court ruling

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York state’s highest court on Thursday ended an effort by the New York City Council to allow noncitizens to vote in municipal elections. Though the local law never went into effect, the Democrat-led city council heralded... Read More

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A federal judge handed a partial victory to the state of Wyoming on New Year’s Eve, concluding that federal officials abused their discretion by failing to schedule oil and gas lease sales there in the latter part... Read More

WASHINGTON — A lawsuit against energy companies for the pollution their fuels create will remain in District of Columbia Superior Court after a federal appellate ruling last week. The lawsuit by the D.C. attorney general’s office accuses energy companies ExxonMobil... Read More

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A new congressional district map drawn by state lawmakers in Alabama failed to address concerns that it dilutes the electoral power of Black voters in the state, a federal judicial panel has ruled. As a result of... Read More

NEW YORK — The city of New York will abide by a judge’s order barring enforcement of its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for members of its largest police union while the decision is being appealed. On Friday, Manhattan State Supreme Court... Read More

FORT WORTH, Texas — A federal judge known for controversial rulings when it comes to the Affordable Care Act ruled on Wednesday that coverage of an HIV prevention drug under the act violates the religious beliefs of some employers and... Read More

WASHINGTON — A congressional panel tried Thursday to prepare for another Supreme Court ruling that could upend conventional thinking, this time on state authority over federal elections. Depending on how the Supreme Court rules in the case of Moore v.... Read More

ATLANTA — A superior court judge in Atlanta has ruled Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is eligible to run for reelection to Congress. The ruling by Chief Judge Christopher Brasher of the Fulton County Superior Court was a blow to... Read More

PHOENIX — U.S. District Court Judge Douglas Rayes on Monday ruled against an Arizona law passed last year granting civil rights to unborn fetuses after abortion rights groups argued in court the restrictions were unconstitutionally vague. Arizona enacted its “interpretation... Read More

WASHINGTON — The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated part of a rule from the Federal Communications Commission that sought to require broadcasters to disclose if foreign governments purchase time on American television and radio airwaves in a Tuesday ruling.... Read More

CABELL COUNTY, W.Va. — A federal judge in West Virginia on Monday ruled in favor of drug distribution companies accused in a lawsuit of creating a public nuisance by distributing opioids that kill thousands of Americans each year. The judge... Read More

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Friday that the state child welfare agency can continue investigating parents and doctors who provide gender-affirming care for transgender youth. Gov. Greg Abbott’s February directive to the Texas Department of... Read More

TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa County District Court Judge Caroline Wall ruled on Monday against a motion to dismiss a lawsuit seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The lawsuit was filed by civil rights attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons in 2020... Read More

WASHINGTON — A federal judge has tossed out a Republican National Committee bid to block a subpoena to a third-party vendor from the select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, siege on the U.S. Capitol by angry supporters of then-President... Read More

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A Kansas judge on Monday tossed out a congressional district map drawn by the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature, holding that it was an unlawful partisan gerrymander aimed at diluting the power of Black and Hispanic voters in... Read More

ATLANTA — A federal judge on Thursday ruled that a fundraising committee affiliated with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams can’t begin raising unlimited campaign contributions. The ruling is based on a state law passed last year that allows Georgia lawmakers... Read More

RALEIGH, N.C. – A North Carolina law banning people with felony records from voting after they’ve served their sentences is unconstitutional, a state court has ruled. Specifically, the Wake County Superior Court panel held in a 2-1 ruling Monday that... Read More

GALVESTON, Texas — A federal judge in Texas issued a preliminary injunction on Friday blocking the Biden administration from requiring that federal workers be vaccinated against the coronavirus. But the ruling by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown is expected to... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Federal Elections Commissions failed to act on an administrative complaint from the Campaign Legal Center in a timely fashion and must now resolve the matter within the next 30 days, a federal court ruled Thursday. The ruling... Read More

MIAMI, Fla. - Three individuals and two companies have been permanently enjoined from operating an international mail fraud scheme offering unwary consumers psychic, clairvoyant or astrological services, the Justice Department said on Friday. Robert Lhez, Mireille Dayer and Julie Poulleau,... Read More

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has appealed a judge's ruling that the governor exceeded his authority by ordering school boards not to impose strict mask requirements on students to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The... Read More

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The order issued by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday that blocked public schools from imposing mask mandates in the classroom was struck down by Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper. DeSantis’s order had been challenged in... Read More

WASHINGTON - A federal judge on Friday gave the U.S. Federal Trade Commission until Aug. 19 to file an amended complaint in its antitrust lawsuit against Facebook. In a filing with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia,... Read More

President Barack Obama exceeded his authority when he created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, by executive order in 2012, a federal judge ruled Friday. But U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen, presiding in the federal court in Houston, stopped short... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday dismissed antitrust lawsuits brought against Facebook by the Federal Trade Commission and a coalition of state attorneys general, dealing a significant blow to attempts by regulators to rein in tech giants. U.S.... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge dismissed most claims filed by activists and civil liberties groups who accused the Trump administration of violating the civil rights of protesters who were forcefully removed by police before then-President Donald Trump walked to... Read More

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Biden administration's suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal land and water was blocked Tuesday by a federal judge in Louisiana who ordered that plans continue for lease sales that were delayed for... Read More

WASHINGTON — After a federal judge ruled on Wednesday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention moratorium on evictions exceeded the agency's authority, the Department of Justice announced it would appeal the decision. U.S. District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich authored... Read More

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

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge in New York ruled Saturday that Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf assumed his position unlawfully, a determination that invalidated Wolf's suspension of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which... Read More