The US Supreme Court ruled 9-0 Monday in Morgan v. Sundance, Inc. against a fast-food franchise owner who sought arbitration only after beginning to litigate a claim filed by an employee. Petitioner Robyn Morgan worked at a Taco Bell franchise owned by Sundance. Morgan signed an agreement when she applied for the job to arbitrate any [...]

The US Supreme Court Monday ruled 6-3 in Shinn v. Ramirez that “a federal habeas court may not conduct an evidentiary hearing or otherwise consider evidence beyond the state-court record based on the ineffective assistance of state postconviction counsel.” In Shinn, two prisoners filed for federal habeas relief under 28 USC §2254. The Sixth Amendment [...]

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) Friday announced that former Panama President Ricardo Martinelli’s sons were sentenced earlier that day in a New York City federal courthouse to 36 months of imprisonment. They will also pay a USD 250,000 fine each and close to USD 19 million in cumulative forfeiture, and forfeit various assets for their participation in [...]

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Friday announced its order in which Wells Fargo Advisors, the St. Louis-based broker-dealer, agreed to pay USD 7 million in order to settle anti-money laundering charges against it, along with a censure and a cease and desist order. The charges against Wells Fargo Advisors resulted from “failing to [...]

A federal jury Friday unanimously ordered 3M Co. to pay USD 77.5 million to a US Army veteran for alleged hearing damage that resulted from using the company’s military-issue earplugs. The US District Court for the Northern District of Florida Pensacola Division heard the case, with Judge Casey Rodgers presiding. James Beal, the US Army veteran [...]

New York Supreme Court Judge Patrick McAllister late Friday released final New York congressional and state Senate maps. The new maps become law at midnight. The release comes after the original maps, drawn by New York Democrats, were overturned by McAllister in April. The maps were drawn by Jonathan Cervas, a fellow at Carnegie Mellon [...]

The Biden-Harris administration Friday re-added Cuba to the United States’ list of countries which are “not cooperating fully against terrorism.” Secretary of State Anthony Blinken made the announcement via Public Notice 11747 in the Federal Register. The full list includes Iran, North Korea, Syria and Venezuela. Blinken must now submit the updated list to Congress [...]

The Biden-Harris administration’s attempt to end the controversial Title 42 was Friday blocked by Judge Robert Summerhays of the US District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. Title 42 allows border patrol officials to quickly deport migrants at the US-Mexico border, whether or not they are legally seeking asylum, in order to stop the [...]

The Supreme Court of Wisconsin Friday unanimously ruled on the issue of individuals allowed to possess a license to carry a concealed weapon (CCW license) in the state, in effect broadening the eligibility. The case traces back to 1993 when petitioner-appellant Daniel Doubek received a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence after he broke into his estranged wife’s [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Thursday ruled in favor of Apple regarding a potential class action over allegedly defective MacBook Pro displays. The Ninth Circuit affirmed the District Court for the Northern District of California’s finding that “Apple had no duty to disclose the alleged defect” The lawsuit alleged that Apple’s [...]