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323 entries in 'Topics in Legal News' |
2024/01/15
Fueled by border crossings, a record 3 million cases clog US immigration courts
2023/09/22
Progressive Councilmember Freddie O’Connell wins Nashville mayor’s race
2023/09/15
Polish director demands apology from justice minister for comparing her film
2023/09/04
Judge strikes down a Texas law requiring age verification to view adult websites
2023/08/31
Ex-Catholic Cardinal McCarrick, age 93, found unfit to stand trial
2023/06/28
Supreme Court rules for nursing home patient’s family
2023/06/06
Court upholds judge’s finding that Tesla acquisition of Solar City was fair
2023/05/09
Nigeria court hears opposition’s presidential vote challenge
2023/03/01
Mexican president lashes out at Supreme Court chief justice
2023/01/11
Ex-Louisiana lawmaker gets 22-month sentence for wire fraud
2022/12/02
Justices spar in latest clash of religion and gay rights
2022/11/01
Indiana Democrats pin legislative gains on abortion debate
2022/06/13
Supreme Court rules against Navajo Nation member
2022/04/16
AG wants death-row prisoner’s mental fitness exam called off
2022/04/12
Abortion restriction bill signed by Florida Gov. DeSantis
2022/03/25
Naturopathic doctor sentenced for selling misbranded drugs
2022/03/07
Not guilty plea entered in alleged drug deal slaying
2021/08/15
Federal judge leaves CDC evictions moratorium in place
2021/08/03
Biden’s new evictions moratorium faces doubts on legality
2021/05/05
Lawsuit seeks Confederate statue’s removal from courthouse
2021/03/25
Governor swears in newest Rhode Island state court judge
2021/01/21
Woman accused of helping steal Pelosi laptop freed from jail
2020/11/17
Our Firm Covers Bankruptcy in the Wake of COVID-19
2020/09/19
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies at 87
2020/08/18
Int'l court: Hezbollah member guilty in Lebanon ex-PM death
2020/07/19
Justice Ginsburg says cancer has returned, but won’t retire
2020/05/01
Blind justice: No visual cues in high court phone cases
2020/01/22
Court takes another look at Native American adoption law
2019/07/14
Women urge jail until trial for Epstein as judge weighs bail
2019/06/01
Kevin Spacey appears at court for hearing in groping case
2019/04/27
Texas man accused in fatal I-70 pileup appears in court
2019/04/12
Texas’ high court keeps execution drug supplier secret
2019/03/16
Court to rule on Newtown shooting lawsuit against gun maker
2019/01/30
Pakistan court to review acquittal in blasphemy trial
2019/01/27
Court: Illinois mom can sue Six Flags for fingerprinting son
2019/01/03
High court to take new look at partisan electoral districts
2018/12/24
Mississippi chief justice: Time for another to lead court
2018/11/10
'Magic' campaign lands 17 black women on Houston courts
2018/10/27
Synagogue suspect at courthouse; survivors recall ordeal
2018/09/28
Pros and Cons of Workers’ Comp Lump Sum Settlements
2018/09/16
Belgian court rules out extradition for Spanish rapper
2018/09/02
UN court hears case over strategic Indian Ocean islands
2018/08/05
N Carolina Supreme Court candidate sues over party label law
2018/08/03
SC Supreme Court to decide if elected sheriff is qualified
2018/07/17
Court says convicted serial rapist should be released
2018/06/17
NY high court nixes Trump's bid to delay defamation suit
2018/06/12
USCIS Efforts Lead to Prison Sentence for Fremont Business Owner
2018/06/09
Court: Compliance reached in education funding case
2018/06/02
The Latest: Colorado governor announces Supreme Court pick
2018/06/01
Spanish court nixes terrorism accusation in Basque incident
2018/05/17
Court program in Dona Ana County focuses on veterans
2018/05/17
Czech court: Attacker on Petra Kvitova taken into custody
2018/05/02
Justices allow Arkansas to enforce abortion restrictions
2018/04/10
Court: Teen accused in school shooting plot deserves bail
2018/04/07
Retailers hope for certainty as Supreme Court hears tax case
2018/03/08
Cambodian court denies opposition leader release on bail
2018/01/25
Warrant dropped for professor who spoke Hawaiian in court
2018/01/24
Pennsylvania court throws out congressional boundaries
2018/01/12
Women taking their right to go topless to state's high court
2018/01/09
Florida and Georgia taking water fight to Supreme Court
2017/12/22
Indiana Supreme Court considers eavesdropping case
2017/12/05
Supreme Court declines gay rights work discrimination case
2017/11/12
Trump choosing white men as judges, highest rate in decades
2017/11/09
High court to hear appeal in Newtown school shooting case
2017/10/20
Court, for now, blocks immigrant teen's access to abortion
2017/10/10
NC high court reviews death penalty of man who beheaded wife
2017/10/09
Bosnian court acquits ex-Srebrenica commander of war crimes
2017/10/05
Court sides with board to keep fracking ban issue off ballot
2017/10/03
Court: Movie theaters must accommodate deaf-blind patrons
2017/09/15
FBI Searched Ex-Oklahoma Senator's Office for Porn
2017/09/12
Court sides with teacher fired for sex with 18-year-old
2017/09/11
Challenge to $225M Exxon settlement to be heard in court
2017/08/12
British cybersecurity expert pleads not guilty to US charges
2017/07/18
North Carolina Court to Rule on Law on Gov's Elections Role
2017/07/15
Kansas faces skeptical state Supreme Court on school funding
2017/07/12
Hearing In San Diego Unified Suit Against The College Board
2017/07/04
Indiana high court to rule on Lake Michigan beach ownership
2017/06/25
EU Court: Vaccines Can Be Blamed for Illnesses Without Proof
2017/06/09
Roman Polanski sex victim to appear in court for first time
2017/06/01
East Timor court drops premier's libel case against media
2017/05/31
Kim Jong Nam murder suspect asks her parents to pray for her
2017/05/01
Indiana high court to take up police unreasonable force case
2017/04/20
Conservatives fault Arkansas court for halting executions
2017/04/19
Not guilty pleas entered for accused in Canada polygamy case
2017/04/18
Austrian court: ex-Croatian general guilty of embezzlement
2017/04/15
High court sides with Goodyear in sanctions dispute
2017/04/02
Bangladesh High Court upholds death for 2 in blogger killing
2017/03/04
Court officer investigated for photographing lawyer's notes
2017/03/01
California court expands endangered-species removal powers
2017/02/20
UK court says income threshold for foreign spouses is lawful
2017/02/15
Wisconsin Supreme Court to hear open meetings case
2017/01/08
South Korean executives jailed for humidifier cleaner deaths
2017/01/02
Ohio Supreme Court delays serial killer's execution date
2016/12/21
Ohio's high court dismisses media lawsuit over bodycam video
2016/12/05
Supreme Court takes up cases about race in redistricting
2016/12/04
Philippine court urged to order Marcos' remains exhumed
2016/12/03
UK Supreme Court hears landmark challenge to Brexit plans
2016/12/01
US Supreme Court could hear Charleston company, Lexmark case
2016/12/01
ICC prosecutor: African states leaving court is 'regression'
2016/11/18
Justice Thomas: Honor Scalia by reining in government
2016/11/17
Nevada high court considering email public records question
2016/10/01
Suspected people smuggler charged in Australian court
2016/09/30
Nevada high court blocks funding for school choice program
2016/09/26
Court asks judges to respond to Louisiana sheriff's claims
2016/09/21
DC gun law gets hearing before Washington appeals court
2016/09/16
Court halts construction of another section of pipeline
2016/09/03
Gays can seek parental rights for nonbiological kids
2016/08/16
Court rejects Cosby's attempt to reseal testimony on affairs
2016/08/12
Court again says New Jersey can't legalize sports betting
2016/08/06
Indiana officer accused of shooting detective due in court
2016/07/26
Appeals court delay requested in ex-Virginia governor's case
2016/07/14
Appeals court orders Utah to fund Planned Parenthood branch
2016/07/11
Candidate filing begins Monday for appeals court seat
2016/07/11
Court orders release of detained immigrant kids, not parents
2016/07/08
Thai military court adds to singer's jail term for insults
2016/05/31
Bahrain court more than doubles opposition leader's sentence
2016/05/28
Swedish court upholds arrest warrant for Julian Assange
2016/05/23
Breyer says Supreme Court not diminished with only 8 members
2016/05/09
El Salvador court takes up case on ex-president's finances
2016/05/08
Court: Slipknot bassist's child born after he died can sue
2016/05/06
Tribunal: India, Italy should agree on Italian marine's bail
2016/05/04
High court won't step into Mich. dispute over harness racing
2016/03/18
RNC launches campaign to oppose Obama's Supreme Court pick
2016/03/17
Lawyer: US citizen charged in UN case to plead guilty
2016/02/18
Court declines stay in redistricting; Congress elections off
2016/02/09
Court rejects AG Kane's request to reinstate law license
2016/02/09
South African court hears case against president
2016/02/08
Plagued by delays, California high-speed rail heads back to court
2015/12/20
Ex-Costa Rica soccer chief pleads not guilty in FIFA probe
2015/11/28
2 charged in pastor's wife killing say little in court
2015/11/03
High court won't hear appeal on mortgage ratings
2015/11/02
Woman charged in slayings of Connecticut couple due in court
2015/10/09
Familiar, divisive social issues on Supreme Court agenda
2015/10/05
Supreme Court declines to review insider trading case
2015/09/28
Connecticut court stands by decision eliminating execution
2015/09/23
Court rejects ex-NY Fed employee's retaliation claim lawsuit
2015/09/15
Ohio court: Wording of pot legalization ballot is misleading
2015/09/11
OJ Simpson appeal rejected by Nevada Supreme Court
2015/08/18
Court rejects inmate's challenge in 5 Ohio prison slayings
2015/08/13
Penn State ex-officials' case heads to appeals court hearing
2015/07/29
Appeals court: Kansas abortion opponent must stand trial
2015/07/16
Marijuana opponents using racketeering law to fight industry
2015/07/08
US appeals court upholds EPA plan to clean up Chesapeake Bay
2015/07/01
In Supreme Court loss, death penalty foes see an opening
2015/06/24
French court rules police illegally targeted minorities
2015/06/11
Man accused of Jewish site shootings to appear in court
2015/06/02
Abortion ban based on heartbeat rejected by appeals court
2015/05/15
Appeals court skeptical of fairness of trader's conviction
2014/04/21
High court to hear dispute about TV over Internet
2014/04/17
GM to ask bankruptcy court for lawsuit protection
2014/04/08
Lawmaker Yee due back in court for arraignment
2014/04/03
The Supreme Court struck down limits Wednesday in federal law on the overall campaign contributions the biggest individual donors may make to candidates, political parties and political action committees. The justices said in a 5-4 vote that Americans ..
2014/03/05
Court: Broad protection for whistleblowers
2014/03/05
Court weighs securities fraud class-action cases
2014/02/10
SKorea court invalidates Ssangyong layoffs
2014/02/03
7 now guilty in Pendleton contractor bribery case
2014/01/27
High court rules against steelworkers' claim
2014/01/20
Court hearings for 2 arrested in student stabbing
2014/01/16
High court OKs Miss. lawsuit on LCD price fixing
2014/01/10
Court: Lawmakers must expedite education funding
2014/01/06
Court sides with S. Ind. city in man's injury suit
2013/12/23
Canadian court strikes down anti-prostitution laws
2013/11/29
Amanda Knox appeals slander case to European court
2013/11/25
Wind energy firm pleads guilty to eagle deaths
2013/11/08
High court wrestles with prayer in government
2013/09/30
Chile top court confirms block on Barrick mine
2013/09/09
Berlusconi appeals case to European rights court
2013/08/26
Minn. Supreme Court sides with HIV-positive man
2013/07/11
Ill. Supreme Court ends challenge to abortion law
2013/05/21
Court strikes down Arizona 20-week abortion ban
2013/04/18
Strip shooting-crash suspect gets lawyer in Vegas
2013/03/07
Lawyer seeks dismissal in Ohio HS player rape case
2013/02/28
NY dismemberment defendant dons trash bag in court
2013/02/26
Fla. lawyer at center of $300M scheme
2013/02/21
Man pleads not guilty in Oakland bank bomb case
2012/10/25
Court date postponed in Hines Ward extortion case
2012/02/27
BP 'ready for long court battle over Gulf spill'
2012/02/24
Costner sculpture dispute heads to SD high court
2012/02/23
Court seems split on double jeopardy question
2012/02/02
Providence mayor warns of possible bankruptcy
2012/01/30
Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP Files Class Action
2012/01/26
Hustler targeted for printing photos of dead woman
2012/01/25
In Vt., an attorney general's losses raise doubts
2012/01/18
Amazon Hit With Class Action Over Zappos Data Breach
2012/01/01
MT court restores corporate campaign spending ban
2011/12/31
Del. court says ex-HP CEO can't keep letter secret
2011/12/30
Appeals court upholds sentence of former deputy
2011/12/19
Operative gets prison for bilking NYC mayor
2011/12/19
Court schedules week of health care arguments
2011/12/11
Appeals court allows Albany hospital merger
2011/12/02
Farmers Insurance Settles Class Action Lawsuit
2011/11/21
Accused White House shooter to appear in DC court
2011/11/17
NY federal appeals court reverses Bruno conviction
2011/11/15
Justices unlikely to have last word on health care
2011/11/11
Govt asks justices to stay out of immigration case
2011/11/09
Calif high court hears debate over worker breaks
2011/11/03
Police investigate Texas judge over video beating
2011/10/24
Baker Donelson law firm acquires Houston practice
2011/10/24
Federman & Sherwood Announces Class Action Lawsuit
2011/10/20
Senate rejects GOP effort on terrorist trials
2011/10/18
Top Europe court bans stem cell technique patents
2011/10/15
Court mulls trial in absentia for Hariri case
2011/10/11
FDIC backs ban on banks trading for own profit
2011/10/11
Kentucky man sues Facebook over tracking cookie
2011/10/05
European court rules against Soros in trading case
2011/10/03
High court appears to favor Ala. death row inmate
2011/10/03
Court refuses to hear Maryland gun case
2011/09/20
Idaho inmates settle lawsuit over prison violence
2011/09/06
Ex-Va attorney convicted in law firm embezzlement
2011/08/30
Court approves Harry and David reorganization plan
2011/08/30
BofA sued over $1.75 billion mortgage trust
2011/08/26
No choking charges for Wis. Supreme Court justice
2011/08/19
Former U.S. attorney Lampton dies at 60
2011/08/15
Tech blogger won't be charged in Apple iPhone case
2011/08/15
White House criticizes court's health care ruling
2011/08/10
Ariz. governor on deadline for immigration appeal
2011/08/01
Court upholds Chinese journalist's jail sentence
2011/07/26
Calif Supreme Court rules on illegal local taxes
2011/07/05
Bill revision could mean money for NJ drug company
2011/07/04
Mich. man sues, wants Chevron stock at '04 price
2011/07/03
Law school enrollment in Missouri lags as legal jobs dry up
2011/06/24
N.Y. governor signs gay marriage into law
2011/06/13
Court won't hear restitution claim in Ponzi case
2011/06/10
Toyota class action suit to start with Utah case
2011/06/07
Court: No shield law for message boards posters
2011/06/02
NJ mom accused of starving child pleads not guilty
2011/05/29
Court: Sex-offender list is not cruel punishment
2011/05/23
Not guilty plea entered for teen in NJ webcam case
2011/05/18
Ala. chief justice warns more court layoffs coming
2011/05/10
Court in Va. to hear US health care law challenges
2011/05/10
Pa. lawmaker faces hearing on gun-related charge
2011/05/09
Judge dismisses EA from NCAA antitrust lawsuit
2011/05/06
Court puts Carl Lewis back on NJ primary ballot
2011/05/03
NH Senate rejects changes to anti-bullying law
2011/05/02
Firm hired by GOP ends work on gay marriage ban
2011/05/02
Bachmann uses Holocaust to illustrate tax point
2011/05/02
Court sides with Wyoming in dispute with Montana
2011/04/28
Kan. House debates forcing lawsuit over casino
2011/04/28
US envoy says rights talks with China yield little
2011/04/06
2 charged with insider trading involving law firms
2011/02/23
Court turns down campaign disclosure challenge
2011/01/31
Reno court accepts deal for model in arch crash
2011/01/18
High court denies man's gun arrest appeal
2010/12/30
Mich. court ruling would nix water discharge plan
2010/11/28
Judge denies class action in cigarette lawsuits
2010/11/28
Ruling on Wal-Mart class-action case may have broader impact
2010/11/28
Conn. high court to hear immigrant benefits case
2010/11/27
Supreme Court: drugs can be forced on defendant
2010/11/02
WA voters say no to state income tax Initiative 1098
2010/10/07
Genzyme board rejects Sanofi $69-a-share offer
2010/08/03
Murder conviction of mom reversed in California
2010/07/12
Judicial Vacancies Slow the Wheels of Justice
2010/02/25
Law firm probes Skipton ceiling contract clause
2010/02/16
Montgomery law firm files suit against Toyota
2010/02/12
The money question: At many law firms, these prices are in-SANE!
2010/02/08
Private equity firms brace for tax battle
2010/01/31
First class-action lawsuit filed against Toyota
2009/12/28
Judge names Houston attorney to monitor company
2009/12/18
Ky. League of Cities audit goes to law enforcement
2009/10/26
NH judge refuses to dismiss poetry program lawsuit
2009/04/27
Judge waives waiting period for gay Iowa couple
2009/04/24
Judge in LA orders green card cases reopened
2009/04/21
US Supreme Court to rule on animal cruelty law
2009/02/26
Christian Boot Camp Accused of Abusing Kids
2009/02/20
Microsoft Dodges Class Action For Now
2009/01/26
FBI: Long Island investment firm boss surrenders
2009/01/05
Grocery Wholesaler in Federal Antitrust Action
2008/12/24
Court reinstates clean air rule during EPA fix
2008/11/23
Singapore rules Journal in contempt of court
2008/11/13
High court to rule when judges must bow out
2008/11/05
Court: Payday lending law violated constitution
2008/10/30
Alinghi, rivals call on BMW Oracle to drop lawsuit
2008/10/28
Hot-button social issues highlight state ballots
2008/08/28
Attorney Need Not Deliver Subpoenaed Transcript
2008/08/27
Citibank Stole From 53,000 Customers
2008/08/22
Court says Guantanamo documents should be released
2008/08/21
Urban League Challenges Illinois School Funding
2008/08/13
Steve Wynn Sues Soft-Core Porn King
2008/08/12
DuPont Loses Bid to Enforce Supply Contract
2008/08/11
DC Circuit dismisses Fannie Mae shareholder suit
2008/08/08
Texas executes second foreign national since ICJ order
2008/08/06
Female Football Player Claims Discrimination
2008/07/09
Anheuser-Bush Invokes Cuban Embargo To Fight Buyout
2008/07/08
Refco CEO Bennett Gets 16 Years
2008/07/03
DC police launch voluntary handgun search program
2008/06/20
Federal court issues stay in SC execution
2008/06/09
FTC Appeals D.C. Circuit Order In Rambus Case
2008/06/02
Hungarian Gypsies Lose Bid For Asylum In U.S.
2008/05/28
Harry Potter & The Librarian's Lawsuit
2008/05/07
Monopoly Alleged In Crane Certification
2008/05/06
Texas Judge Sets Execution for Mexican National
2008/05/02
Illegal Imimrants Sue Employer, Employer Sues Back
2008/04/23
Officers Denied Immunity For Arresting Protester
2008/04/22
Federal judge dismisses Katrina fraud claim
2008/04/10
Class Says Blockbuster Invades Privacy
2008/04/09
Two Attorneys Emerge in Detroit Mayor Case
2008/04/09
Discovery Across Borders
2008/04/07
Appeals court may let NSA lawsuits proceed
2008/04/04
Climate Work Heating Up at Law Firms
2008/04/03
Justices Weigh Definitions of Competency
2008/04/01
Expert Testimony Issues on the Rise
2008/03/28
DOJ to Continue Crackdown on Political Corruption
2008/03/27
Nebraska legislature rejects death penalty ban
2008/03/26
SEC Proposes "Naked" Short Selling Anti-Fraud Rule
2008/03/19
Cyclist Landis Appeals Arbitration Court Ruling
2008/03/14
Jackson Lawyer: Neverland Auction Off
2008/03/13
NewsScandal-hit Spitzer faces wait for law firm role
2008/03/09
MobiTV, HowardForums avoid legal skirmish
2008/03/07
Judge KOs Challenge to Internet Bet Law
2008/03/07
Bush: 'US Must Not Let Down Its Guard'
2008/03/06
Judge Wants to Resolve Indian Lands Case
2008/03/05
Swiss Bank Drops Wikileaks Lawsuit
2008/03/05
Judge Wants Shipwreck Evidence Worked On
2008/03/04
Lawsuit Dropped in Pain Doctor Case
2008/03/04
Ciolli Sues Yale Law Students in AutoAdmit Scandal
2008/03/03
Lawyer in Bribery Case Says Witness Lied
2008/03/03
Supreme Court May Re-examine What Is "Indecent"
2008/03/03
Court may opt to pay fees from Bible suit
2008/02/28
eBay Settles Patent Dispute With MercExchange
2008/02/27
Court Denies Altria Motions To Dimiss Claims
2008/02/25
A Law Firm Puts Its Chefs on Trial
2008/02/25
Former partner suing Dorsey & Whitney law firm
2008/02/25
Supreme Court to hear car search, tribal land cases
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Fueled by border crossings, a record 3 million cases clog US immigration courts
Topics in Legal News |
2024/01/15 15:38
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Eight months after crossing the Rio Grande into the United States, a couple in their 20s sat in an immigration court in Miami with their three young children. Through an interpreter, they asked a judge to give them more time to find an attorney to file for asylum and not be deported back to Honduras, where gangs threatened them.
Judge Christina Martyak agreed to a three-month extension, referred Aarón Rodriguéz and Cindy Baneza to free legal aid provided by the Catholic Archdiocese of Miami in the same courthouse — and their case remains one of the unprecedented 3 million currently pending in immigration courts around the United States.
Fueled by record-breaking increases in migrants who seek asylum after being apprehended for crossing the border illegally, the court backlog has grown by more than 1 million over the last fiscal year and it’s now triple what it was in 2019, according to government data compiled by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.
Judges, attorneys and migrant advocates worry that’s rendering an already strained system unworkable, as it often takes several years to grant asylum-seekers a new stable life and to deport those with no right to remain in the country.
“Sometimes hope already sinks,” said Mayra Cruz after her case was also granted an extension by Martyak because the Peruvian migrant doesn’t have an attorney.
“But here I’ve felt a bit safer,” added Cruz, who said she had to flee with only the clothes on her back with her partner and their children after repeated threats from gangs.
About 261,000 cases of migrants placed in removal proceedings are pending in the Miami court — the largest docket in the country. That’s about the same as were pending nationwide a dozen years ago, said Syracuse University professor Austin Kocher.
The backlog includes migrants who have been in the United States for decades and were apprehended on unrelated charges, but most are new asylum seekers who declare a fear of persecution if they are sent back, he added.
Backlogged courts, administered by the Justice Department, often get little attention in immigration debates, including in current Senate negotiations over the Biden administration’s $110 billion proposal that links aid for Ukraine and Israel to asylum and other border policy changes.
When migrants are apprehended by U.S. authorities at the border, many are released with a record of their detention and instructions to appear in court in the city where they are headed. That information is passed on from the Department of Homeland Security to the Justice Department, whose Executive Office for Immigration Review runs the courts, so that an initial hearing can be scheduled.
“They’re just being released without any idea of what comes next,” said Randy McGrorty, executive director of Catholic Legal Services for the Archdiocese of Miami, which has seen hundreds of thousands of migrants join its diaspora communities.
So many migrants go to them for advice that, in the last couple of years, they’ve largely switched to teaching how to self-petition and represent themselves before judges.
“We help them understand what judges want, and we help judges with efficiency and preserving fundamental rights,” said Miguel Mora, a Catholic Legal Services supervising attorney in Miami.
Advocates say that most migrants ask for individual legal representation, something that’s becoming increasingly rare given the huge numbers, and how to get work permits, which migrants can apply for 150 days after filing their asylum application. |
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Progressive Councilmember Freddie O’Connell wins Nashville mayor’s race
Topics in Legal News |
2023/09/22 15:21
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Freddie O’Connell, a progressive member of Nashville’s metro council, has resoundingly won the race to become the next mayor of the Democratic-leaning city, according to unofficial results.
Results from the Davidson County Election Commission show O’Connell defeated conservative candidate Alice Rolli in Thursday’s runoff election by a wide margin, with all precincts reporting. Candidates in the race do not run with party affiliations.
Since 2015, O’Connell has served on the combined city-county government’s council, representing a district that covers downtown Nashville. He succeeds Mayor John Cooper, who decided not to seek reelection.
O’Connell, whose campaign touted him as the “only truly progressive candidate running for mayor,” said he wants to make the city “more ’ville and less Vegas,” a reference to the “Nashvegas” moniker sometimes used to liken the huge boom in tourism in the city to Las Vegas.
“Every part of this city deserves the public resources that bind neighborhoods and neighbors together — schools, parks and libraries,” O’Connell said in a victory speech. “And when we do that, our interactions with our local government should leave us feeling satisfied that a real person worked to solve our issue.”
Down the ballot, Olivia Hill won an at-large metro council seat to make history as the first transgender candidate to be elected to office in Tennessee, according to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund. Hill’s victory stands in contrast to Tennessee’s Republican leadership in state government, where lawmakers have passed a series of restrictions on the rights of transgender people. |
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Polish director demands apology from justice minister for comparing her film
Topics in Legal News |
2023/09/15 11:38
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Film director Agnieszka Holland demanded an apology from Poland’s justice minister after he compared her latest film, which explores the migration crisis at the Poland-Belarus border, to Nazi propaganda.
Holland said Wednesday that she planned to bring defamation charges against Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro unless she receives an apology within seven days. She also demanded that he make a charitable donation of 50,000 Polish zlotys ($11,600) to an association that helps Holocaust survivors.
Holland’s feature film, “Green Border,” explores a migration crisis that has played out along Poland’s border with Belarus over the past two years. It takes a sympathetic approach toward the migrants from the Middle East and Africa who got caught up as pawns in a geopolitical standoff.
It also looks critically at the way Poland’s security services pushed back migrants who were lured to the border by Belarus, an ally of Russia.
Ziobro slammed the film earlier this week, saying: “In the Third Reich, the Germans produced propaganda films showing Poles as bandits and murderers. Today, they have Agnieszka Holland for that.”
He made his comment on the social platform X, formerly Twitter, on Monday, a day before the film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
Holland noted in a statement that Ziobro, who serves as prosecutor general as well as justice minster, commented on her film without having seen it and that she believed his words amounted to defamation, calling them “despicable.”
“I cannot remain indifferent to such an open and brutal attack by a person who holds the very important constitutional position of minister of justice and prosecutor general in Poland,” she wrote in a statement from Venice dated Wednesday but published in Poland on Thursday. |
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Judge strikes down a Texas law requiring age verification to view adult websites
Topics in Legal News |
2023/09/04 15:19
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A federal judge has struck down a Texas law requiring age verification and health warnings to view pornographic websites and blocked the state attorney general’s office from enforcing it.
In a ruling Thursday, U.S. District Judge David Ezra agreed with claims that House Bill 1181, which was signed into law by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in June, violates free speech rights and is overbroad and vague.
The state attorney general’s office, which is defending the law, immediately filed notice of appeal to the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in New Orleans.
The lawsuit was filed Aug. 4 by the Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the adult entertainment industry and a person identified as Jane Doe and described as an adult entertainer on various adult sites, including Pornhub.
Judge Ezra also said the law, which was to take effect Friday, raises privacy concerns because a permissible age verification is using a traceable government-issued identification and the government has access to and is not required to delete the data.
“People will be particularly concerned about accessing controversial speech when the state government can log and track that access,” Ezra wrote. “By verifying information through government identification, the law will allow the government to peer into the most intimate and personal aspects of people’s lives.”
Ezra said Texas has a legitimate goal of protecting children from online sexual material, but noted other measures, including blocking and filtering software, exist.
“These methods are more effective and less restrictive in terms of protecting minors from adult content,” Ezra wrote. The judge also found the law unconstitutionally compels speech by requiring adult sites to post health warnings they dispute — that pornography is addictive, impairs mental development and increases the demand for prostitution, child exploitation and child sexual abuse images.
“The disclosures state scientific findings as a matter of fact, when in reality, they range from heavily contested to unsupported by the evidence,” Ezra wrote.
The Texas law is one of several similar age verification laws passed in other states, including Arkansas, Mississippi, Utah and Louisiana. |
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Ex-Catholic Cardinal McCarrick, age 93, found unfit to stand trial
Topics in Legal News |
2023/08/31 10:48
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The once-powerful Roman Catholic Cardinal Theodore McCarrick will not stand trial on charges he sexually assaulted a teenage boy decades ago, as a Massachusetts judge dismissed the case against the 93-year-old on Wednesday because both prosecutors and defense attorneys agree he is experiencing dementia.
McCarrick, the ex-archbishop of Washington, D.C., was defrocked by Pope Francis in 2019 after an internal Vatican investigation determined he sexually molested adults as well as children. The McCarrick scandal created a crisis of credibility for the church, primarily because there was evidence Vatican and U.S. church leaders knew he slept with seminarians but turned a blind eye as McCarrick rose to the top of the U.S. church as an adept fundraiser who advised three popes.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Dr. Kerry Nelligan, a psychologist hired by the prosecution, said she found significant deficits in McCarrick’s memory during two interviews in June, and he was often unable to recall what they had discussed from one hour to the next. As with any form of dementia, she said there are no medications that could improve the symptoms.
“It’s not just that he currently has these deficits,” Nelligan said. “There is no way they are going to get better.” Without being able to remember discussions, he could not participate with his lawyers in his defense, she said.
McCarrick appeared via a video link during the hearing. He was slightly slumped in his chair wearing a light green shirt and what appeared to be a grey sweater vest or sweater around his shoulders. He did not speak during the hearing.
The once-powerful American prelate faced charges that he abused the teenage boy at a wedding reception at Wellesley College in 1974.
McCarrick has maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty in September 2021. He was also charged in April with sexually assaulting an 18-year-old man in Wisconsin more than 45 years ago.
In February, McCarrick’s attorneys asked the court to dismiss the case, saying a professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine had examined him and concluded that he has dementia, likely Alzheimer’s disease.
At that time, lawyers said McCarrick had a “limited understanding” of the criminal proceedings against him. |
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