The US Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment incorporated the Eighth Amendment’s Excessive Fines Clause to the states. The case, Timbs v. Indiana, centered on a civil forfeiture after authorities arrested Tyson Timbs on drug and conspiracy to commit theft charges. Authorities confiscated Timbs’ Land Rover, which he [...]
Judge Lorna Schofield of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Tuesday rejected Credit Suisse Group AG’s attempt to dismiss a lawsuit accusing the bank of defrauding shareholders. The lawsuit, brought by pension and retirement plans, accuses Credit Suisse of “defrauding shareholders about its risk appetite and risk management before [...]
The US Department of Transportation on Tuesday formally notified the California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) of the intention to terminate the agreement to build a high speed train between Los Angeles and San Fransisco. The defunding is the result of CHSRA failure to make reasonable progress on the project. The deobligation of $928,620,000 is [...]
The US Supreme Court held Wednesday in Dawson v. Steager that West Virginia tax policy that taxes the pension of a retired federal marshal but not of state and local law enforcement violates 4 USC § 111. After James Dawson retired from the US Marshals Service, his home state, West Virginia, taxed his federal pension [...]
A US appeals court on Tuesday reopened a $1 billion lawsuit by Palestinians claiming more than 30 pro-Israel American entities and individuals are liable for alleged war crimes and support of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. The complaint alleges that the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to expel [...]
US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Tuesday called for the court to review its ruling in New York Times v. Sullivan, a libel case that challenged freedom of press protections. Writing a concurrence to a denied petition for certiorari, Thomas argued that the current threshold for plaintiffs is “almost impossible” because: Under this Court’s [...]
The US House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform issued a report Tuesday outlining the Trump administration’s efforts to transfer sensitive nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, after receiving concerning whistleblower complaints. The complaints arose after whistleblowers noticed “efforts inside the White House to rush the transfer of highly sensitive U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi [...]
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called Tuesday on the warring factions on both sides in the battle for Iblid, Syria, to make protection of civilians of paramount importance. There has been intensified bombardment by pro-Syrian forces in recent weeks and the escalation of the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by the non-state actors [...]
US Senators Richard Blumenthal, Sheldon Whitehouse and Mazie Hiron dropped a lawsuit Tuesday that challenged the constitutionality of former acting attorney general Matthew Whitaker’s appointment, which was made without the Senate’s consent. The complaint, filed in November, alleged that Whitaker and President Donald Trump violated the Constitution’s Appointments Clause, which requires Congress’s “advice and consent” before principal federal Officers [...]
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging US President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency in efforts to fund the construction of a border wall between the US and Mexico. The organization, alongside the Sierra Club, claims that the use of taxpayer dollars in this manner is unconstitutional and urges [...]
