Staff Writer

  • Another Judge Sides With NLRB in Challenge to Agency’s Structure

    A federal judge in Michigan rejected claims that the National Labor Relations Board’s structure is unconstitutional, stating that existing legal precedent blocks the arguments from a hospital operator. U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker, based in Grand Rapids, ruled that NLRB administrative judges and the board’s five members do not face improper protection from at-will removal…

  • Former Abercrombie CEO Jeffries Pleads Not Guilty to Sex Trafficking

    Mike Jeffries, the former longtime CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges of running an international sex trafficking scheme while leading the clothing retailer. Jeffries, 80, who headed Abercrombie from 1992 to 2014, entered his plea to one count of sex trafficking and 15 counts of prostitution before U.S. Magistrate…

  • Judge Blocks Virginia’s Move to Purge Voter Rolls as Election Day Nears

    A U.S. federal judge on Friday blocked Virginia from removing individuals it claimed had not proven their citizenship from its voter rolls. The judge stated that this action violated a federal prohibition on purging large numbers of voters within the final 90 days before an election. U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ordered the state…

  • Court Skeptical of Tesla Investors’ Bid for New Trial Over Musk’s 2018 Tweets

    A federal appeals court on Friday seemed unlikely to overturn a jury’s verdict that cleared Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his company of liability regarding allegations that they misled investors. This case stems from Musk’s 2018 social media post claiming he had “funding secured” to take Tesla private. During oral arguments at the San Francisco-based…

  • Appeals Court Says Counting Ballots Received After Election Day is Illegal

    A U.S. appeals court ruled on Friday that states cannot count mail-in ballots received after Election Day, siding with Republicans in a case that challenges Mississippi’s five-day grace period. The conservative three-judge panel from the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals did not strike down Mississippi’s law, but it raised questions about mail-in…

  • New York Bar Exam Pass Rate Highest Since 2013

    New York has joined the growing number of states reporting a higher pass rate on the July 2024 bar exam, with 69% of examinees successfully passing the attorney licensing exam. This figure marks New York’s highest overall pass rate since 2013, showing a 3 percentage point increase from 2023’s 66%, according to the New York…

  • How a US Judge Injected Culture Wars Into Boeing 737 MAX Plea Deal

    A Texas federal judge with a history of supporting conservative causes has introduced uncertainty into Boeing’s agreement to plead guilty over two fatal 737 MAX crashes. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor seized on a single sentence in the deal regarding the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) diversity policy. Last week, O’Connor unexpectedly asked the parties…

  • McDonald’s Hit With Lawsuit After Colorado Man Sickened in E. Coli Outbreak

    A Colorado man has filed what appears to be the first lawsuit against McDonald’s over an E. coli outbreak linked to Quarter Pounder burgers that has killed one person and sickened nearly 50 others. On Wednesday, the lawsuit, filed in Circuit Court in Cook County, Illinois, alleges that Eric Stelly ate food from a Greeley,…

  • Law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld has announced an end to its eight-year legal battle with former attorney Kristy Wagner, who alleged discrimination following a severe injury from a 2011 zip-lining accident. On Tuesday, attorneys for both Wagner and Akin filed a joint stipulation of dismissal in federal court in Washington, D.C. The…

  • Judge Approves UFC Fighters’ $375 million Wage Settlement

    A federal judge in Las Vegas has preliminarily approved a class action settlement requiring the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to pay $375 million to fighters who claim they received inadequate compensation for their bouts over the years. U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware II’s decision represents a “monumental achievement” that will provide significant relief to hundreds…