A three-judge panel for the US District Court for the District of Maryland on Wednesday threw out Maryland’s, finding that the process of redrawing the federal voting districts violated the constitutional rights of residents in the state. The state has until March to draw a new map that passes constitutional muster or the court will [...]
The US Court of Appeals for Tenth Circuit on Tuesday dismissed a whistleblower lawsuit, holding that the False Claims Act (FCA) does not protect whistleblowers from retaliation once they are no longer employees. Debbi Potts was a campus director at “CollegeAmerica Denver, Inc. (CollegeAmerica), a predecessor of the Center for Excellence in Higher Education, Inc.” [...]
Senior Judge Roslyn Silver of the US District Court for the District of Arizona on Wednesday sentenced Ahmed Alahmedalabdaloklah to life plus 30 years in prison for crimes committed in 2011 related to bomb construction. Alahmedalabdaloklah, a.k.a. Ahmad Ibrahim Al-Ahmad, was convicted by a federal jury in March for seeking “to harm American soldiers by conspiring with [...]
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases Wednesday regarding service processes for foreign states under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) and attorney’s fee caps for lawyers representing clients in Social Security benefit cases. In Republic of Sudan v. Harrison, the petitioner is appealing a decision from the US Court of Appeals for the Second [...]
A number of clean energy and environmental protection ballot measures were voted down Tuesday. These ballot measures ranged from more conventional measures requiring certain percentages of a state’s electricity production to come from renewable sources to more radical measures including direct taxes on carbon emissions and the requirement of an open and competitive electricity market. [...]
Voters in traditionally more conservative Idaho, Utah and Nebraska voted Tuesday to adopt Medicaid expansion provisions through ballot measures. Montana voters decided against an initiative that proposed a tax hike on tobacco products to continue funding the Medicaid expansion programs already active in the state. In Idaho voters approved Proposition 2 that proposed expanding Medicaid eligibility [...]
US Attorney General Jeff Sessions submitted his resignation letter to White House Chief of Staff John Kelly Wednesday at the request of President Donald Trump. In the letter, Sessions touted the record numbers of “violent offenders and firearm defendants” the Justice Department prosecuted while under his watch. Trump announced via twitter that Matthew Whitaker, Chief [...]
Four states—Michigan, Missouri, North Dakota and Utah—voted on marijuana measures Tuesday, with Michigan becoming the tenth state to legalize recreational use of marijuana. Michigan voters approved Proposal 1, known as the state’s Marijuana Legalization Initiative. Proposal 1 enables the recreational purchase and possession of marijuana for adults over 21 years old. Individual Michigan municipalities can [...]
Supporters of Oregon’s measure 105 lost their bid Tuesday to repeal Oregon ORS 181A.820, which limits the use of state and local law enforcement money, equipment and personnel for “detecting or apprehending persons whose only violation of law” pertains to their immigration status. Oregon’s sanctuary roots dates back to 1987 when the citizens of Oregon decided that [...]
Voters in six states, including Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Nevada, North Carolina and Oklahoma, voted on Marsy’s law amendments, a model amendment that typically provides a set of constitutional protections for crime victims. The model amendment includes provisions for the right to be notified about and present at proceedings against the perpetrator, the right to be involved [...]
