Staff Writer

  • Theodore Olson, Prominent Conservative Lawyer Dies at 84

    Theodore Olson, a prominent conservative lawyer who played a key role in securing the presidency for Republican George W. Bush in the 2000 election dispute and later successfully advocated for same-sex marriage rights, passed away on Wednesday at age 84, his law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher announced. The firm did not disclose the cause…

  • Bob Menendez Jury was Mistakenly Shown Improper Evidence, Prosecutors Say

    Prosecutors stated on Wednesday that although the jury in former New Jersey senator Robert Menendez’s corruption trial reviewed improper evidence during deliberations, the error does not warrant overturning his conviction. Menendez, 70, resigned from the U.S. Senate in August after a Manhattan federal jury found him guilty of selling his influence in exchange for bribes,…

  • Under Trump, Government Legal Stance Poised to Shift at Supreme Court

    Republican Donald Trump’s return to the presidency is set to drive a significant shift in the U.S. government’s legal positions on major cases currently before the Supreme Court, including a high-profile dispute over Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors. Upon Trump’s inauguration on January 20, his administration is expected to alter its…

  • Judge Blocks Louisiana from Requiring 10 Commandments in Classrooms

    On Tuesday, a federal judge struck down a Louisiana law that mandated displaying the Ten Commandments in all public school classrooms, deeming it unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge John deGravelles called the law “discriminatory and coercive,” marking a temporary setback for conservative groups pushing for greater public expressions of faith. Public schools in the U.S. often…

  • Trump Hush Money Judge Delays Ruling on Immunity Following Election Win

    The judge in Donald Trump’s criminal hush money case has postponed ruling on whether Trump’s conviction should be dismissed on immunity grounds, allowing prosecutors to consider next steps following his November 5 election victory. Justice Juan Merchan had initially scheduled a Tuesday ruling on Trump’s argument that the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision—granting presidents immunity…

  • Senate Democrats Rush to Confirm Judges Before Trump Takes Office

    The Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate launched an urgent effort on Tuesday to confirm as many of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees as possible, aiming to prevent vacancies that Republican Donald Trump could fill if he takes office on January 20. With Republicans poised to control the Senate starting January 3, Senate Democrats began…

  • Law Firm Profits Soared in Third Quarter of 2024, Report Finds

    Law firms experienced near-record profits in the third quarter of 2024, with profits rising 11.2% compared to the same period last year, according to a new Thomson Reuters Institute analysis of firm financial data. Higher lawyer productivity, robust billing rates, and modest expense increases point to a highly profitable year for firms, the report found.…

  • KFC Sues Church’s Over ‘Original Recipe’ Fried Chicken Ads

    KFC has filed a federal lawsuit against Church’s Texas Chicken, accusing the competitor of infringing its trademark rights by using the phrase “Original Recipe” in its advertisements. On Friday, KFC told the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas that Church’s use of the slogan in marketing its fried chicken could mislead customers.…

  • Judge to Decide Whether Trump’s Hush Money Conviction Can Stand

    A New York judge will decide this week whether to overturn President-elect Donald Trump’s criminal conviction for hush money payments to a porn star, in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s July ruling on presidential immunity. Justice Juan Merchan announced he would make his decision by Tuesday. This ruling marks the first of two critical…

  • Judicial Panel to Develop Rules to Address AI-Produced Evidence

    A federal judicial panel on Friday agreed to begin developing rules to regulate the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-generated evidence and address concerns about “deep fakes” in courtrooms. During a meeting in New York, the U.S. Judicial Conference’s Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules decided to move forward with two key initiatives. One will focus on…