Public Health

Judge rejects HHS Secretary Kennedy’s attempt to limit gender-affirming care for minors

A federal judge in Oregon has found that Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, acted "with cruelty” when he restricted federal funding to medical providers who provide gender-affirming care to minors.

Apr 21, 2026 12:31 PM CDT

Medical providers who allegedly mishandled rape examination at center of lawsuit

A woman is claiming that medical providers in Florida mishandled her sexual assault forensic examination in what her attorney describes as an unusual lawsuit.

Mar 9, 2026 10:57 AM CDT

Court is not ‘enforcement division’ for ‘Miss Manners,’ concurring judge says as discipline case is tossed

The Kansas Supreme Court has rejected a recommended censure against a former district attorney who issued a press release questioning a chief judge’s statements about a plan to host jury trials at the county fairgrounds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sep 3, 2025 12:35 PM CDT

Justice Jackson accuses Supreme Court majority of playing Calvinball

A partial dissent last week by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is attracting attention for her reference to a game that made a recurring appearance in the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes.

Aug 25, 2025 9:27 AM CDT

Supreme Court upholds Affordable Care Act’s preventive care mandate

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a portion of the Affordable Care Act that requires health plans to provide free preventive care such as cancer screenings.

Jun 27, 2025 9:51 AM CDT

Supreme Court allows vape companies to pick courts to hear challenges

The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a government effort to narrow options for challenging Food and Drug Administration denials of applications to market electronic cigarettes, including flavored products that health officials say have led to a youth vaping epidemic. In a case that centered on questions of venue-shopping, the justices…

Jun 20, 2025 1:27 PM CDT

States grapple with regulating seltzer drinks with THC

As controversy ensues across the states, some say low-THC products should be outlawed completely.

Jun 1, 2025 12:50 AM CDT

Future Forward: How lawyers can embrace sustainability

Sustainable development means more than “being green,” says John Dernbach, an emeritus professor at Widener University Commonwealth Law School and the founding director of its Environmental Law and Sustainability Center. Rather, he says, sustainable development balances environmental protection, economic development and social justice.

Apr 1, 2025 3:00 AM CDT

Federal judge blocks Trump order on health care for transgender youth

A federal judge on Thursday blocked executive orders signed by President Donald Trump that target transgender people and their health care, giving temporary relief to LGBTQ+ individuals and their families, who braced for legal battles to continue.

Feb 14, 2025 9:00 AM CST

Hold the Phone: K-12 school electronic device policies must be carefully considered, lawyers say

As more school districts tighten up student cellphone policies on campus, three reasons are often cited for the change. Lawyers, however, caution that the policies should not be as simple as prohibiting phones on campus.

Jan 14, 2025 11:02 AM CST

Supreme Court agrees to review cases involving student loan debt and preventive care

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear three new cases, including challenges to a federal rule that forgives student debt and to the part of the Affordable Care Act that requires insurance companies to cover some preventive care services.

Jan 13, 2025 3:20 PM CST

Opioid suits can’t be based on nuisance law in Ohio, top state court rules in $650M win for pharmacies

A decision by the Ohio Supreme Court on the state’s product-liability law is good news for three national pharmaceutical chains ordered to pay more than $650 million for contributing to the opioid epidemic.

Dec 12, 2024 3:23 PM CST

Lawyers spar in Supreme Court over constitutional rights in transgender health care case

The lengthy arguments this week in United States v. Skrmetti—a major case about whether a Tennessee law barring certain medical treatments for transgender minors violates the 14th Amendment—were marked by past positions, anticipation of future battles, a historical first and one justice’s curious silence.

Dec 5, 2024 2:15 PM CST

Lighting a Spark: Students learn about environmental justice from attorneys in public service project

Last month, students in Washington, D.C., got to learn about environmental justice from actual environmental lawyers.

Dec 5, 2024 11:29 AM CST

Texas AG sues pediatrician over gender-affirming care for youths

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against a Dallas-based pediatrician, accusing her of providing transition-related hormones in violation of a state ban on gender-affirming care for people under age 18.

Oct 18, 2024 11:50 AM CDT