U.S. Courts News Reporter
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The Supreme Court blocked the execution of Ruben Gutierrez, who was sentenced to die after 7 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday for the 1998 stabbing death of 85-year-old Escolastica Harrison in Brownsville, Tex. In a brief unsigned order released to reporters just after 6:30 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday night, the justices put Gutierrez’s execution on hold until they decide whether to take up his appeal.
Gutierrez has long maintained that he did not go into Harrison’s home on the … Read the rest
The Texas Bar Foundation honored retired Supreme Court of Texas Justice Craig T. Enoch with the 2024 Gregory S. Coleman Outstanding Appellate Lawyer Award, according to a press release.
The award, established in 2011, commemorates the late attorney Gregory S. Coleman and celebrates the ideals and standards that Coleman demonstrated in his appellate practice and personal life. Recipients exhibit an outstanding appellate practice while maintaining a strong commitment to providing legal services for the underserved. The award also recognizes dedication … Read the rest
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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.
Individuals held in state prison can challenge their convictions in federal court through a device known as a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. But under the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, known as AEDPA, they generally only have one opportunity to do so. This week, … Read the rest
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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.
Four years ago, the Supreme Court ruled in Nieves v. Bartlett that a plaintiff who alleges he was arrested in retaliation for speech protected by the First Amendment must show that police lacked probable cause to arrest him. However, the decision carved out an exception to deal with situations in … Read the rest
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The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Biden administration for its views on a pair of controversial social-media laws enacted in Texas and Florida. Passed in response to beliefs that social-media platforms were censoring their users, particularly those expressing conservative political views, both states’ laws seek to regulate the content-moderation policies of social-media companies like Facebook and Twitter.
The justices asked the solicitor general to weigh in on NetChoice v. Paxton (a pending petition on the Texas law) and … Read the rest
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The Supreme Court on Monday revived efforts by a Texas inmate to throw out his conviction and death sentence in a case in which prosecutors agree that he should get a new trial. The ruling in favor of Areli Escobar came on a list of orders released from the justices’ private conference last week. The justices did not grant any new cases, but they called for the Biden administration’s views in three cases and denied review in over 300 … Read the rest
AUSTIN — The timeline played the starring role during the opening arguments at the jury trial of the United States v Paul Kruse.
Department of Justice attorney Matthew Lash for the prosecution and Houston defense attorney Chris Flood opened the trial. Taken together, they suggested that a food company, during an investigation, can fully cooperate with FDA and state agencies but still face conspiracy and fraud charges if it does not respond with thorough responses to public inquiries that may … Read the rest
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Two technology trade groups came to the Supreme Court on Friday night, asking the justices to block a controversial Texas law that bars large social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter from moderating speech based on the viewpoints of their users. Describing the law as an “undisguised effort to level the speech playing field and control ‘Big Tech,’” the groups urged the court to reinstate a decision by a federal district judge in Texas that barred the state from … Read the rest