California’s highest court ruled that a patient can pursue a claim against a drug or medical device maker for failing to warn of a product’s risks, even if the warning would not have stopped the patient’s doctor from recommending it. In a unanimous opinion by Justice Joshua Groban on Thursday, the California Supreme Court revived…
Hawaii agreed on Thursday to decarbonize its transportation system by 2045, settling a lawsuit by 13 young people who claimed the state violated their constitutional rights with infrastructure that contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Democratic Governor Josh Green announced the “groundbreaking” settlement at a news conference attended by activists and lawyers involved…
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has adopted a legal theory that would eliminate numerous recent lawsuits filed by groups opposing race-based diversity programs, which align with his conservative views. In a concurring opinion in last week’s Supreme Court decision preserving access to the abortion pill mifepristone, Thomas questioned the constitutional foundation of a legal doctrine…
Relatives of the victims of two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes urged the Justice Department on Wednesday to impose a fine of up to $24.78 billion on the planemaker and pursue a criminal prosecution. Paul Cassel, a lawyer representing 15 families, wrote in a letter to the Justice Department that “because Boeing’s crime is the…
The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide how difficult it should be for employers to prove in court that their workers qualify for exemptions from overtime pay and other legal protections under U.S. wage laws. The justices granted a petition by grocery distributor EMD Sales Inc to review a 4th U.S. Circuit Court of…
New evidence indicates Alec Baldwin acted recklessly with a revolver before it fired a live round that killed “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021, according to prosecutors preparing for Baldwin’s July manslaughter trial. Prosecutors, in a Monday filing, alleged that images and videos from crew and a set photographer show Baldwin pointing his gun at…
An Iowa federal judge has temporarily blocked the Republican-led state’s law that allows the arrest and prosecution of people who are in the U.S. illegally. This decision marks a win for the Biden administration. U.S. District Judge Stephen Locher in Des Moines, Iowa, stated in a written decision late Monday that the law, which was…
The U.S. Justice Department informed Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday that it would not pursue criminal contempt of Congress charges against Attorney General Merrick Garland, according to a letter. This decision followed the Republican-controlled House’s party-line vote to hold Garland in contempt for refusing to turn over audio recordings of a special counsel…
Nearly two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, litigation over abortion has surged dramatically. In 2022, Justice Samuel Alito wrote in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that the court’s longstanding precedent had intensified debate and deepened division. He stated it was time to remove the abortion issue from the court’s…