. Courts and federal public defender offices are delaying new hires, cutting travel unrelated to cases and deferring some contracts, a court spokesperson told…

Jan 16, 2019 9:08 AM CST

State lawmaker imprisoned for barratry is re-elected in jail, released in time for legislative session

A suspended lawyer who went to jail for barratry plans to put his jail time to good use in the Texas legislature. Democratic state Rep. Ron Reynolds was released from the Montgomery County Jail last Friday, then sworn in to his legislative seat Jan. 8. He had been re-elected while…

Jan 10, 2019 2:23 PM CST

Can Trump use emergency powers to build a border wall? These statutes might apply

President Donald Trump could rely on the National Emergencies Act of 1976 to build a border wall without approval from Congress, but the move would likely face challenges in court.

Jan 8, 2019 4:08 PM CST

What happens after federal courts run out of money to continue operations?

Updated Jan. 10: Federal courts have tacked on a week to the amount of time they hope to continue paid operations during the government shutdown. But they are still making plans for scaled-down operations after the money is expected to run out.

Jan 7, 2019 3:35 PM CST

Man whose story helped sell lawmakers on First Step Act wins release under its provisions

After a federal appeals court ordered Matthew Charles back to prison to finish a lengthy sentence for selling crack cocaine, supporters of the First Step Act used his case as an example.

Jan 7, 2019 8:53 AM CST

Looking Ahead to 2019: Goals for us all: promoting civility and protecting justice

Jan 1, 2019 3:05 AM CST

Lawmakers consider banning gay and trans ‘panic defenses’

In what’s known as a “gay panic defense,” defendants say victims provoked the crime by revealing their sexuality or making a nonviolent sexual pass. The criminal defense strategy has been used since at least the 1960s.

Jan 1, 2019 2:30 AM CST

16 success stories for ABA advocacy during the 115th Congress

The passage on Friday of criminal justice reform measures like the First Step Act and the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization Act capped off a year of many lobbying successes by the American Bar Association. During the 115th Congress, the ABA successfully advocated on a number of legislation and…

Dec 21, 2018 4:30 PM CST