8th Circuit Court

Complaint targets ABA diversity programs; claims are ‘factually and legally incorrect,’ association says

A civil rights complaint filed Tuesday with the U.S. Department of Justice alleges that at least nine ABA diversity programs discriminate on the basis of race in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

May 23, 2024 9:35 AM CDT

Court program bets on autistic kids

In 2018, Justice Sunny Bailey created the Detention Alternative for Autistic Youth. When autistic youths arrive in the Las Vegas 8th Judicial District court charged with crimes ranging from battery to sexual assault, they have the opportunity to go to DAAY Court, which connects those children and teens with the help they need free of charge.

Apr 23, 2024 10:55 AM CDT

Qualified immunity shield may depend on size and publication rate of federal appeals court, new report says

Qualified immunity “protects officials too much and our rights too little,” according to a new report by the Institute for Justice based on an analysis of more than 5,500 federal appeals decisions over an 11-year period.

Feb 7, 2024 8:47 AM CST

Animal Legal Defense Fund fails to persuade 8th Circuit that ‘ag-gag’ laws violate First Amendment

A federal appeals court has upheld two “ag-gag” laws in Iowa in a First Amendment challenge by the Animal Legal Defense Fund and other animal welfare groups.

Jan 9, 2024 12:37 PM CST

Supreme Court considers whether police officer’s job transfer was sex discrimination under Civil Rights Act

The justices agreed to decide whether Title VII prohibits discrimination in transfer decisions “absent a separate court determination that the transfer decision caused a significant disadvantage.”

Nov 30, 2023 10:29 AM CST

In ‘catastrophic’ ruling for minority voters, 8th Circuit says only US can sue for discriminatory voting practices

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at St. Louis ruled Monday that private plaintiffs cannot sue for alleged violations of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which bans voting practices and procedures that deny or abridge the right to vote on the basis of race or color.

Nov 20, 2023 3:26 PM CST

Missouri can’t ban enforcement of federal gun restrictions after Supreme Court denies emergency request

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday turned down an emergency request to reinstate a Missouri law that barred state officials from helping enforce federal gun laws.

Oct 23, 2023 3:34 PM CDT

8th Circuit decision upholding felon gun ban quickens path to Supreme Court, lawyer says

A federal appeals court has refused to disturb a panel opinion upholding a ban on gun possession by felons, creating a circuit split.

Sep 5, 2023 2:16 PM CDT

We ‘live on a pro se planet;’ 5th Circuit allows parents to sometimes represent children without lawyers

A federal appeals court is giving a pro se parent a chance to persuade a federal judge that she may represent her minor children without a lawyer in a federal lawsuit filed against a Texas school district.

Jun 6, 2023 12:39 PM CDT

Can the government seize property for unpaid taxes and keep the surplus after selling it? SCOTUS will decide

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether local governments violate the Constitution when they seize property for unpaid taxes, sell it and then fail to return the surplus to the owner.

Jan 17, 2023 12:05 PM CST

Supreme Court will consider challenge to Biden’s student-debt relief program, puts case on fast track

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide a challenge to the Biden administration’s student-debt relief program in a lawsuit filed by six states.

Dec 1, 2022 3:22 PM CST

Biden administration extends pause on federal student-loan payments as SCOTUS review is sought

The Biden administration on Tuesday extended the pause on federal student-loan payments, interest and collections to allow time for the courts to resolve litigation over plans to forgive some loans.

Nov 23, 2022 10:28 AM CST

Weekly Briefs: Biden can’t grant student-debt relief, judge says; $32.3M malpractice award left in place

Judge strikes down student-debt relief U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman of Fort Worth, Texas, ruled Thursday that the Biden administration’s plan to forgive some federal student-loan debt was an unconstitutional exercise of legislative power. “In this country, we are not ruled by an all-powerful executive with a pen and a…

Nov 11, 2022 3:14 PM CST

8th Circuit temporarily pauses student-loan forgiveness program

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at St. Louis on Friday granted an administrative stay that temporarily pauses the Biden administration’s student-loan debt-relief program.

Oct 24, 2022 10:31 AM CDT

8th Circuit upholds food-safety law in suit by pastor who gave bologna sandwiches to homeless people

A pastor and his assistant who were ticketed but not prosecuted for handing out bologna sandwiches to homeless people have lost their First Amendment lawsuit against the city of St. Louis.

Oct 19, 2022 9:05 AM CDT