Recent Updates
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Iowa court: Abortion not protected by state constitution
National Court News 06/18/2022The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday cleared the way for lawmakers to severely limit or ban abortion in the state, reversing a decision by the court just four years ago that guaranteed the right to abortion under the Iowa Constitution.The court, now comp...
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Indiana court strikes down emergency law fought by governor
National Court News 06/07/2022The Indiana Supreme Court on Friday threw out a law that gave state legislators increased power to intervene during public health emergencies, agreeing with arguments from Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb that the move violated the state constitution.The...
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Wisconsin Supreme Court adopts GOP-drawn legislative maps
National Court News 04/17/2022The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Friday adopted Republican-drawn maps for the state Legislature, handing the GOP a victory just weeks after initially approving maps drawn by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.The court reversed itself after the U.S. Supreme Co...
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Judge won’t halt execution over intellectual disability
National Court News 03/29/2022A judge on Tuesday dismissed a motion to declare a Tennessee death row inmate intellectually disabled, a move that would have prohibited his upcoming execution.Senior Judge Walter Kurtz wrote that federal courts had previously determined Byron Black ...
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Montana bill seeks to charge doctors assisting in suicides
National Court News 02/26/2021The Montana Senate is considering a bill that would make it illegal for doctors to help terminal patients take their own life.The bill heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday would open doctors up to possible homicide charges if they prescr...
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Trump taps ‘eminently qualified’ Barrett for Supreme Court
National Court News 09/29/2020President Donald Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Saturday, capping a dramatic reshaping of the federal judiciary that will resonate for a generation and that he hopes will provide a needed boost to his reelection effor...
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'Hotel Rwanda' hero charged with terrorism in Rwanda court
National Court News 09/16/2020A Rwandan court on Monday charged Paul Rusesabagina, whose story inspired the film “Hotel Rwanda,” with terrorism, complicity in murder, and forming an armed rebel group.Rusesabagina declined to respond to all 13 charges, saying some did ...
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Court denies AG's bid to halt initiative signature gathering
National Court News 07/24/2020Those backing a plan to put an independent commission in charge of Oregon’s redistricting process will get additional time to gather signatures and a lower threshold to qualify their initiative for the November ballot because of the pandemic, t...
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The Supreme Court's future hinges on the 2020 election
National Court News 07/16/2020The blockbuster Supreme Court term that just ended was a (nearly) unmitigated disaster for movement conservatives. Chief Justice John Roberts declined to overturn precedent on abortion rights. Conservative activist Justice Neil Gorsuch showed he woul...
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Ginsburg, from hospital, joins in on 'Obamacare' arguments
National Court News 05/06/2020The Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in a dispute involving Trump administration rules that would allow more employers who cite a religious or moral objection to opt out of providing no-cost birth control to women.With arguments conducted by t...
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Black robes or bathrobes? Virus alters high court traditions
National Court News 05/01/2020The coronavirus pandemic is forcing big changes at the tradition-bound Supreme Court. The justices will hear arguments this month by telephone for the first time since Alexander Graham Bell patented his invention in 1876.Audio of the arguments will b...
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Blind justice: No visual cues in high court phone cases
National Court News 04/26/2020On the evening before he was to argue a case before the Supreme Court years ago, Jeffrey Fisher broke his glasses. That left the very nearsighted lawyer with an unappealing choice. He could wear contacts and clearly see the justices but not his notes...