Courts

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

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 - 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

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., expressed doubt about Attorney General William Barr’s credibility and said he’ll conduct an “independent review” of the Mueller report to determine whether the Justice Department properly redacted it. U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton in... Read More

A federal appeals court has declared the winner-take-all system 48 of 50 states use to assign their electoral college votes is constitutional. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld a lower court's dismissal of... Read More

When President Trump ticks off his accomplishments since taking office, he frequently mentions his aggressive makeover of a key sector of the federal judiciary — the circuit courts of appeal, where he has appointed 51 judges to lifetime jobs in... Read More

A divided federal appeals court overturned election rules in Arizona Monday on the grounds they discriminate against black, Latino and Native American voters. In a 7-4 ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down an Arizona requirement that... Read More

WASHINGTON - Chief Justice John Roberts issued his year-end report on the judiciary last week, coming closer than ever to publicly commenting on the partisan divide that has gripped the federal government. "Each generation has an obligation to pass on... Read More

Any day now, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans could rule the entire Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. At least it seemed that two of the three appeals court judges were leaning that way during oral arguments in... Read More

SAN FRANCISCO — For years, Democrats have tried to force President Donald Trump to disclose his tax returns, and Trump has resisted. The California Legislature, aiming at the president, passed a law this year to try to force Trump’s hand.... Read More

WASHINGTON — A U.S. appeals court in Washington denied President Donald Trump’s request that it reconsider an earlier three-judge panel ruling refusing to quash a demand by House Democrats for records at Trump’s accountants Mazars USA LLP. Congress issued the... Read More

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Anne Arundel County Judge Laura Ripken has set a new date for the trial to determine whether the Capital Gazette shooter was sane at the time of the mass shooting, according to the Maryland Judiciary. Slated to... Read More

NEW YORK — President Donald Trump is not entitled to Oval Office immunity that would block Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. from obtaining copies of his tax returns, a federal appeals court ruled Monday. The 34-page ruling by the... Read More

ATLANTA — The Georgia Supreme Court ruled Thursday that there wasn’t enough evidence to further dispute last year’s election for lieutenant governor, which had inexplicably low vote totals. An election can’t be overturned based solely on unusual vote counts in... Read More

WASHINGTON - A circuit court judge in South Carolina heard more than two hours of oral arguments Friday in a lawsuit challenging the state GOP executive committee's vote last month to forgo a 2020 Republican presidential primary. In the end,... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court this week took up a question it has avoided in recent years: Whether the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution requires unanimous verdicts in criminal cases in both federal and state courts. In practice, the Bill... Read More

WASHINGTON - The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday issued a mixed ruling on the Federal Communications Commission's 2017 repeal of so-called net neutrality, allowing the claw back to stand while striking down a provision blocking states from adopting... Read More

WASHINGTON - Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch may have been President Donald Trump’s first appointee to the high court, but onstage at the National Archive Monday night he seemed almost a throwback to a more gentlemanly and light hearted era. "I'm... Read More

WASHINGTON - When it comes to opposition talking points, the myth that Democrats advocate for "open borders" is both the most preposterous -- and persistent -- assertion of the still-young 2020 campaign season. Even Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a self-described... Read More

An Oklahoma judge on Monday ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for its role in fueling the state's opioid abuse crisis. Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman's ruling concluded the first state opioid case to make it to... Read More

A Washington, D.C. federal appeals court judge was removed from an upcoming high-profile environmental case last week after a dispute with a second judge over what was supposed to be a harmless invitation. It started with a simple advisory email... Read More