ABA Journal

2nd Circuit Court

1120 ABA Journal 2nd Circuit Court articles.

Appeals court decision allowing release of Sackler family from opioid liability deepens circuit split

A federal appeals court has upheld a bankruptcy plan for Purdue Pharma that shielded the company’s owners from liability in civil opioid lawsuits in exchange for their agreement to contribute up to $6 billion to resolve the litigation.

Supreme Court will decide when public officials can block people from personal social media accounts

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday accepted two cases that consider whether public officials may violate the First Amendment when they block people from personal social media accounts that discuss their government roles.

Is Trump immune in defamation suit over rape denial? It’s too soon to decide, top DC court says

The top court for Washington, D.C., declined to say Thursday whether former President Donald Trump was acting within the scope of his presidential employment when he denied rape claims by writer E. Jean Carroll.

Prosecution of environmental lawyer Steven Donziger broke ‘basic constitutional promise,’ 2 SCOTUS justices say

Two conservative justices are raising concerns about judge-appointed prosecutors in a dissent from the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the case of disbarred environmental lawyer Steven Donziger.

Confiscation of man’s ‘Cops Ahead’ signs violated First Amendment rights, appeals court says

A police officer’s confiscation of two signs reading “Cops Ahead” violated the First Amendment rights of the man who was holding them, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Weekly Briefs: Legal jobs increase in January; 11th Circuit doesn’t rule out execution by firing squad

Legal industry adds 2,400 jobs

The legal services sector added 2,400 jobs in January, according to preliminary and seasonally adjusted figures released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.…

Judicial discretion should be upheld in case involving sentencing standards, ABA says in amicus brief

The ABA has filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court to support the argument that federal criminal statutes do not require a New York defendant who was convicted for his role in a murder related to drug trafficking to be sentenced to mandatory consecutive sentences.

Supreme Court leaves in place New York gun restrictions during appeals

New York’s new concealed-carry restrictions remain in place during appeals as a result of an order Wednesday by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Athletes who challenged transgender-inclusive sports policy are still champions and lack standing, 2nd Circuit rules

Standing issues and a lack of notice have doomed a challenge to a transgender-inclusive sports policy. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New York ruled Friday against four cisgender athletes in Connecticut who alleged that the policy deprived them of a fair shot at statewide track titles in high school.

Supreme Court considers reach of federal fraud law in 2 public corruption cases

Updated: The U.S. Supreme Court is considering two cases in which the defendants argue that federal fraud law doesn't cover alleged bid rigging and payments to a nongovernment official to get state business.

2nd Circuit gives Trump chance to avoid rape defamation suit with ruling on employee status

Updated: A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that former President Donald Trump was a government employee when he denied rape claims by writer E. Jean Carroll, a decision that could shield Trump from personal liability in the woman’s defamation lawsuit.

Weekly Briefs: DOJ urges SCOTUS to turn down citizenship case; cop asks second justice to block vaccine mandate

Don’t accept citizenship case, DOJ tells SCOTUS

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a brief Monday urging the U.S. Supreme Court to deny review in a case on citizenship rights…

Weekly Briefs: Ex-officer pleads guilty in Breonna Taylor case; ex-BigLaw partner can’t shield 401(k) cash

Ex-officer pleads guilty in Breonna Taylor case

Former Louisville, Kentucky, detective Kelly Goodlett pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge Tuesday for helping falsify an application for a…

New York attorney general’s actions over rape case are ‘a sinister abuse,’ dissenting judge says

In a scathing dissent, a federal appellate judge admonished the New York attorney general’s office for defending a conviction in a 2009 rape case.

2nd Circuit partly rules for jury-nullification advocate challenging limit on protests near courthouses

A jury-nullification protester wasn’t able to persuade a federal appeals court that a New York law banning some protests near courthouses is unconstitutional on its face.

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