accountability

  • Massachusetts High Court Strikes Down Switchblade Ban

    Massachusetts’ highest court struck down a state ban on carrying switchblades on Tuesday, ruling that the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision requiring modern gun restrictions to align with the nation’s history and tradition also applies to other weapons. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court determined that a 1957 law prohibiting the possession of spring-release pocketknives, commonly…

  • Amazon Denied Bid to Write ‘Novella’-Length Brief in Alexa Privacy Lawsuit

    District Judge Robert Lasnik, who has served for over 25 years on the federal bench in Seattle, emphasized that giving lawyers extra pages doesn’t necessarily result in more comprehensive or polished filings. In an order issued on Monday, he expressed his view that such expansive submissions often become verbose, repetitive, and waste both party and…

  • Tesla Can Challenge Louisiana Direct Sales Ban, Appeals Court Rules

    A divided federal appeals court on Monday revived a lawsuit in which Tesla, the electric car company led by Elon Musk, challenged Louisiana’s ban on direct vehicle sales to consumers. In a 2-1 decision, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans reversed a lower court judge’s dismissal of Tesla’s constitutional due process…

  • Democrats Sue Georgia Over Election Rules That Could ‘Invite Chaos’

    Democrats filed a lawsuit on Monday against Georgia state election officials, challenging new rules they claim could allow local officials to delay certification of November’s presidential election results. The lawsuit, submitted to the Superior Court of Fulton County by local Georgia Democratic politicians, the Democratic National Committee, and the Democratic Party of Georgia, argues that…

  • Special Counsel Asks Court To Revive Charges Against Trump In Documents Case

    Special Counsel Jack Smith urged a federal appeals court on Monday to reinstate the criminal case accusing Donald Trump of retaining classified documents, after a lower court dismissed the indictment in July. Smith’s legal team filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, based in Atlanta, requesting the overturn of…

  • J&J in Talks With Holdouts to $6.5 Billion Talc Settlement

    Johnson & Johnson (J&J) announced on Friday that it is negotiating with plaintiffs’ lawyers who have opposed the company’s proposed settlement of lawsuits alleging that its baby powder and other talc products caused cancer. The company aims to eliminate holdouts and finalize a $6.48 billion global settlement through the bankruptcy of a subsidiary company, following…

  • Panel Upholds Sexual Misconduct Findings Against Ex-Alaska Judge

    A national judicial conduct committee has upheld a panel’s findings that a now-former federal judge in Alaska engaged in misconduct by having an inappropriate sexualized relationship with one of his law clerks and creating a hostile work environment for court employees. On Thursday, the Judicial Conference’s Committee on Judicial Conduct and Disability affirmed a decision…

  • Ex-FTX Executive Salame’s Partner Charged With Violating Campaign Finance Laws

    Michelle Bond, a former U.S. congressional candidate and the romantic partner of former FTX cryptocurrency exchange executive Ryan Salame, has been charged with violating campaign finance laws, federal prosecutors announced on Thursday. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan stated that Bond, during her unsuccessful 2022 campaign for a New York congressional seat, illegally used $400,000…

  • Appeals Court Upholds Maryland Handgun Licensing Law

    A U.S. appeals court on Friday upheld Maryland’s licensing requirements for handgun buyers, affirming that the law remains valid even after a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that expanded gun rights. In a 14-2 vote, the Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a panel’s 2-1 decision from last year. The earlier ruling…

  • Texas Sues Over Biden Legalization Program For Immigrants Married To US Citizens

    Texas and a coalition of Republican-led states filed a lawsuit on Friday against President Joe Biden’s administration over a new program that offers a path to citizenship for immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally and are now married to U.S. citizens. The lawsuit claims that the program, which began accepting applications on Monday, exceeds the…