The US Supreme Court ruled Monday in Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com, LLC that once a copyright is registered, the owner can recover retroactively for infringement. The Copyright Act of 1976 enabled an owner to have rights over their material, but they were unable to recover for infringements prior to registration of the [...]
The US Supreme Court denied certiorari Monday in Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders v. Freedom from Religion Foundation, a case asking whether the state of New Jersey can use historic preservation funds to repair churches and religious institutions. Morris County, New Jersey, gave around $4.6 million to various churches and religious institutions from the [...]
The US Supreme Court denied certiorari on Monday in the Utah Republican Party’s appeal arguing that a 2014 election law unconstitutionally interfered with the party’s right to choose how it selected party nominees for candidacy. The law in question, SB 54, allowed candidates to get their names on the ballot through either the traditional caucus-convention system [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal from Gage County, Nebraska, of a judgment ordering the county to pay $28 million to six people wrongfully convicted of a 1985 murder. The rejection came following an affirmation by the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in St. Louis, stating the [...]
Chairman of the US House Judiciary Committee, Jerry Nadler, on Monday announced an investigation into allegations of obstruction of justice, public corruption and other abuses of power by President Donald Trump, his associates and members of his administration. As a first step, Nadler announced that the Committee has served 81 agencies, entities and individuals believed to have [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday ruled that a railroad’s payment to an employee for lost wages due to an on-the-job injury is taxable “compensation” under the Railroad Retirement Tax Act (RRTA). In BNSF Railway Company v. Loos, the justices ruled 7-2 in favor of the Railway Company. BNSF asserted that their payment of lost wages to employee, Michael [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled Monday in Rimini Street v. Oracle USA, Inc. that Oracle was not entitled to a $12.8 million award for certain litigation expenses beyond what is considered “full costs” of attorneys fees under 28 USC §§ 1821 and 1920. The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit previously ruled in Oracle’s [...]
A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit unanimously ruled Thursday that a federal district court improperly limited the scope of a lawsuit alleging that the FBI had illegally targeted mosques and Islamic individuals for surveillance on a basis of religion. The suit, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Central District of California ruled Thursday that the federal government cannot seize the trademark rights of the logo used by the Mongols motorcycle club. The ruling overturned a federal jury’s decision to strip the club of its logo after finding “a direct connection between the gang’s crimes and [...]
The US House of Representatives on Thursday approved further legislation to broaden federal gun control measures. The new bill, titled Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019, attempts to address the “Charleston loophole” in the Brady Bill. Currently, this loophole permits automatic clearance for the sale of guns when the FBI fails to complete requisite background [...]
