The National Pulse

Supreme Court considers 3 First Amendment cases this term

The First Amendment takes a leading role before the U.S. Supreme Court this term. A case decided Wednesday, along with two others, could impact a slew of important free speech principles, including commercial speech, the government speech doctrine, online privacy, the right to receive information and ideas, speech vs. conduct and the viewpoint discrimination principle.

Apr 1, 2017 3:20 AM CDT

When is someone too stoned to drive? The question is trickier than you’d think for courts to answer

There is no clear scientific consensus when it comes to smoking pot and driving. And few of the tools police officers have long relied on to determine whether a driver is too drunk to drive, such as the Breathalyzer, exist for marijuana.

Apr 1, 2017 3:10 AM CDT

Right to Learn: Advocates for Detroit students say there’s a constitutional claim to literacy

Lawyer Mark Rosenbaum found schools in Detroit where the air conditioning and heating systems malfunctioned, requiring students to try to learn in stifling heat or in Michigan’s bitter winter cold. Teachers were buying not only their own school supplies but their own toilet paper. Some started every morning by cleaning rat droppings out of their classrooms.

Mar 1, 2017 3:50 AM CST

California DA launches special unit to address plague of perjury

In 1998, Luther Jones was convicted in California of molesting his former girlfriend’s daughter and sentenced to 27 years in prison. But the girl, who was 12 when she testified about the alleged sex abuse, recanted in 2016.

Mar 1, 2017 3:45 AM CST

Foot Fight: Subway sandwich suit raises class action questions

Nine class action suits against Subway consolidated into one, and the sides reached a settlement in February 2015. But consumers shouldn’t get their hopes up about getting any money—or even a coupon. That’s because it’s all but impossible for people to prove that they ate a subnormal Subway sub. The plaintiffs and putative class members literally “ate the evidence.”

Feb 1, 2017 2:50 AM CST

Public officials can’t evade public records laws through personal email accounts

Although Hillary Clinton was the focus of the email-related brouhaha last year, similar controversies have been playing out in local governments across the country as other public employees use private email accounts to circumvent “sunshine laws” that mandate open meetings.

Feb 1, 2017 2:40 AM CST

Law students offer free legal services to help transgender people change their names

In July, John Marshall Law School’s Pro Bono Program & Clinic launched the Name & Gender Marker Change Project, through which students help transgender people navigate federal, state and local laws to obtain corrected passports, licenses and other documents.

Jan 1, 2017 2:50 AM CST