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Third Circuit warms to gun ownership by nonviolent felons
Counsel for a Delaware man and the U.S. Justice Department presented oral arguments at the Third Circuit on Wednesday for the third time in as many years, as the court seeks to determine whether a nonviolent felon can own a gun. In 1995, Bryan Range pleaded guilty to welfare fraud after making a false statement […]
Law letting Tennessee attorney general argue certain capital cases is constitutional, court rules
A Tennessee law giving the appointed state attorney general authority to argue certain death penalty cases and removing that power from the hands of locally elected district attorneys is constitutional, an appeals court has ruled. Tennessee’s Court of Criminal Appeals issued a decision Friday striking down a Shelby County judge’s ruling that the law passed […]
The Supreme Court’s new term begins today. Here’s the big cases to watch
The Supreme Court is taking the bench again on Monday, ready to hear cases on ghost guns, a death sentence and transgender rights. The docket doesn’t have quite as many blockbuster cases on its docket as it did last term, when its rulings included an opinion granting broad immunity to former president Donald Trump. Still, it’s possible that the […]
Seattle opens the nation’s first transitional housing for LGBTQ+ veterans
This week advocates opened the doors of a first of its kind transitional housing program in Seattle for LGBTQ+ veterans. Minority Veterans of American, the nonprofit tasked with running the home, has signed a 50-year contract with the county to provide housing and support for LGBTQ+ veterans. One-point-eight million dollars came from a King County […]
State Police agree to pay $2.75 million to settle federal probe of discriminatory hiring
The Maryland State Police agreed to change the way it tests recruits and said it will pay $2.75 million to 48 women and Black applicants who were turned down for trooper jobs after they failed recruiting tests later deemed discriminatory. The actions, approved Wednesday by the Board of Public Works, are part of a consent decree that […]
Texas AG Dealt Blow As Judge Stops ‘Unconstitutional’ Probes
The legal provision struck down Saturday by U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez is contained in S.B. 1, a controversial and sprawling Texas Senate omnibus bill first enacted in 2021. Among a variety of the bill’s features, it imposed restrictions and criminal penalties for canvassing methods used commonly by outreach groups and volunteers alike trying to […]
Alabama Town’s Ordinance Criminalizes Unpaid Garbage Bills, Disproportionately Impacting Black Residents
A municipal garbage disposal policy in Chickasaw, Alabama, is regarded by its citizens as punitive, experts say it’s illegal. Chickasaw, Alabama’s garbage policy allows residents to be arrested or issued a criminal summons if they get behind on their sewer or garbage bills. If convicted under the city’s ordinance, residents of this small suburb just […]
Prominent Legal Advocate To Be Freed After 37 Years In Prison
The Oregon Board of Parole granted a release date of Jan. 9 to prominent incarcerated legal expert Mark Wilson, whose litigation efforts inside prison have helped thousands of other prisoners. Wilson’s upcoming release date is only possible because of his recent lawsuit against the corrections department, which ended in a settlement earlier this year. That lawsuit was […]
Democratic senator introduces bill to expand and reform the US Supreme Court
Democratic US Senator Ron Wyden on Thursday introduced the Judicial Modernization and Transparency Act, a bill aimed at reforming the United States Supreme Court. The proposed legislation seeks to expand the court from nine to fifteen justices among other reforms. Beyond adding six new justices to the Court, Senator Wyden’s proposal seeks to implement new requirements on judicial transparency. It would require judges […]