Cruise Ship Dancer Employed on Miami-Based Cruise Line Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

A dancer employed on an unidentified cruise ship was recently arrested in Broward County on one charge of possession of child pornography and a second count of receipt and distribution of child pornography.

Twenty-six year old Jamaal Wade appeared in federal court in Fort Lauderdale in case number 0:24-mj-06151-PMH. A special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) verified in a complaint alleging violation of 18 USC 2252A that Wade engaged in prior criminal sexual abuse of a child, … Read the rest

The morning read for Thursday, April 11

The morning read for Thursday, April 11

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Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles, commentary, and other noteworthy links related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Thursday morning read:

  • Prosecutors Ask Supreme Court to Reject Trump’s Immunity Claim in Election Case (Adam Liptak, The New York Times)
  • Starbucks seeks Supreme Court protection from being ordered to rehire baristas who say they were fired for union-promoting activities (Michael Z. Green, The Conversation)
  • US historians file brief with supreme court rejecting Trump’s immunity claim (Martin
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Jan. 6 defendant asks Supreme Court to throw out obstruction charge

Jan. 6 defendant asks Supreme Court to throw out obstruction charge

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The Supreme Court will hear oral argument on April 16 in the case of a former police officer from Pennsylvania who entered the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks. Joseph Fischer, who was charged with (among other things) assaulting a police officer, disorderly conduct in the Capitol, and obstruction of a congressional proceeding, has asked the justices to throw out the charge that he obstructed an official proceeding, arguing that the law that he was charged with violating … Read the rest

The DOL Updates the QPAM Exemption from Prohibited Transaction Restrictions under ERISA (US)

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”) and the Internal Revenue Code Of 1986, as amended (“Code”) contain broad prohibitions on transactions between ERISA-covered employee benefit plans and Individual Retirement Accounts (“Plans”), as well as certain people or entities closely connected to such Plans, known as “parties in interest” or “disqualified persons”. Absent an exemption, the types of transactions that are prohibited include sales and leases or loans between a Plan and a party or parties … Read the rest

The morning read for Friday, April 5

The morning read for Friday, April 5

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Each weekday, we select a short list of news articles, commentary, and other noteworthy links related to the Supreme Court. Here’s the Friday morning read:

  • Chief Justice Extols Legacy of Sandra Day O’Connor (Zach Montague, The New York Times)
  • ‘Rest easy.’ Mashpee tribe praises Supreme Court action preserving 321 acres in trust (Rachael Devaney, Cape Cod Times)
  • Crypto Firms Take SEC Fight to Texas, With Eye on Supreme Court (Matthew Bultman, Bloomberg Law)
  • Sonia Sotomayor’s Retirement Is Not the
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SEC Wins Insider-Trading Suit Alleging “Shadow Trading”

A federal jury in California agreed with the SEC that a corporate official engaged in insider trading when he purchased securities of a company based on material nonpublic information (“MNPI”) about a different company. The April 5, 2024 verdict for the SEC in SEC v. Panuwat (N.D. Cal.) could embolden the SEC to pursue more claims of “shadow trading,” which involves trading the securities of a public company that is not the direct subject of the MNPI but whose stock price allegedly … Read the rest

Purposes and consequences: A conversation with Justice Stephen Breyer

Purposes and consequences: A conversation with Justice Stephen Breyer

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With the publication of his latest book, Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism, retired Justice Stephen Breyer talks with Ibrain Hernández about the moments that have marked his career, as well as his perspective on the role of judges in a constitutional democracy and his focus on purpose and consequences when interpreting the law. Their conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Ibrain Hernández is a law student at Center for Economic Research and Teaching, … Read the rest

Oil companies, government point fingers over cleanup of World War II-era pollution

Oil companies, government point fingers over cleanup of World War II-era pollution

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The Petitions of the Week column highlights a selection of cert petitions recently filed in the Supreme Court. A list of all petitions we’re watching is available here.

During World War II, Congress authorized President Franklin Roosevelt to enlist oil refineries for the war effort. Centralization helped meet the war’s rapidly increasing demand for fuel. But it also led to a glut of hazardous waste, some of which leaked into the ecosystems surrounding the refineries. This week, we … Read the rest