Courts

A ruling by Britain's top court last week that said Royal Dutch Shell oil company could be liable in English courts for pollution by its subsidiary in Nigeria, is likely to expand the company’s potential liability abroad. The court’s decision... Read More

When Gwen Boyd-Willis was released from a Georgia women’s prison after a four-month sentence for fraudulently using an ATM card left in a machine, she faced new barriers to gaining employment and becoming a productive member of society. Candid with... Read More

CHICAGO — Even five decades later, former federal prosecutor Dick Schultz has a pretty good idea of when the legendary Chicago 7 trial started to go off the rails: during the testimony of the very first witness. That day in September 1969, U.S. District Judge Julius Hoffman halted... Read More

WASHINGTON — The federal courts want Congress to spend $524 million and pass legislation to bolster safety measures for judges at home and at the courthouse, including legislation to make it a crime for anyone to refuse a request to... Read More

OLYMPIA, Wash. — A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Postal Service to detail the number of mail-sorting machines and blue collection boxes that it slated for removal and provide other information about its recent changes to delivery in the... Read More

BOISE, Idaho — A federal judge in Idaho has issued a temporary injunction to keep the state from implementing a controversial law banning transgender girls and women from participating in women’s sports while a legal challenge moves forward. The ruling... Read More

Only men can be drafted into the U.S. military, a federal appeals court in New Orleans ruled last week. The ruling was based on a lawsuit filed by the advocacy group National Coalition for Men and two men who alleged... Read More

WASHINGTON - A District of Columbia judge’s ruling this week is the latest court judgment that absolves insurers from obligations to cover the losses of businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. A group of restaurants sued their insurer after the company... Read More

DETROIT — A federal appellate panel Tuesday upheld its June ruling that former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and former state treasurer Andy Dillon could not be shielded from certain depositions in civil litigation related to the Flint water crisis. A... Read More

WASHINGTON - Judges and lawmakers at a congressional hearing Thursday left little doubt that Internet video and teleconferencing will become permanent parts of court proceedings soon. They described the emergency procedures instituted to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as an... Read More

WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court in Washington sided with the way the Trump administration expanded its fast-track deportation process last year to a broader swath of immigrants who enter the country illegally, including those found anywhere in the U.S.... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted 51-42 to confirm Justin Walker, a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky for less than one year but a protege of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, for a seat... Read More

WASHINGTON - A plea bargain with federal prosecutors is allowing four activists to avoid jail time after they occupied the Venezuelan Embassy in April and May. The four were part of a group that stayed in the embassy in Washington,... Read More

t’s tough getting people to report for jury duty in normal times. It’s even harder during a pandemic. The kidnapping and rape trial of Kenneth Weathersby Jr. opened Feb. 24 in Vallejo, Calif., but three weeks later two jurors refused... Read More

As the world’s courthouses prepare to reopen, many are installing plexiglass “sneeze barriers” and instituting face-mask requirements for litigants and court staff. But one especially vexing problem remains: how to bring back the jury and where to put them. Consider... Read More

MIAMI — The fate of billions of dollars squirreled away in the bank accounts, luxury properties and exotic cars of convicted Venezuelan officials and their business cronies has become entangled in a colossal legal battle in Miami federal court. On... Read More

WASHINGTON — The federal courts asked Congress for an additional $36.6 million and more judge positions in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, for safety and to handle the backlog of cases that will be delayed until after it is... Read More

Election officials in New York State must hold a Democratic presidential primary election in June, with all qualifying candidates restored to the ballot, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. The decision by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres, who presides in the... Read More

WASHINGTON – Guidelines announced last week for reopening U.S. federal courts are likely to leave the nation’s biggest cities as late-comers.  The guidelines from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts depend heavily on conditions of the epidemic in each... Read More

WASHINGTON - Free speech advocates are expressing concern that criminal proceedings being held by closed circuit video during the coronavirus pandemic threaten to cut off the people’s right to know what’s happening in federal and state courts. A federal judiciary... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts has directed federal courts across the nation to conduct a search for surplus medical supplies after two Florida courts discovered such stockpiles and donated them to local hospitals. Employees in the... Read More

A federal judge on Thursday refused to push back the date of Wisconsin's April 7 presidential primary despite concerns about the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. U.S. District Judge William Conley's ruling came after listening to arguments Wednesday over whether the primary... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration asked a federal judge to grant a 120-day delay for a deadline for e-cigarette manufacturers to submit applications to keep their products on the market. Citing “the exceptional circumstances presented by the global... Read More

Federal judges in three states blocked efforts to shutter abortion providers during the coronavirus outbreak. In Texas, U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel held that the Supreme Court has already "spoken clearly" on a woman's right to abortion and therefore Texas... Read More

A federal judge called on the U.S. government to speed the release of migrant children in detention centers to suitable adult guardians, saying there are serious questions about whether the facilities are safe amid the coronavirus pandemic. In an order... Read More

WASHINGTON -The Justice Department is asking Congress to authorize courts to detain criminal suspects indefinitely without trials until the coronavirus subsides. The request would give chief federal judges the power to alter procedures for arrests, investigations and how the cases... Read More

WASHINGTON — Democrats saw warning signs long before President Donald Trump nominated Neomi Rao to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. At the time, she was a White House lawyer who zealously defended Trump’s agenda.... Read More

PHILADELPHIA — A divided Pennsylvania Supreme Court dismissed a group of gun rights advocates’ legal challenge to Gov. Tom Wolf’s statewide order closing all non-“life-sustaining” businesses, clearing the way for enforcement of the mandate to begin. In an order issued... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday postponed oral arguments scheduled for the rest of March, "in keeping with public health precautions recommended in response to COVID-19." In a written statement the court said it "will examine the options... Read More

WASHINGTON - The American Constitution Society has launched a new data tracker that will monitor the gender, racial and ethnic diversity of the nation's federal courts. According to the nonpartisan legal think tank, while the overwhelming number of judges who... Read More