Voters in Washington narrowly rejected a referendum on Tuesday that would have instituted a statewide affirmative action program for employment. Referendum 88 would have enacted I-1000, deemed the “Washington state diversity, equity, and inclusion act.” The act was the state legislature’s second attempt in the last two decades to enactment an equal opportunity employment program [...]
US Legal News
Pennsylvania voters on Tuesday widely approved a crime victims’ rights constitutional amendment known as Marsy’s Law, with an unofficial vote count of 73.87 percent to 26.13 percent (1,660,806 to 587,403 votes). The count is unofficial, as last week, a Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Judge enjoined the tallying of votes on the amendment for due process and [...]
The US Supreme Court heard oral argument in two cases Tuesday. CITGO Asphalt Refining Co. v. Frescati Shipping Co. asks about standards in federal maritime law regarding safe-berth clauses in voyage charter contracts. The respondent argued that safe-berth clauses in these contracts should be construed “as a warranty that the charterer would choose a port [...]
Kansas voters approved an amendment Tuesday to the state Constitution ending an unusual state policy of redrawing legislative district boundaries based on federal census data adjusted by state numbers. The Kansas redistricting policy began in the 1990s and adjusted federal census data not to include college students and military personnel, given the non-permanent status of [...]
Research and advocacy group Freedom House found in a report published Monday that global internet freedom has declined for the ninth consecutive year. Freedom House found that political leaders employed individuals to shape online opinions in 38 out of the 65 countries covered in the report. Cross-border influence, in which authorities in a growing number [...]
A federal on Saturday issued a temporary restraining order keeping the Trump administration from enforcing Presidential Proclamation No. 9945—preventing the immigration of those who will burden the health care system. The proclamation was set to become effective on Monday. The new rule would require consular officers to ask visa applicants if they will be covered [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld a decision by a lower court on Monday that an accounting firm employed by President Donald Trump must comply with a subpoena to release the president’s tax returns. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance obtained a grand jury subpoena in August ordering Mazars USA, an accounting [...]
The US government notified the UN on Monday of its intent to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. In remarks made in June 2017, President Donald Trump announced the decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement due to the “unfair economic burden” imposed upon American workers and businesses. In the press statement released on Monday, Secretary [...]
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking injunctive relief on Friday filed by SurvJustice and other rights groups against US Secretary of Education Betsey DeVos and the department’s policy regarding Title IX enforcement. The department of Education released a new guidance document in 2017 that has been highly contested since. This decision comes after oral [...]
Judge Michael Kelly of the Michigan Court of Claims ruled in favor of Enbridge Energy and against Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) who both ran campaigns against the Enbridge Line 5 dual pipelines, which run under the Straits of Mackinac that connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. The construction [...]
