State Government

AG Barr announces funding, future plans to address public safety crisis in rural Alaska

A month after U.S. Attorney General William Barr visited Alaska to investigate the high rates of sexual assault and family violence and low police presence in rural communities, he has declared a law enforcement emergency in the state.

Jul 1, 2019 9:35 AM CDT

Supreme Court strikes down residency requirement for Tennessee liquor retailers

A residency requirement for liquor retailers in Tennessee violates the commerce clause, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Wednesday in a 7-2 opinion. At issue was a two-year residency requirement for individuals and corporate officers seeking an initial liquor license for retail sales. In the court’s majority opinion, Justice Samuel A.…

Jun 26, 2019 2:24 PM CDT

New York legislature OKs ban on gay and trans ‘panic defenses’

New York is poised to join the increasing number of states that are banning gay and trans “panic defenses” in murder cases. As the ABA Journal reported in January, legislatures have increasingly considered this type of ban.

Jun 26, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

Liberating criminal justice data: How a Florida law provides a blueprint for the nation

In a self-imposed Sisyphean task, the team at Measures for Justice travels the U.S. unearthing, collecting and publishing criminal justice data. Today, Christian Gossett, district attorney for Winnebago County, Wisconsin, says more people are being released quicker pretrial, and he’s working with researchers to improve equity in diversion, thanks to the initial data made available by Measures for Justice.

Jun 18, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Texas governor signs bill banning shutdowns of kids’ lemonade stands

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill Monday to allow children to operate lemonade stands without interference. The new law bans cities, counties and public health officials from blocking or requiring permits from children who occasionally sell lemonade and other nonalcoholic drinks on private property and in public parks. The…

Jun 13, 2019 10:26 AM CDT

Alabama governor signs chemical castration law; it’s not the first state to authorize it

On Monday, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, signed into law a bill that requires sex offenders whose victims were younger than age 13 to receive chemical castration as a condition of parole.

Jun 12, 2019 12:21 PM CDT

More families of murder victims will qualify for financial assistance; report helped fuel state’s legislation

Victims of crime encounter many unanticipated costs, such as funeral expenses, lost wages and hospital bills. Every state maintains a fund to help ease that burden, but under a long-standing rule in Louisiana, victims with a felony record were excluded.

Jun 11, 2019 10:38 AM CDT

ABA supports use of traditional insanity defense in death-row inmate’s petition

In an amicus brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, the ABA said it supports Kansas death-row inmate James Kraig Kahler’s petition to reverse the Kansas Supreme Court decision that rejected the traditional insanity defense in his case. Kahler, who was convicted of killing four family members in…

Jun 10, 2019 12:44 PM CDT

Florist can’t refuse to provide flowers for same-sex wedding, state supreme court rules again

The Washington Supreme Court has ruled again against a Christian florist who refused to provide flowers for a same-sex couple’s wedding on the grounds that it would violate her religion.

Jun 7, 2019 10:55 AM CDT

Alaska Native leaders to AG Barr: Help fix our law enforcement crisis

Alaska Native leaders called on U.S. Attorney General William Barr for federal aid and greater authority for tribes to prosecute certain crimes, saying Wednesday that a dangerous lack of law enforcement is growing worse in the state’s most remote communities. Barr, sitting beside U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, heard that…

May 31, 2019 7:30 AM CDT

Multistate suit challenges federal ‘conscience’ rule over health care refusals on religious grounds

The state of New York is leading a coalition of 23 state and local governments in a lawsuit challenging a federal “conscience” rule that expands the ability of businesses and individuals to refuse to provide medical services on religious or moral grounds. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, says the final rule,…

May 22, 2019 3:47 PM CDT

Texas AG sides with lawyers challenging mandatory bar membership

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed an amicus brief that sides with three lawyers who contend that mandatory membership in the State Bar of Texas violates their First Amendment right against coerced speech.

May 7, 2019 7:30 AM CDT

Tribe bans South Dakota governor from reservation over her support for laws targeting Keystone XL pipeline protests

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is no longer welcome on the Pine Ridge Reservation because of her support for anti-rioting laws passed in response to protests of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. The Oglala Sioux Tribal Council told Noem in a Thursday letter that she is no longer welcome on…

May 3, 2019 3:20 PM CDT

Kansas Supreme Court rules state constitution guarantees abortion rights, even if Roe is overturned

A decision by the Kansas Supreme Court on Friday means that even if Roe v. Wade was overturned, abortions would stay legal in the state.

Apr 29, 2019 7:00 AM CDT

After ‘aloha’ restaurant dispute, Hawaii pushes to protect cultural intellectual property

“Aloha” means hello and goodbye and signifies love, compassion and kindness. Since last year, the Hawaiian word also has been legally connected to poke, a bowl of diced raw fish. In 2018, a non-Hawaiian food chain that originated in Chicago, the Aloha Poke Co., trademarked “Aloha Poke” and sent cease-and-desist…

Apr 26, 2019 10:44 AM CDT