Atlas Brew Works filed a lawsuit in DC District Court Thursday claiming that its inability to sell beer due to the partial government shutdown is a violation of its First Amendment rights. The brewery is unable to sell kegs of its apricot flavored India Pale Ale named “The Precious One” because of the federal government [...]
District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser refused Tuesday to sign short-term home rental legislation passed by city council, citing concerns about the constitutionality of the bill and possible lost revenue for the city, but stopped short of vetoing the legislation. The Short-term Rental Regulation and Affordable Housing Protection Act of 2017, prohibits second or third home [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday denied a motion from the National Treasurer Employees Union (NTEU) to force the federal government to pay employees working without pay during the ongoing shutdown. The motion included statements from two federal workers who are having financial trouble continuing to work since [...]
Fiat Chrysler agreed Wednesday to pay a settlement of over $500 million dollars regarding allegations over cheating federal and state emission tests. The consent decree acknowledges that Fiat Chrysler violated Clean Air Act and California law. The decree did not resolve criminal liability nor individual consumer claims regarding the emission scandal. Fiat Chrysler was ordered [...]
Only a few days into 2019, Vietnam is threatening to penalize Facebook for violating a new cybersecurity law. The law was approved by Vietnam’s National assembly in June and went into effect the first day of 2019, alarming free speech advocates. According to a report by the Vietnamese Government controlled news outlet, Facebook has violated [...]
Senator Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, and Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, presented a bipartisan bill on Thursday that would extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Venezuelans currently in the US. TPS is a federal program under Section 244 of the Immigration and Naturalization Act that provides status to individuals from countries [...]
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday proposed changes to limits on greenhouse gas emissions from coal power plants. The proposed “Best System of Emission Reduction” would replace a 2015 rule that identified partial carbon capture and storage. The new proposal states partial carbon capture and storage is too costly, with limited geographic availability. The EPA [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday struck down a federal law that prohibits “encouraging” or “inducing” unlawful immigration on First Amendment grounds. The court examined whether the law “permits a felony prosecution of any person who ‘encourages or induces an alien to come to, enter, or reside in the United [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday remanded a dispute over mandatory state bar association fees to the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Fleck v. Wetch challenges mandatory fees attorneys pay to the State Bar Association of North Dakota. Arnold Fleck disputes the use a portion of his fees to support a political ballot measure [...]
Supporters of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday calling for major reforms of the electoral process in Georgia. Plaintiffs argue that Georgia has had longstanding issues with voting rights, especially impacting low-income voters and voters of color: The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, a bipartisan, independent agency, found that among the [...]
