The state of Texas on Thursday sued social media platform TikTok for violating a Texas law enacted to protect children’s online privacy. The lawsuit alleged that TikTok breached provisions of the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment (SCOPE) Act, which came into effect on September 1, 2024, and places obligations on digital platforms to provide [...]

Three former Memphis police officers involved in the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols received a mixed verdict on Thursday. Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith faced charges of excessive force, failure to intervene, and obstruction of justice. Haley was found guilty on all counts, while Smith and Bean were acquitted of civil rights violations [...]

The US District Court for the Eastern District of California on Wednesday granted a preliminary injunction, blocking a law allowing the subjects of election-related deepfakes to sue the creators for damages. The case concerns California Bill 2839, signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom on September 17. The law prohibits the malicious distribution of “materially deceptive [...]

A US federal court on Thursday blocked the Department of Education’s revised student debt relief plan from taking effect in six states. The preliminary injunction came on the final day of a temporary restraining order that was set to expire. Effective immediately, the ruling stops the Department of Education from mass cancellation of student loans [...]

US federal prosecutors on Wednesday released a redacted motion arguing that former president Donald Trump does not have immunity from prosecution for crimes related to the 2020 election because they were committed outside of official presidential conduct. This case is a remand of the US Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. United States on July [...]

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday issued a critical report detailing alleged rights violations within Georgia’s prison system. Following an investigation, the DOJ found that conditions in the state’s prisons violate the Eighth Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects against cruel and unusual punishment. This report draws attention to Georgia’s failure to [...]

A judge for the US District Court for the District of Maryland blocked the University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP) on Tuesday from prohibiting a planned October 7 vigil commemorating those killed in the Israel-Gaza War. A student organization, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), filed a lawsuit against UMCP after their request for the [...]

California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Senate Bill (SB) 1047 on Sunday, concluding the bill was insufficiently broad in its regulation of large-scale artificial intelligence (AI) models, and lacked empirical support. Newsom viewed SB 1047 as premature and overly sweeping, noting that it “applies stringent standards to even the most basic functions” of AI, so long [...]

New York City Mayor Eric Adams was indicted Thursday for impermissibly soliciting and accepting donations from foreign agents in exchange for political favors, as well as illegally obtaining public funds through the guise of small donor campaign contributions. The 57-page indictment accuses Adams of accepting benefits from Turkish foreign nationals that included plane tickets, hotels, [...]

Democratic US Senator Ron Wyden on Thursday introduced the Judicial Modernization and Transparency Act, a bill aimed at reforming the United States Supreme Court. The proposed legislation seeks to expand the court from nine to fifteen justices among other reforms.  Beyond adding six new justices to the Court, Senator Wyden’s proposal seeks to implement new [...]