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Supreme Court

Challenges to a Washington state legislative district

The Relist Watch column examines cert petitions that the Supreme Court has “relisted” for its upcoming conference. A short explanation of relists is available here.

It’s been a blissful, relist-free month since the court’s last conference. The justices will have a whopping 440 petitions and applications before them on Friday. Only two of those – both involving the same underlying controversy – are one-time relists.

Washington’s bipartisan redistricting commission redrew the state’s 49 legislative districts, including Legislative District … Read the rest

Supreme Court

Justices take up abortion case pitting state against federal law

The Supreme Court on Friday afternoon granted a request from Idaho and the state’s Republican-controlled legislature to temporarily put on hold a ruling by a federal district court that would require emergency rooms in the state to provide abortions to pregnant women in an emergency. The justices agreed to weigh in on the question at the center of the dispute: whether the federal law on which the lower court relied trumps an Idaho law that criminalizes most abortions in … Read the rest

Criminal Law

New Washington State Anti-Doxxing Law Raises Concerns Among Left-Wing Activists

A new Washington state law could open a door for anti-fascists to be sued by the very neo-Nazis they’re exposing, Daniel Walters reports for the Oregon Capitol Chronicle. The law allows people to sue a doxxer, someone who releases documents exposing their real identities and a variety of personal information online, if they were stalked, injured, threatened or criminally harassed.

The law’s sponsor, Washington state Sen. Drew Hansen, believes the bill is written narrowly enough that it shouldn’t worry … Read the rest

Criminal Law

Former San Jose State University Director of Sports Medicine Pleads Guilty to Groping Female Students

The former director of sports medicine at San Jose State University was sentenced to two years in prison for groping female student-athletes who were seeking medical care, reports Phil Helsel for NBC News. Scott Shaw pleaded guilty in August to two counts of deprivation of rights under color of law as part of a plea agreement.

Shaw admitted to touching the breasts and buttocks of four student-athletes without a medical reason and without their consent. Six student-athletes testified during … Read the rest

Civil Law

Fires at New York Battery Energy Storage System Facilities Ignite State Response

On July 28, 2023, in response to three separate fires at Battery Energy Storage System (“BESS”) locations in New York, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the creation of an inter-agency fire safety working group. The Fire Safety Working Group, to be comprised of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Office of Fire Prevention and Control, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Department of Public Service, and the Department of … Read the rest

Civil Law

Senators Urge State AGs to Protect Consumers From Cash Homebuying Companies

On June 13, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra provided the CFPB’s semiannual report to Congress, which included concerns about predatory house-flipping practices by companies like HomeVestors. Afterwards, Senate Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development Chair Tina Smith (D-MN) and Senate Ranking Member Lummis (R-WY) sent a letter to the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG), requesting a coordinated effort to prevent cash homebuyers from entrapping sellers into unfair contracts.

HomeVestors is accused of targeting and deceiving … Read the rest

Supreme Court

Ohio State asks court to toss lawsuits over sexual abuse by former university physician

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.

Over a period of 20 years, the late Dr. Richard Strauss sexually abused at least 177 male students in his role as a physician with the Ohio State University’s athletics department and student health center. This week, we highlight cert petitions that ask the court to consider, among other things, … Read the rest

Criminal Law

Missouri State Gun Law Ruled Unconstitutional

A federal judge in Missouri ruled on Tuesday that a state law designed to invalidate many federal gun regulations is unconstitutional, Sarah N. Lynch reports for Reuters. The Second Amendment Preservation Act (SAPA), also known as “HB85,” was found to violate the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution, which holds that federal laws take precedence over conflicting state laws. According to the Justice Department, H.B. 85 has caused law enforcement agencies at both state and local levels to stop cooperating … Read the rest