The US Supreme Court Monday ruled that the US government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a doctor knowingly prescribed opioids “in an unauthorized manner” in order to secure a conviction for the illegal distribution of controlled substances. In the case of Ruan v. United States, Doctors Xiulu Ruan and Shakeel Kahnalong  were convicted [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled Monday in Concepcion v. United States that judges should have sentencing discretion under the 2018 First Step Act and 2010 Fair Sentencing act in crack-cocaine cases. The 2010 Fair Sentencing Act brought crack-cocaine sentencing more in-line with cocaine sentencing. Prior to the act, crack-cocaine sentences were far harsher than cocaine [...]

Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Robin Giarrusso issued a temporary order Monday blocking Louisiana’s abortion ban trigger laws from going into effect. The decision comes as a result of the US Supreme Court’s controversial Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center, which held that abortion is not a constitutional right. The order came in response [...]

The US Supreme Court Monday declined to hear a case where a Christian ministry sued the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) over being labeled a hate group. The appellants in Coral Ridge Ministries v. SPLC  asked the court to review its 1964 decision in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, which held that public figures [...]

The US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 Monday that Joseph Kennedy, a high school football coach, was wrongfully terminated by the Bremerton School District. Kennedy had been holding prayers with students for eight years when the school asked him to refrain from continuing the practice due to Establishment Clause concerns. Kennedy briefly stopped and then resumed [...]

Arizona lawmakers Friday approved House Bill 2319 (HB 2319), making it unlawful for someone to knowingly record law enforcement activity within eight feet of the incident that is transpiring. HB 2319 passed through the Senate Thursday by a vote of 16-12-2-0. Earlier drafts of this legislation banned recording within 15 feet of police encounters, but [...]

Planned Parenthood Association of Utah Saturday filed a suit against the state claiming that the Criminal Abortion Ban Act violates the state’s constitution. The complaint alleges that the act violates equal protection and due process rights as well as the right to determine family composition, the right to privacy, the right to bodily autonomy, and the prohibition of [...]

The US Supreme Court Friday released its opinion in Becerra v. Empire Health Foundation, a case relating to Medicare reimbursement. The court held that “calculating the Medicare fraction, individuals ‘entitled to   benefits’ are all those qualifying for the program, regardless of whether they receive Medicare payments for part or all of a hospital stay.” In the [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Friday granted Juul Labs, Inc.’s emergency motion for a temporary administrative stay and thus put a hold on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) ban on Juul e-cigarette sales. On Thursday, the FDA denied Juul marketing authorization due to potential health risks. Juul petitioned the [...]

The US Department of Defense Friday announced the release of Asadullah Haroon Gul, an Afghan national who had been held for 15 years without charge in the Guantánamo Bay detention camp. Gul was incarcerated in Guantánamo Bay in 2007 on accusations of being a member of Al-Qaeda and Hezb-e-Islami (HIA), an insurgent group that fought [...]