Although Ohio Governor John Kasich’s term is expected to end in January, he vetoed a number of bills that reached his desk right before Christmas. Ohio lawmakers have now attempted to override two of the bills. The legislature successfully overrode House Bill 228, which broadens gun owners rights. Kasich vetoed the bill partly because of a [...]

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced Wednesday that JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. has agreed to pay a $135 million settlement for charges related to improper handling of “pre-released” American Depository Receipts (ADR). The SEC found that JPMorgan had improperly provided ADRs in pre-release transactions, despite neither the broker nor customers having the requisite [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled 2-1 Thursday that the district court lacked jurisdiction over the removal and detention claims raised to prevent the deportation of Iraqi nationals. This decision affects the deportation of Iraqi nationals who committed criminal offenses while in the US. Prior to 2017, Iraq did not facilitate [...]

President Donald Trump signed on Friday the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill aimed at reducing recidivism and refining sentencing laws and harsh penalties. The US Senate approved the Act Tuesday with a vote of 87 to 12, and the House signed it Thursday 358-36. The bill expands in-prison and post-release employment [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Thursday delayed court proceedings and investigations related to alleged unlawful profits from the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC. This appeal is in response to a recent Federal court decision that allowed the Attorneys General of both Maryland and Washington, DC to begin discovery as [...]

The US Senate unanimously passed a bill on Wednesday to make lynching a federal hate crime. The “Justice for the Victims of Lynching” bill is a bipartisan effort sponsored by three senators: Democrats Kamala Harris and Cory Booker and Republican Tim Scott. The bill defines lynching as “2 or more persons willfully caus bodily injury to [...]

Ohio Governor John Kasich vetoed a bill on Wednesday that would have shifted the burden of proof from the defendant to the prosecutor in self-defense cases. Ohio is the only state that requires defendants to prove that their use of force was justified in self-defense. The proposed bill would shift this burden to the prosecution: [...]

Johnson & Johnson lost its motion Wednesday to reverse a $4.69 billion jury verdict against them. Johnson & Johnson had asked “that the jury verdict be thrown out on jurisdictional grounds and asked for separate trials for the plaintiffs, according to the order issued Wednesday.” However, the judge denied this motion. In response, “Johnson & [...]

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked Trump administration asylum restriction policies that prevented immigrants who were victims of gang or domestic violence in their home countries from seeking asylum. The ruling came as a result of a lawsuit that the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies filed on behalf [...]

Acting US Attorney General Matthew Whitaker announced Tuesday that a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) regulation has been amended to ban bump stocks, drawing a legal challenge the same day. Whitaker said the final rule states that bump stocks fall within the federal definition of “machine gun,” so the rule clarifies existing [...]