accountability

  • Texas Sued Over Anti-ESG Law

    On Thursday, a nonprofit organization that advocates for environmentally-friendly policies sued the state of Texas to challenge a law targeting businesses that support reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The American Sustainable Business Council, representing over 200,000 businesses, argues that the 2021 law, known as Senate Bill 13, violates its members’ free speech rights by prohibiting…

  • Biden Nominates Circuit Judge’s Brother, Two Prosecutors To Serve On District Courts

    On Wednesday, President Joe Biden nominated three individuals to serve on federal district courts: Elizabeth Coombe, Sarah Davenport, and Sharad Desai. Coombe, a prosecutor in Albany, New York, and Davenport, a prosecutor in Las Cruces, New Mexico, bring extensive legal experience to their nominations. Desai, a corporate lawyer at Honeywell in Phoenix, is the brother…

  • TikTok Must Face Lawsuit Over 10-Year-Old Girl’s Death, US Court Rules

    A U.S. appeals court has revived a lawsuit against TikTok filed by the mother of a 10-year-old girl who tragically died after participating in a viral “blackout challenge” on the platform. The challenge, which dared users to choke themselves until they passed out, was allegedly recommended to the girl by TikTok’s algorithm. Although federal law…

  • Accused Capitol Rioter Skips Obstruction Charge After Supreme Court Ruling

    A U.S. prosecutor announced on Wednesday that the Justice Department would not pursue the revival of an obstruction charge against former police officer Joseph Fischer, who was charged in connection with the U.S. Capitol riot. Fischer successfully persuaded the U.S. Supreme Court to raise the legal standard for this offense, leading to broader implications for…

  • SCOTUS Declines To Revive Biden’s Student Debt Relief Plan

    The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to revive President Joe Biden’s student debt relief plan, bolstering efforts by Republican-led states that have sued to block it. The justices rejected the administration’s request to lift a judicial decision temporarily that halted the plan, which aims to lower monthly payments for millions of borrowers and accelerate loan…

  • X Wins Tentative Dismissal of Sex Bias Lawsuit Over Mass Layoffs

    A federal judge in San Francisco has once again dismissed a proposed class action alleging that social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, targeted female employees for layoffs when Elon Musk took control of the company. In a written ruling on Monday, U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar stated that it was unclear whether the…

  • 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…