US Legal News

The US Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit that “reckless” crimes qualify as violent felonies for purposes of the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA). The ACCA mandates a 15-year sentence for those persons found guilty of illegally possessing a firearm who have been convicted [...]

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper on Wednesday issued an executive order highlighting the state’s “commitment to creating clean energy jobs increasing economic opportunities, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions through the expansion of offshore wind power.” Executive Order 218, “Advancing North Carolina’s Economic and Clean Energy Future with Offshore Wind,” formally introduces North Carolina’s first-ever targets [...]

The New York State Assembly approved the Gender Recognition Act Thursday, which, if approved by the governor, will provide for the “sex designation of M, F, or X as certified by the applicant , with no additional documentation required.” In addition to creating a gender-neutral designation for applicants’ sex, the bill provides that an individual [...]

US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed an amended version of the Atlantic Charter on Thursday during the G7 summit in Cornwall, England. The original Atlantic Charter was a post-war declaration signed by former US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1941 following the Declaration [...]

The developer of the Keystone XL gas pipeline confirmed its decision to terminate the controversial project Wednesday, marking the end of a decade-long legal battle. TC Energy ceased the pipeline construction in January after President Joe Biden revoked a necessary presidential permit. The permit, issued by the Trump administration in 2017, allowed TC Energy, a Canadian company, [...]

The Federal Anti-Solitary Taskforce (FAST) released its Blueprint for Ending Solitary Confinement on Monday, detailing how the government can end solitary confinement of inmates in federal custody through executive, administrative and legislative action. On any given day, more than 10,000 people are in a form of solitary confinement in federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities, [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a lower court decision to block enforcement of a Missouri law that would place tight restrictions on access to abortion. House Bill 126, the “Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act,” includes a gestational age provision and a Down syndrome provision. The first bans [...]

Ohio’s attorney general on Tuesday filed a lawsuit asking the court to declare Google a public utility and/or a common carrier under Ohio common law. In the complaint, Attorney General Dave Yost argues that Google’s dominance of the internet search market necessarily leads to it being categorized as a common carrier or public utility under [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled Monday that Republican members of the North Carolina General Assembly are not allowed to intervene in a voter identification lawsuit on behalf of the state of North Carolina. The lawsuit, North Carolina State Conference of the NAACP v. Berger, focuses on voter ID requirements and [...]

Vermont Governor Phil Scott (R) signed a bill Monday expanding universal mail-in voting to the state’s general elections. Vermont Sen. Cheryl Hooker (D) initially introduced the bill, S. 15, after the state opted to automatically send voters ballots in fall 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at polling places. The move proved effective with 75 [...]