The US Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Monday in Georgia v. Public.Resource.org that Georgia is not entitled to copyright protection for the official annotated code of the state. The majority opinion, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, based its reasoning on a prior holding from Banks v. Manchester (1888). In Banks, the court held that “non-binding, [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday requested briefings from attorneys working two separate cases regarding efforts to secure President Donald Trump’s tax records. The court asked for briefings explaining whether the cases raise the political question doctrine, which states that courts should not hear cases that are political problems. Based on temporary stays from the [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled Monday in Maine Community Health Options v. United States that health insurance companies that suffered losses related to Affordable Care Act health benefit exchange policies may receive compensation. Insurance companies recently sued the government to receive reimbursement owed for ACA related losses. In an 8-1 decision, the court held that [...]
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety announcement on Friday warning against the use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine to treat COVID-19 outside of the hospital setting or clinic trials. “Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have not been shown to be safe and effective for treating or preventing COVID-19,” said the FDA in its statement [...]
The US Supreme Court denied requests Friday from New York, Connecticut, and Vermont to temporarily lift or modify the controversial “public charge” immigration rule during the COVID-19 pandemic. The “public charge” rule allows the Department of Homeland Security to refuse citizenship for immigrants who rely on monetary or nonmonetary government assistance. The US Supreme Court [...]
The US Department of the Treasury granted airlines an additional $9.5 billion Saturday for payroll during the COVID-19 crisis. The Treasury has disbursed a total of $12.4 billion in aid to airlines for economic relief associated with COVID-19 loses. The Department of the Treasury announced the disbursements on Saturday: Since announcing the first Payroll Support [...]
President Trump signed a fourth coronavirus relief bill on Friday following its passage by the House of Representatives. The bill, H.R. 266, The Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, provides an additional $484 billion in emergency supplemental funding for programs aimed at buoying up businesses hit by the pandemic, as well as money [...]
The First Circuit ruled on Friday that “women unable to leave a domestic relationship” are a group eligible for asylum applications and cancellation of removal proceedings. The court’s opinion overturned a rule finalized under former Attorney General Jeff Sessions in 2018 that required the category of membership to be defined in separate terms from the [...]
The Oregon Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that campaign contribution limits do not violate Article I, Section 8 of the Oregon Constitution—Oregon’s free speech provision. Chief Justice Martha Walters considered three sections of the Multnomah County Code (§§ 5.200-03). These sections address campaign contribution limits, independent expenditure limits and disclosure rules. First, Walters explained campaign [...]
A federal judge on Thursday ordered US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to reduce the number of detainees in their Adelanto Processing Center in Los Angeles due to COVID-19 concerns. The injunction requires ICE to lower the number of detainees so that they can keep six feet of distance between detainees at all times. They [...]
