State Government

ABA vows to fight challenges to free and fair elections

The ABA House of Delegates on Monday approved two late-filed resolutions that address efforts to restrict voting after the 2020 presidential election.

Feb 14, 2022 7:28 PM CST

10 guidelines to aid tenants and landlords in eviction crisis are adopted by the ABA House

The House of Delegates approved a measure adopting the ABA 10 Guidelines for Residential Eviction Laws at the ABA Midyear Meeting on Monday.

Feb 14, 2022 4:10 PM CST

Critics decry long sentence for BLM activist who says she didn’t know her voter registration was illegal

Critics are denouncing a six-years-and-a-day sentence for a Black Lives Matter activist who said she didn’t know that her voter registration was illegal because she received inadequate and faulty information from the state of Tennessee.

Feb 10, 2022 12:26 PM CST

Arizona attorney general reaches ethics deal involving clashes with secretary of state in election suits

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has reached a diversion agreement with the State Bar of Arizona to resolve ethics allegations that he took actions contrary to the interests of state agencies represented by his office.

Feb 8, 2022 11:08 AM CST

Judge is censured for tiff over his reserved parking spot; a cane was thrown

A judge in Benton County, Arkansas, has received a letter of censure for his angry reaction after finding that someone had parked in his reserved space in the court parking lot.

Jan 25, 2022 3:36 PM CST

Weekly Briefs: Trump business misrepresented assets, New York AG says; judge apologizes for weed scolding

Trump testimony sought in business probe New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a motion to compel the testimony of former President Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump in her civil probe of the family business. James said she has evidence that the Trump Organization made misleading…

Jan 21, 2022 2:23 PM CST

Outcomes in state supreme courts aren’t as simple as blue vs. red

Most of the spotlights are on the U.S. Supreme Court when it comes to legal cases that impact civil rights. But state supreme courts are the final arbiters of what each state's own constitution dictates.

Jan 12, 2022 8:44 AM CST

Will SCOTUS block vaccine mandates? Decision could come quickly

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday heard challenges to the Biden administration’s nationwide vaccine mandates for employees of large businesses and health care facilities that receive federal funds.

Jan 7, 2022 3:43 PM CST

DOJ suit over redrawn voting districts in Texas ‘puts other states on notice’

The U.S. Department of Justice sued Texas on Monday to block redrawn voting districts for congressional and statehouse elections.

Dec 7, 2021 9:49 AM CST

Marriott agrees to post resort fees in upfront pricing in settlement with state AG

Marriott International has reached a settlement agreement to post “resort fees” that are added to its hotel pricing as part of the total room rate on the first page of its booking website.

Nov 24, 2021 12:47 PM CST

Weekly Briefs: Skirts-only dress code gets rehearing; ex-judge reprimanded for ‘sexual innuendo’

En banc 4th Circuit will rehear school dress-code case The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Richmond, Virginia, has granted an en banc rehearing to consider a challenge to a skirts-and-dresses-only dress code for girls. A 4th Circuit panel ruled in August that the girls attending the Charter Day…

Oct 22, 2021 4:07 PM CDT

Wrong assumption leads to $1,500 fine for prosecutor in case of death row inmate

A federal judge has reprimanded an assistant attorney general in Alabama and ordered her personally to pay a $1,500 fine for making an incorrect statement in a case of a death row inmate.

Sep 28, 2021 12:15 PM CDT

Law student Emily Dillan is an advocate for survivors of domestic and sexual violence

Emily Dillan went to the University of Massachusetts School of Law hoping to help survivors of domestic violence in her community, but through a new opportunity with the ABA, she could soon extend her advocacy across the country.

Sep 27, 2021 9:50 AM CDT

Supreme Court should uphold precedent in Mississippi abortion case, ABA amicus brief says

The ABA filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday that asks justices to uphold Roe v. Wade and adhere to its precedent recognizing the right to an abortion prior to the viability of the fetus when it hears a case scheduled for the October term.

Sep 20, 2021 4:40 PM CDT

Alabama committee grapples with racism enshrined in state constitution as rewrite process begins

A committee of lawmakers and lay people are cutting racist language and outdated provisions from the Alabama Constitution after voters gave the go-ahead to begin the effort last fall.

Sep 20, 2021 4:30 PM CDT