The US Supreme Court ruled Monday that an exception allowing robocalls to cell phones for government-debt collection is an impermissible exception to the law restricting nearly all other robocalls. The court was asked to decide whether the law was a content-based speech restriction, and if so, whether the government-debt exception could be severed from the [...]
A Turkish court on Friday convicted four human rights activists on terrorism charges. Among those convicted was Taner Kilic, a former chair of Amnesty International, an organization that fights for human rights. The prosecution argued that the four activists were actually members or assistants of the Fethullah Gülen terrorist organization. However, concerns have arisen about [...]
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court Wednesday rejected the state legislature’s resolution to end a COVID-19 executive order. In mid-March, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf declared the closure of all non-essential businesses via executive order. The order prohibited dine-in restaurants and bars but allowed delivery and take out services to continue. On June 3, 2020, the Democratic governor [...]
A New York appellate judge overturned a temporary restraining order against Simon & Schuster on Wednesday, allowing the publisher to continue with plans to release Mary Trump’s new book about US President Donald Trump. Robert Trump, the younger brother of Donald Trump, applied for a temporary restraining order against Mary Trump and Simon & Schuster [...]
The High Court in London denied Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro access to more than 1 billion dollars worth of gold on Friday. According to the ruling, Maduro cannot access the funds because the UK does not recognize him as president of Venezuela. The conflict arose when the Bank of England refused to release the funds [...]
The Supreme Court granted Alabama’s request to reinstate photo ID and witness requirements for absentee ballots on Thursday. As is typical of such briefs, the Court did not explain their 5-4 decision. The decision overturns an order issued by US District Judge Abdul Kallon that made it easier for people in three Alabama counties to [...]
The Supreme Court of Canada dismissed an appeal by the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, First Nations tribes in the province of British Columbia, ending the tribes’ years-long battle against the construction of the Trans-Mountain Pipeline. The pipeline is a controversial project that carries crude oil between Alberta and British Columbia. The Court did not release [...]
The House of Representatives passed a bill extending the application period of the Paycheck Protection Program on Wednesday. The bill extending the program unanimously passed the Senate on Tuesday and has been sent to the President. The Senate vote came hours before the original application deadline expired on Tuesday. If the President signs the bill, [...]
July 4 is here, and we have an opportunity to adopt a more truthful narrative about the celebration of our nation’s birth and the racism upon which it was formed. This year while we look back on the almost 250 years since Americans freed themselves from England’s oppression, we must acknowledge that our nation has [...]
Author’s Note: During my tenure as the first Supreme Court Archivist-Legal Historian to the Supreme Court of Missouri, I authored an in-house history column. Reproduced below is my July Fourth column from 2013. On July 3, 1776, John Adams wrote a letter to his wife Abigail. “My dear Friend,” , “he Second of July, 1776, [...]
