accountability

  • Federal Court Extends Block On Biden’s Student Debt Relief Plan

    On Friday, a federal appeals court extended an order that blocks the Biden administration from further implementing its student debt relief plan, which aims to reduce monthly payments for millions of borrowers and expedite loan forgiveness for some. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in St. Louis, granted an injunction pending appeal, siding…

  • Ex-Public Defender Loses Sexual Harassment Case Against US Judiciary

    A federal judge ruled on Friday that Caryn Strickland, a former public defender in North Carolina, failed to prove that U.S. federal judiciary officials mishandled her sexual harassment complaint against her supervisor. U.S. District Judge William Young found that Strickland did not establish during a non-jury trial in Asheville, North Carolina, that federal officials violated…

  • Google Blasts $217Million Legal Fee Bid At Hearing In US Privacy Case

    A U.S. judge on Wednesday signaled reluctance to award the full $217 million in legal fees requested by lawyers at Boies Schiller Flexner and other firms for a consumer lawsuit against Google. The lawsuit, which once sought billions of dollars, later settled without Google paying any money. During a hearing in Oakland, California, U.S. District…

  • How US Public Schools Became A New Religious Battleground

    It is a foundational democratic tenet taught in every basic U.S. history course: the Constitution bars the government from endorsing an official religion or favoring one over others. However, two Republican-governed states, Louisiana and Oklahoma, have challenged the Constitution’s “establishment clause” with new laws. Louisiana now requires public schools to display the biblical Ten Commandments,…

  • In landmark Google Ruling, A Warning To Companies About Preserving Evidence

    A landmark ruling on Monday declared that Alphabet’s Google illegally monopolizes web search and included a rebuke for the tech giant for obscuring potential evidence in the case, along with a warning to other companies about safeguarding data. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C., criticized Google for allegedly failing to preserve internal chats…

  • Ohio Ban On Gender-Affirming Care For Minors Upheld By Judge

    An Ohio judge on Tuesday upheld a Republican-backed state law banning gender-affirming care, such as puberty blockers and hormones, for transgender minors, rejecting a challenge by families of transgender adolescents. Judge Michael Holbrook of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas delivered the ruling after a non-jury trial last month. Previously, Holbrook had blocked the…

  • Harvard Sues Samsung Over US Chip-Production Patents

    Harvard University has sued Samsung Electronics in a Texas federal court, accusing the Korean tech giant of violating its patent rights related to chip manufacturing technology. Harvard’s lawsuit, filed on Monday, alleges that Samsung’s methods for manufacturing microprocessors and memory products infringe on two patents from Harvard chemistry professor Roy Gordon. Samsung’s spokespeople have not…

  • Impact Of Biden Contractor Wage Order Is ‘Major Question’ For Appeals court

    An appeals court on Tuesday examined whether President Joe Biden improperly addressed a “major question” reserved for Congress when he mandated a $15-per-hour minimum wage for workers on federal contracts. A three-judge panel from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans heard the Biden administration’s appeal against a judge’s ruling that blocked…

  • Trump Loses Appeal Of Gag Order In Hush Money Criminal Case

    On Thursday, a New York state appeals court rejected Donald Trump’s challenge to a gag order in his hush money criminal case. Trump, convicted in May on charges related to hush money paid to a porn star, cannot publicly comment on individual prosecutors and others involved in the case until Justice Juan Merchan sentences him…

  • Appeals Court Blocks Biden Administration Net Neutrality Rules

    On Thursday, a U.S. appeals court blocked the Federal Communications Commission’s efforts to reinstate landmark net neutrality rules. Broadband providers are likely to succeed in their legal challenge against these rules. In April, the FCC, voting along party lines, decided to reassume regulatory oversight of broadband internet and reinstate the open internet rules initially adopted…