New Supreme Court Fellows Begin Term

Four new U.S. Supreme Court Fellows will begin their 2023-2024 fellowships in September. The Supreme Court Fellows Program, established by the late Chief Justice Warren E. Burger in 1973, provides participants the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the federal Judiciary. Fellows work alongside top officials in the judicial branch on projects that further the goals of the Judiciary.
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Three Arrows Capital Co-Founder Avoids Contempt and Sanctions in United States, But Bankruptcy Court Previews Worldwide Enforcement Options

On June 27, 2022, Three Arrows Capital (“3AC”), a crypto hedge fund, commenced liquidation proceedings in the British Virgin Islands and thereafter filed recognition proceedings in, among other countries, the United States and Singapore.  As we discussed earlier this year, on December 2, 2022, the bankruptcy court presiding over 3AC’s chapter 15 proceeding pending in the Southern District of New York held that the 3AC joint liquidators (the “JLs”) could serve a subpoena (the “U.S. Subpoena”) upon a 3AC cofounder, … Read the rest

Court allows bar on Tulsa’s enforcement of municipal laws against Native Americans to remain in place

Court allows bar on Tulsa’s enforcement of municipal laws against Native Americans to remain in place

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday left in place a federal appeals court ruling that bars the city of Tulsa from enforcing municipal ordinances against Native Americans. In a brief unsigned order without any public dissents, the justices rejected the city’s request to put a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit on hold to give the city time to appeal.  

The order came in a case arising from a nearly five-year-old traffic ticket and … Read the rest

Civil rights “tester” asks court to dismiss case

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Lawyers for a self-appointed civil rights “tester” have asked the Supreme Court to dismiss her case as moot – that is, no longer a live controversy. Deborah Laufer, who has physical disabilities and vision impairments, told the justices that she has voluntarily dismissed her case in the district court after an attorney who represented her in other cases was disciplined by a federal court in Maryland. But lawyers for the hotel company that Laufer is suing urged the justices … Read the rest

Court agrees to hear Title VII employer discrimination case

Court agrees to hear Title VII employer discrimination case

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The Supreme Court agreed to decide what protections Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides to employees who contend they were the victim of a discriminatory transfer. The justices announced on Friday that they had granted review in Muldrow v. St. Louis and six other cases, two of which will be argued together. (I covered one of those cases, United States v. Rahimi, in a separate article.)

The question comes to the court in the … Read the rest

Court expands government’s ability to deport noncitizens for offenses related to obstruction of justice

Court expands government’s ability to deport noncitizens for offenses related to obstruction of justice

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Federal immigration law requires the deportation of noncitizens who are convicted of an aggravated felony, which includes offenses “relating to obstruction of justice.” By a vote of 6-3, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday in Pugin v. Garland that an offense can relate to the obstruction of justice even if an investigation or proceeding is not pending. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote for the majority, in a decision joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Amy … Read the rest

Court strikes a blow for sentencing discretion under provision in federal firearm statute

Court strikes a blow for sentencing discretion under provision in federal firearm statute

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People given consecutive sentences under the federal law that imposes penalties for the use of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence or drug trafficking may now be entitled to a new sentencing hearing, thanks to the Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling Friday in Lora v. United States. The justices ruled that federal criminal sentencing laws do not require Efrain Lora, who was convicted for his role in a drug-trafficking-related murder, to receive multiple consecutive, rather than concurrent, … Read the rest

Supreme Court gives government broad authority to dismiss whistleblower lawsuits

Supreme Court gives government broad authority to dismiss whistleblower lawsuits

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The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the Department of Justice has broad, but not unfettered, authority to dismiss whistleblower lawsuits filed under the False Claims Act’s qui tam provision even when the government initially elected to allow the whistleblower to proceed with the action.

The FCA’s qui tam (an abbreviation for a Latin phrase meaning “who sues on behalf of the King as well as for himself”) provision encourages whistleblowers to file suit on behalf of the government. … Read the rest