Staff Writer

  • Appeals Court Weighs Tennessee Ban On Changing Sex In Birth Certificates

    On Thursday, a lawyer representing a group of transgender women urged a U.S. appeals court to revive claims alleging that Tennessee’s decades-old policy of not permitting individuals born in the state to amend their birth certificates to reflect their gender identity violates the U.S. Constitution. A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of…

  • GSK Knew About Zantac Cancer Risk, Attorneys Tell Jury In First Trial

    U.S. attorneys representing a woman who alleges her colon cancer stems from the now-discontinued heartburn drug Zantac told a Chicago jury on Thursday that pharmaceutical giants GSK and Boehringer Ingelheim were aware that improper handling of the product could lead to cancer but failed to issue warnings to the public. Mikal Watts, representing 89-year-old Angela…

  • Trump Lawyer Suggests Hush Money Payment Was Extortion

    On Thursday, a lawyer representing Donald Trump attempted to depict the hush money payment central to his criminal trial as extortion. The lawyer, Emil Bove, questioned Keith Davidson, a lawyer involved in the deal, about his negotiations for cash in exchange for compromising information with other celebrities. Bove’s interrogation of Davidson hinted at a strategy…

  • Judge Blocks North Carolina Restrictions On Abortion Pill

    A federal judge struck down parts of a North Carolina law that restricted patients’ access to the abortion pill mifepristone, which has become the subject of legal battles nationwide. Chief U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles struck down the state’s requirements on Tuesday, including that mifepristone be prescribed only by doctors and only in person, as…

  • 2024 Law School Scholarships For Asian American And Pacific Islander Students

    As Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month begins this May, the importance of diversity and representation within the legal profession is increasingly apparent. For aspiring AAPI students with dreams of attending law school, access to financial resources can often be a determining factor in pursuing their educational and career goals. Fortunately, a range…

  • Campus Protests Upend Columbia Law’s Final Exams

    Columbia Law School has postponed all final exams scheduled for Wednesday amid ongoing turmoil over pro-Palestinian protesters encamped at the Manhattan university’s campus. Law Dean Gillian Lester told students in a message on Tuesday evening that Wednesday’s finals would be postponed to ensure student safety and well-being and promised further information about Thursday’s exams. Hours…

  • Judge Fines Trump $9,000, Threatens Jail For Contempt In Hush Money Trial

    In Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial, the judge, Justice Juan Merchan, fined the former U.S. president $9,000 for contempt of court on Tuesday. Merchan warned that he would consider imprisonment if Trump continued to violate a gag order. Merchan imposed the gag order to prevent Trump from criticizing witnesses and other participants in the…

  • Appeals Court Upholds Biden’s $15 Minimum Wage For Recreational Contractors

    A U.S. appeals court upheld a Biden administration rule on Tuesday, requiring government contractors to pay seasonal recreational workers at least $15 an hour. The Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 ruling, stated that the president’s authority under federal law to create an “economical and efficient system” of procurement extends to…

  • J&J Advances $6.475 Billion Settlement Of Talc Cancer Lawsuits

    Johnson & Johnson announced on Wednesday that it is pushing ahead with a $6.475 billion proposed settlement for tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging that its baby powder and other talc products contain asbestos and cause ovarian cancer. The deal, if approved, would resolve the lawsuits through a third bankruptcy filing of a subsidiary company.…

  • EEOC Says Workplace Bias Laws Cover Bathrooms, Pronouns, Abortion

    On Monday, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission declared that employers who refuse to use transgender workers’ preferred pronouns and prevent them from using bathrooms aligned with their gender identity are engaging in unlawful workplace harassment under federal anti-discrimination law. This update marks the first revision of the commission’s enforcement guidance on workplace harassment in…