Fourteenth Amendment

In emergency order, SCOTUS sides with Wisconsin GOP lawmakers over voting map in redistricting case

The U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial “shadow docket” was in the spotlight Wednesday, as the high court sided with Wisconsin Republican lawmakers opposed to a voting map chosen by their state’s highest court.

Mar 24, 2022 9:05 AM CDT

Kentucky clerk who denied marriage licenses to same-sex couples can’t avoid liability for civil rights violations, judge rules

A federal judge in Kentucky has ruled that a former Rowan County, Kentucky, clerk who denied marriage licenses to same-sex couples cannot duck liability for violating their civil rights. But the court left it up to a jury to decide whether she should pay damages.

Mar 24, 2022 8:52 AM CDT

Supreme Court to consider law that gives preferences to tribes in Native American adoptions

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider the constitutionality of a federal law giving Indian tribes preference in Native American adoptions and foster-care arrangements.

Feb 28, 2022 12:50 PM CST

‘Father of Miranda’ Yale Kamisar dies at 92

Yale Kamisar, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School who influenced landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions on the rights of criminal defendants, has died at age 92.

Feb 7, 2022 9:23 AM CST

8th Circuit refuses to toss suit over kettling said to sweep up innocent bystanders during protests

A federal appeals court has refused to toss a lawsuit by a St. Louis man who claims that police violated his constitutional rights during a protest when they boxed him and other innocent bystanders into an intersection and made mass arrests.

Feb 4, 2022 9:46 AM CST

An ‘ominous development’ for race-conscious college admissions? Supreme Court accepts 2 challenges

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear challenges to race-conscious admissions at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Jan 24, 2022 11:09 AM CST

Students who sued for an adequate civics education lose in 1st Circuit

A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that Rhode Island students can’t proceed with their lawsuit contending that the state failed to provide an adequate civics education in violation of their constitutional rights.

Jan 13, 2022 10:50 AM CST

En banc 9th Circuit upholds California’s ban on high-capacity gun magazines

California’s ban on high-capacity gun magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition does not violate the Second Amendment, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Dec 1, 2021 9:10 AM CST

NRA’s lawsuit claims over closed gun stores are moot, 2nd Circuit rules

A federal appeals court has ruled that the National Rifle Association can’t obtain an injunction or damages for its members in a lawsuit over the closing of New York gun stores during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nov 17, 2021 11:16 AM CST

Officer who shot service dogs not entitled to qualified immunity, 8th Circuit says

A federal appeals court ruled Monday that a Minneapolis police officer was not entitled to qualified immunity in a lawsuit alleging that his shooting of two service dogs violated the constitutional rights of their owners.

Nov 16, 2021 11:06 AM CST

ABA urges Supreme Court to rule US can sue to block unconstitutional Texas abortion law

Texas “undercut the rule of law” when it passed an unconstitutional abortion law intended to evade court review, the ABA said in an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday.

Oct 27, 2021 2:27 PM CDT

Tree ordinance was an unconstitutional taking, 6th Circuit rules

A Michigan township’s ordinance requiring property owners to replace trees that they remove from their property or pay into a tree fund was an unconstitutional condition on their rights under the takings clause, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Oct 14, 2021 11:02 AM CDT

Can a court reduce punitive damages below statutory cap? Supreme Court asks for solicitor general’s view

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday sought the view of the U.S. solicitor general in a case in which a federal appeals court reduced punitive damages below a statutory cap.

Oct 13, 2021 11:37 AM CDT

Supreme Court should uphold precedent in Mississippi abortion case, ABA amicus brief says

The ABA filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday that asks justices to uphold Roe v. Wade and adhere to its precedent recognizing the right to an abortion prior to the viability of the fetus when it hears a case scheduled for the October term.

Sep 20, 2021 4:40 PM CDT

DOJ relies on ruling against Eugene Debs in seeking to block Texas abortion law

The U.S. Department of Justice is relying on an 1894 U.S. Supreme Court ruling involving American Railway Union leader Eugene Debs in its lawsuit seeking to block a restrictive Texas abortion law.

Sep 14, 2021 9:34 AM CDT