US Legal News Round Up for Saturday,  7 October 2017 News
US Legal News Round Up for Saturday, 7 October 2017

Here’s the domestic legal news we covered this week:

The parties involved in challenging President Donald Trump’s travel ban order filed letter briefs with the US Supreme Court Thursday addressing whether the issue is moot in light of Trump’s September 24 proclamation [JURIST report] that created new restrictions on entry to the US for citizens of eight countries.

The US government filed a brief [text, PDF] arguing that Trump’s proclamation rendered the pending cases, Trump v.

[JURIST] The US Department of Treasury released a report [text,PDF] Friday suggesting regulations and changes to current laws which affect the US Financial System.

This report is in response to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 13772 [press release], which established “Core Principles” for the federal government to strive to within the financial market.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro [official website] filed a lawsuit [complaint, PDF] Thursday in the Middle District of Pennsylvania against Navient Corporation [corporate website] over unlawful student loan origination and servicing practices.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Senator Bob Casey [official websites] sent a letter [text] to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) [official website] Wednesday requesting that the FCC implement rules to target and eliminate unlawful robocalls.
[JURIST] Judge Susan Bolton of the US District Court for the District of Arizona [official website] upheld President Trump’s pardon [JURIST report] of former Arizona Sherriff Joe Arpaio [JURIST news archive] and dismissed the contempt case against Arpaio during a hearing Wednesday.

In a brief [text] filed last month, the Department of Justice stated that there was no prior precedent addressing whether a court should vacate a criminal verdict after the defendant received a guilty verdict.

[JURIST] A bipartisan group of US senators introduced a bill [text] on Wednesday that aims to reduce prison sentences for non-violent drug offenders.
[JURIST] US Attorney General Jeff Sessions [official profile] sent a memo [text, PDF] to US Attorneys Wednesday stating that Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination does not extend to discrimination based on gender identity.

Accordingly, Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination encompasses discrimination between men and women but does not encompass discrimination based on gender identity per se, including transgender status.

A divided US Supreme Court [official website] on Wednesday vacated [order, PDF] an injunction granted by the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit [official website], clearing the way for the State of Alabama to execute Jeffrey Lynn Borden.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] confirmed [letter] on Thursday affirmative action in university admissions is currently under investigation.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois (ACLU-IL) [advocacy website] filed a lawsuit [press release] Wednesday accusing the Chicago Police Department (CPD) [official site] of widespread abuses against people with disabilities and ethnic minorities.
The US Supreme Court [official website] heard [argument calendar] oral arguments for two cases Wednesday.

In District of Columbia v.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) [advocacy website] filed a lawsuit [complaint] in the US District Court for the District of Hawaii [official website] Tuesday against the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [official website] related to regulations for the administration of the abortion pill Mifeprex.
[JURIST] The Supreme Court [official website] heard arguments [transcript, PDF] in Jennings v.
Through their questions and various statements during a one-hour oral argument [transcript, PDF] on Tuesday, most of the Supreme Court [official website] justices indicated at least some consensus about their opinion of the practice of gerrymandering.
The United States House of Representatives [official site] on Tuesday voted 237-189 [official vote] to approve an abortion bill [official summary] that would criminalize the medical procedure if performed after the 20 week viability mark.

The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R.

The Atlanta City Council [official site] on Monday unanimously approved an ordinance [text] decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana within the city limits.
The US Supreme Court [official website] will hear oral arguments today in Gill v.
A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of Florida [official website] on Friday blocked [opinion, PDF] a Florida law that would require individuals and groups that offer abortion advice to provide an in-depth explanation of the procedure, lay out potential alternatives, notify parents before making a referral or aiding a minor, and register with the state.

The plaintiffs, including a minister, two rabbis, the Palm Beach chapter of the National Organization for Women and others, brought suit against [AP report] the Secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration [official website] and
the Florida Attorney General, arguing against three provisions of the law.