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239 entries in 'Legal News Highlight' |
2025/01/24
Trump suspends US foreign assistance for 90 days pending reviews
2025/01/03
Trump’s sentencing is set for Jan. 10. Here’s what could happen next
2024/12/16
TikTok asks Supreme Court to temporarily block law that could ban site in U.S.
2024/06/27
Israel’s high court orders the army to draft ultra-Orthodox men
2024/06/13
Unanimous Supreme Court preserves access to widely used abortion medication
2024/06/07
Three Americans in alleged coup attempt appear in Congo military court
2024/04/22
Supreme Court will weigh banning homeless people from sleeping outside
2024/03/15
Court upholds mandatory prison terms for some low-level drug dealers
2024/03/01
Supreme Court casts doubt on GOP-led states’ efforts to regulate social media
2024/02/02
UN court rejects most of Ukraine’s terror financing case against Russia
2024/01/05
Trump asks US Supreme Court to overturn Colorado ruling
2023/12/26
Britain cracks down on protests in threat to democratic norms
2023/10/30
Court strikes down new law giving participants right to change venue
2023/06/28
Supreme Court rules for nursing home patient’s family
2023/06/26
Yale student who reported rape can be sued for defamation
2023/06/06
Court upholds judge’s finding that Tesla acquisition of Solar City was fair
2023/01/06
South Carolina Supreme Court strikes down state abortion ban
2022/11/03
Indiana Democrats pin legislative gains on abortion debate
2022/08/26
Lobster fishing union drops lawsuit about new whale closure
2021/08/27
Maryland’s highest court reviewing teen sniper’s life term
2021/08/18
Announcing the Launch of NY Immigration Law Firm
2021/05/02
Judges hear arguments over Census’ contentious privacy tool
2021/04/28
Slain girl’s grandmother wants caseworkers deemed ‘reckless’
2021/03/04
State ordered to submit plan for mental health services
2021/01/21
Justice: Technology helped Nebraska courts face pandemic
2021/01/11
Louisiana Supreme Court has a new chief justice, John Weimer
2020/09/24
Lawyer: Case of Black inmate set to die reveals racial bias
2020/08/01
Court overturns Boston Marathon bomber’s death sentence
2020/07/20
Ohio court to hear arguments in appeal over judge shot video
2020/07/15
Apple wins big EU court case over $15 billion in taxes
2020/06/03
Wisconsin Supreme Court agrees to hear voter purge case
2020/01/22
Bangladesh court orders 231 factories closed to save river
2019/12/22
Court: Airline’s workers can’t sue as class in pay dispute
2019/04/07
South Korean court orders easing of decades-old abortion ban
2019/02/22
Court upholds car rental tax imposed in Maricopa County
2019/02/16
Wisconsin court: Judge's Facebook friendship could show bias
2019/01/19
Lawyer: Incapacitated woman who gave birth not in coma
2019/01/03
Appeals court sides with Trump in transgender military case
2018/12/21
Human rights court rules against Greece in Sharia law case
2018/12/12
Thai court extends detention of refugee sought by Bahrain
2018/10/27
Bomb suspect set for Florida court appearance
2018/09/29
UN court asked to probe Venezuela; leader defiant in speech
2018/08/12
Court, regulators clash over uranium project in South Dakota
2018/08/05
Oklahoma lawsuit against opioid makers back in state court
2018/07/05
1-year-old goes to court to get reunited with family
2018/06/08
Swedish court: Ghana international to be jailed, deported
2018/06/06
Congressional Dems take Trump to court over foreign favors
2018/03/19
Courts weighing numerous challenges to political boundaries
2018/03/04
Court rules in favor of fired transgender funeral director
2018/03/02
Organized labor case goes in front of Supreme Court
2018/02/20
Maldives court delays reinstating pro-opposition lawmakers
2018/01/12
Warrant dropped for professor who spoke Hawaiian in court
2017/11/14
Feds head to court to seek dismissal of Twin Metals lawsuit
2017/11/11
Trump choosing white men as judges, highest rate in decades
2017/10/30
Illinois to require veterans courts across the state in 2018
2017/10/28
Court asked to decide whether to limit electronics searches
2017/10/25
Ohio court won't hear case in seizure of exotic animals
2017/10/22
Court weighing whether graffiti mecca was protected by law
2017/09/30
Supreme Court refuses to hear Kentucky foster care case
2017/07/12
Hearing In San Diego Unified Suit Against The College Board
2017/05/06
Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman returns to court in drug case
2017/05/01
Supreme Court says cities can sue banks under anti-bias law
2017/04/20
Supreme Court bans Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia
2017/04/05
Baldwin's Supreme Court nominee fight is early flashpoint
2017/01/20
Court ponders mass murderer Breivik's prison conditions
2016/12/07
UK Supreme Court hears landmark challenge to Brexit plans
2016/11/20
French court restores far-right candidate's ties to father
2016/09/24
Court gives fertilizer dealers a reprieve from policy change
2016/09/24
Court asks judges to respond to Louisiana sheriff's claims
2016/08/11
Court again says New Jersey can't legalize sports betting
2016/08/11
Egyptian lawyer, journalist released after prison sentence
2016/07/22
Arkansas court denies request for new execution law hearing
2016/06/25
Senate confirms district court judge for New Jersey
2016/03/29
Supreme Court's future hangs in the balance in 2016
2016/03/23
Ole Miss ex-student pleads guilty to tying noose on statue
2016/01/20
Florida asks court to deny inmate's execution-delay request
2015/11/19
Rick Perry indictment goes before Texas' top criminal court
2015/11/01
High court rejects ex-stockbroker's appeal in fraud case
2015/07/14
Court: New health law doesn't infringe on religious freedom
2014/12/04
Egyptian court sentences 188 people to death
2014/11/18
Gay marriage issue squarely before high court
2014/11/11
Kansas watches high court justice on gay marriage
2014/10/20
Appeals court reinstates Texas voter ID law
2014/08/29
Top India court says coal allocations were illegal
2014/06/25
Court rejects appeal of gay jury selection case
2014/04/17
Oklahoma gay-marriage case before US appeals court
2014/04/15
SC Supreme Court hears appeal in fatal dog attack
2014/04/08
Lawmaker Yee due back in court for arraignment
2014/03/17
Court: Tenn. Must Recognize 3 Same-Sex Marriages
2014/03/14
French court blocks secret recordings of Sarkozy
2014/02/24
Moscow court sends 7 to prison for protest rally
2013/11/25
Wind energy firm pleads guilty to eagle deaths
2012/02/27
BP 'ready for long court battle over Gulf spill'
2012/02/24
Costner sculpture dispute heads to SD high court
2012/02/23
Court seems split on double jeopardy question
2012/02/02
Providence mayor warns of possible bankruptcy
2012/01/30
Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP Files Class Action
2012/01/26
Hustler targeted for printing photos of dead woman
2012/01/25
In Vt., an attorney general's losses raise doubts
2012/01/18
Amazon Hit With Class Action Over Zappos Data Breach
2012/01/01
MT court restores corporate campaign spending ban
2011/12/31
Del. court says ex-HP CEO can't keep letter secret
2011/12/30
Appeals court upholds sentence of former deputy
2011/12/19
Operative gets prison for bilking NYC mayor
2011/12/19
Court schedules week of health care arguments
2011/12/11
Appeals court allows Albany hospital merger
2011/12/02
Farmers Insurance Settles Class Action Lawsuit
2011/11/21
Accused White House shooter to appear in DC court
2011/11/17
NY federal appeals court reverses Bruno conviction
2011/11/15
Justices unlikely to have last word on health care
2011/11/11
Govt asks justices to stay out of immigration case
2011/11/09
Calif high court hears debate over worker breaks
2011/11/03
Police investigate Texas judge over video beating
2011/10/24
Baker Donelson law firm acquires Houston practice
2011/10/24
Federman & Sherwood Announces Class Action Lawsuit
2011/10/20
Senate rejects GOP effort on terrorist trials
2011/10/18
Top Europe court bans stem cell technique patents
2011/10/15
Court mulls trial in absentia for Hariri case
2011/10/11
FDIC backs ban on banks trading for own profit
2011/10/11
Kentucky man sues Facebook over tracking cookie
2011/10/05
European court rules against Soros in trading case
2011/10/03
High court appears to favor Ala. death row inmate
2011/10/03
Court refuses to hear Maryland gun case
2011/09/20
Idaho inmates settle lawsuit over prison violence
2011/09/06
Ex-Va attorney convicted in law firm embezzlement
2011/08/30
Court approves Harry and David reorganization plan
2011/08/30
BofA sued over $1.75 billion mortgage trust
2011/08/26
No choking charges for Wis. Supreme Court justice
2011/08/19
Former U.S. attorney Lampton dies at 60
2011/08/15
Tech blogger won't be charged in Apple iPhone case
2011/08/15
White House criticizes court's health care ruling
2011/08/10
Ariz. governor on deadline for immigration appeal
2011/08/01
Court upholds Chinese journalist's jail sentence
2011/07/26
Calif Supreme Court rules on illegal local taxes
2011/07/05
Bill revision could mean money for NJ drug company
2011/07/04
Mich. man sues, wants Chevron stock at '04 price
2011/07/03
Law school enrollment in Missouri lags as legal jobs dry up
2011/06/24
N.Y. governor signs gay marriage into law
2011/06/13
Court won't hear restitution claim in Ponzi case
2011/06/10
Toyota class action suit to start with Utah case
2011/06/07
Court: No shield law for message boards posters
2011/06/02
NJ mom accused of starving child pleads not guilty
2011/05/29
Court: Sex-offender list is not cruel punishment
2011/05/23
Not guilty plea entered for teen in NJ webcam case
2011/05/18
Ala. chief justice warns more court layoffs coming
2011/05/10
Court in Va. to hear US health care law challenges
2011/05/10
Pa. lawmaker faces hearing on gun-related charge
2011/05/09
Judge dismisses EA from NCAA antitrust lawsuit
2011/05/06
Court puts Carl Lewis back on NJ primary ballot
2011/05/03
NH Senate rejects changes to anti-bullying law
2011/05/02
Firm hired by GOP ends work on gay marriage ban
2011/05/02
Bachmann uses Holocaust to illustrate tax point
2011/05/02
Court sides with Wyoming in dispute with Montana
2011/04/28
Kan. House debates forcing lawsuit over casino
2011/04/28
US envoy says rights talks with China yield little
2011/04/06
2 charged with insider trading involving law firms
2011/02/23
Court turns down campaign disclosure challenge
2011/01/31
Reno court accepts deal for model in arch crash
2011/01/18
High court denies man's gun arrest appeal
2010/12/30
Mich. court ruling would nix water discharge plan
2010/11/28
Judge denies class action in cigarette lawsuits
2010/11/28
Ruling on Wal-Mart class-action case may have broader impact
2010/11/28
Conn. high court to hear immigrant benefits case
2010/11/27
Supreme Court: drugs can be forced on defendant
2010/11/02
WA voters say no to state income tax Initiative 1098
2010/10/07
Genzyme board rejects Sanofi $69-a-share offer
2010/08/03
Murder conviction of mom reversed in California
2010/07/12
Judicial Vacancies Slow the Wheels of Justice
2010/02/25
Law firm probes Skipton ceiling contract clause
2010/02/16
Montgomery law firm files suit against Toyota
2010/02/12
The money question: At many law firms, these prices are in-SANE!
2010/02/08
Private equity firms brace for tax battle
2010/01/31
First class-action lawsuit filed against Toyota
2009/12/28
Judge names Houston attorney to monitor company
2009/12/18
Ky. League of Cities audit goes to law enforcement
2009/10/26
NH judge refuses to dismiss poetry program lawsuit
2009/04/27
Judge waives waiting period for gay Iowa couple
2009/04/24
Judge in LA orders green card cases reopened
2009/04/21
US Supreme Court to rule on animal cruelty law
2009/02/26
Christian Boot Camp Accused of Abusing Kids
2009/02/20
Microsoft Dodges Class Action For Now
2009/01/26
FBI: Long Island investment firm boss surrenders
2009/01/05
Grocery Wholesaler in Federal Antitrust Action
2008/12/24
Court reinstates clean air rule during EPA fix
2008/11/23
Singapore rules Journal in contempt of court
2008/11/13
High court to rule when judges must bow out
2008/11/05
Court: Payday lending law violated constitution
2008/10/30
Alinghi, rivals call on BMW Oracle to drop lawsuit
2008/10/28
Hot-button social issues highlight state ballots
2008/08/28
Attorney Need Not Deliver Subpoenaed Transcript
2008/08/27
Citibank Stole From 53,000 Customers
2008/08/22
Court says Guantanamo documents should be released
2008/08/21
Urban League Challenges Illinois School Funding
2008/08/13
Steve Wynn Sues Soft-Core Porn King
2008/08/12
DuPont Loses Bid to Enforce Supply Contract
2008/08/11
DC Circuit dismisses Fannie Mae shareholder suit
2008/08/08
Texas executes second foreign national since ICJ order
2008/08/06
Female Football Player Claims Discrimination
2008/07/09
Anheuser-Bush Invokes Cuban Embargo To Fight Buyout
2008/07/08
Refco CEO Bennett Gets 16 Years
2008/07/03
DC police launch voluntary handgun search program
2008/06/20
Federal court issues stay in SC execution
2008/06/09
FTC Appeals D.C. Circuit Order In Rambus Case
2008/06/02
Hungarian Gypsies Lose Bid For Asylum In U.S.
2008/05/28
Harry Potter & The Librarian's Lawsuit
2008/05/07
Monopoly Alleged In Crane Certification
2008/05/06
Texas Judge Sets Execution for Mexican National
2008/05/02
Illegal Imimrants Sue Employer, Employer Sues Back
2008/04/23
Officers Denied Immunity For Arresting Protester
2008/04/22
Federal judge dismisses Katrina fraud claim
2008/04/10
Class Says Blockbuster Invades Privacy
2008/04/09
Two Attorneys Emerge in Detroit Mayor Case
2008/04/09
Discovery Across Borders
2008/04/07
Appeals court may let NSA lawsuits proceed
2008/04/04
Climate Work Heating Up at Law Firms
2008/04/03
Justices Weigh Definitions of Competency
2008/04/01
Expert Testimony Issues on the Rise
2008/03/28
DOJ to Continue Crackdown on Political Corruption
2008/03/27
Nebraska legislature rejects death penalty ban
2008/03/26
SEC Proposes "Naked" Short Selling Anti-Fraud Rule
2008/03/19
Cyclist Landis Appeals Arbitration Court Ruling
2008/03/14
Jackson Lawyer: Neverland Auction Off
2008/03/13
NewsScandal-hit Spitzer faces wait for law firm role
2008/03/09
MobiTV, HowardForums avoid legal skirmish
2008/03/07
Judge KOs Challenge to Internet Bet Law
2008/03/07
Bush: 'US Must Not Let Down Its Guard'
2008/03/06
Judge Wants to Resolve Indian Lands Case
2008/03/05
Swiss Bank Drops Wikileaks Lawsuit
2008/03/05
Judge Wants Shipwreck Evidence Worked On
2008/03/04
Lawsuit Dropped in Pain Doctor Case
2008/03/04
Ciolli Sues Yale Law Students in AutoAdmit Scandal
2008/03/03
Lawyer in Bribery Case Says Witness Lied
2008/03/03
Supreme Court May Re-examine What Is "Indecent"
2008/03/03
Court may opt to pay fees from Bible suit
2008/02/28
eBay Settles Patent Dispute With MercExchange
2008/02/27
Court Denies Altria Motions To Dimiss Claims
2008/02/25
A Law Firm Puts Its Chefs on Trial
2008/02/25
Former partner suing Dorsey & Whitney law firm
2008/02/25
Supreme Court to hear car search, tribal land cases
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Trump suspends US foreign assistance for 90 days pending reviews
Legal News Highlight |
2025/01/24 17:55
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President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily suspending all U.S. foreign assistance programs for 90 days pending reviews to determine whether they are aligned with his policy goals.
It was not immediately clear how much assistance would initially be affected by the Monday order as funding for many programs has already been appropriated by Congress and is obligated to be spent, if not already spent.
The order, among many Trump signed on his first day back in office, said the “foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values” and “serve to destabilize world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries.”
Consequently, Trump declared that “no further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearing last week that “every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions:
“Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?” he said.
The order signed by Trump leaves it up to Rubio or his designee to make such determinations, in consultation with the Office of Management and Budget. The State Department and the U.S. Agency for
International Development are the main agencies that oversee foreign assistance.
Trump has long railed against foreign aid despite the fact that such assistance typically amounts to roughly 1% of the federal budget, except under unusual circumstances such as the billions in weaponry provided to Ukraine. Trump has been critical of the amount shipped to Ukraine to help bolster its defenses against Russia’s invasion.
The last official accounting of foreign aid in the Biden administration dates from mid-December and budget year 2023. It shows that $68 billion had been obligated for programs abroad that range from disaster relief to health and pro-democracy initiatives in 204 countries and regions.
Some of the biggest recipients of U.S. assistance, Israel ($3.3 billion per year), Egypt ($1.5 billion per year) and Jordan ($1.7 billion per year) are unlikely to see dramatic reductions, as those amounts are included in long-term packages that date back decades and are in some cases governed by treaty obligations.
Funding for U.N. agencies, including peacekeeping, human rights and refugee agencies, have been traditional targets for Republican administrations to slash or otherwise cut. The first Trump administration moved to reduce foreign aid spending, suspending payments to various UN agencies, including the U.N. Population Fund, and funding to the Palestinian Authority.
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Trump’s sentencing is set for Jan. 10. Here’s what could happen next
Legal News Highlight |
2025/01/03 07:00
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Faced with the never-before-seen dilemma of how, when or even whether to sentence a former and future U.S. president, the judge in President-elect Donald Trump ‘s hush money case made a dramatic decision that could nevertheless bring the case to a muted end.
In a ruling Friday, Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan scheduled the sentencing for 10 days before Trump’s inauguration — but the judge indicated that he’s leaning toward a sentence that would amount to just closing the case without any real punishment. He said Trump could attend the Jan. 10 proceeding remotely because of his transition duties.
Still, that would leave Trump headed back to the White House with a felony conviction.
Will it come to that? Trump wants the conviction thrown out and the case dismissed, and communications director Steven Cheung said the president-elect will “keep fighting.” But it’s tough to predict just what will unfold in this unprecedented, unpredictable case. Here are some key questions and what we know about the answers:
Trump was convicted in May of 34 felony counts of falsifying his business’ records. They pertained to a $130,000 payment, made through his former personal lawyer in 2016, to keep porn actor Stormy Daniels from publicizing her story of having had sex with Trump a decade earlier. He denies her claim and says he’s done nothing wrong.
Trump’s sentencing was initially set for July 11. But at his lawyers’ request, the proceeding was postponed twice, eventually landing on a date in late November, after the presidential election. Then Trump won, and Merchan put everything on hold to consider what to do.
That won’t be final until the judge pronounces it, and he noted that by law, he has to give prosecutors and Trump an opportunity to weigh in. The charges carry potential penalties ranging from a fine or probation to up to four years in prison.
But the judge wrote that “the most viable option” appears to be what’s called an unconditional discharge. It wraps up a case without imprisonment, a fine or probation. But an unconditional discharge leaves a defendant’s conviction on the books.
And by law, every person convicted of a felony in New York must provide a DNA sample for the state’s crime databank, even in cases of an unconditional discharge.
Can Trump appeal to stop the sentencing from happening?
It’s murky. Appealing a conviction or sentence is one thing, but the ins and outs of challenging other types of decisions during a case are complicated.
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Former Manhattan Judge Diane Kiesel said that under New York law, Friday’s ruling can’t be appealed, but that “doesn’t mean he’s not going to try.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s lawyers have been trying to get a federal court to take control of the case. Prosecutors are due to file a response with the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals by Jan. 13, three days after Trump now is to be sentenced.
The defense also has suggested it would seek the U.S. Supreme Court’s intervention if Merchan didn’t throw out the case. In a Nov. 25 letter to the judge, Trump’s attorneys contended that the U.S. Constitution permits an appeal to the high court because the defense is making arguments about presidential immunity.
Much of their argument concerns the Supreme Court’s July ruling on that topic, which afforded considerable legal protections to presidents. Trump’s attorneys might try to convince the Supreme Court that it needs to follow up by getting involved now in the hush money case.
A Trump spokesperson said no decision had been made on whether to challenge Merchan’s ruling.
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TikTok asks Supreme Court to temporarily block law that could ban site in U.S.
Legal News Highlight |
2024/12/16 06:20
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TikTok on Monday asked the Supreme Court to step in on an emergency basis to block the federal law that would ban the popular platform in the United States unless its China-based parent company agreed to sell it.
Lawyers for the company and China-based ByteDance urged the justices to step in before the law’s Jan. 19 deadline. A similar plea was filed by content creators who rely on the platform for income and some of TikTok’s more than 170 million users in the U.S.
“A modest delay in enforcing the Act will create breathing room for this Court to conduct an orderly review and the new Administration to evaluate this matter — before this vital channel for Americans to communicate with their fellow citizens and the world is closed,” lawyers for the companies told the Supreme Court.
President-elect Donald Trump, who once supported a ban but then pledged during the campaign to “save TikTok,” said his administration would take a look at the situation.
“As you know, I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” Trump said during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. His campaign saw the platform as a way to reach younger, less politically engaged voters.
Trump was meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, according to two people familiar with the president-elect’s plans who were not authorized to speak publicly about them and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The companies have said that a shutdown lasting just a month would cause TikTok to lose about a third of its daily users in the U.S. and significant advertising revenue.
The case could attract the court’s interest because it pits free speech rights against the government’s stated aims of protecting national security, while raising novel issues about social media platforms.
The request first goes to Chief Justice John Roberts, who oversees emergency appeals from courts in the nation’s capital. He almost certainly will seek input from all nine justices.
On Friday, a panel of federal judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied an emergency plea to block the law, a procedural ruling that allowed the case to move to the Supreme Court.
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Israel’s high court orders the army to draft ultra-Orthodox men
Legal News Highlight |
2024/06/27 15:58
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Israel’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled unanimously that the military must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men for compulsory service, a landmark decision that could lead to the collapse of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition as Israel continues to wage war in Gaza.
The historic ruling effectively puts an end to a decades-old system that granted ultra-Orthodox men broad exemptions from military service while maintaining mandatory enlistment for the country’s secular Jewish majority. The arrangement, deemed discriminatory by critics, has created a deep chasm in Israel’s Jewish majority over who should shoulder the burden of protecting the country.
The court struck down a law that codified exemptions in 2017, but repeated court extensions and government delaying tactics over a replacement dragged out a resolution for years. The court ruled that in the absence of a law, Israel’s compulsory military service applies to the ultra-Orthodox like any other citizen.
Under longstanding arrangements, ultra-Orthodox men have been exempt from the draft, which is compulsory for most Jewish men and women, who serve three and two years respectively as well as reserve duty until around age 40.
These exemptions have long been a source of anger among the secular public, a divide that has widened during the eight-month-old war, as the military has called up tens of thousands of soldiers and says it needs all the manpower it can get. Over 600 soldiers have been killed since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
Politically powerful ultra-Orthodox parties, key partners in Netanyahu’s governing coalition, oppose any change to the current system. If the exemptions are ended, they could bolt the coalition, causing the government to collapse and likely leading to new elections at a time when its popularity has dropped.
In the current environment, Netanyahu could have a hard time delaying the matter any further or passing laws to restore the exemptions. During arguments, government lawyers told the court that forcing ultra-Orthodox men to enlist would “tear Israeli society apart.”
A statement from Netanyahu’s Likud party criticized the ruling, saying a bill in parliament backed by the Israeli leader would address the draft issue. Critics say it falls short of Israel’s wartime needs.
“The real solution to the draft problem is not a Supreme Court ruling,” the statement said.
In its ruling, the court found that the state was carrying out “invalid selective enforcement, which represents a serious violation of the rule of law, and the principle according to which all individuals are equal before the law.”
It did not say how many ultra-Orthodox should be drafted, but the military has said it is capable of enlisting 3,000 this year.
Some 66,000 ultra-Orthodox men are now eligible for enlistment, according to Shuki Friedman, an expert on religion and state affairs and the vice-president of the Jewish People Policy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank.
The ruling of Israel’s highest court must be followed, and the military is expected to begin doing so once it forms a plan for how to draft thousands of members of a population that’s deeply opposed to service, and which follows a cloistered and modest lifestyle the military may not be immediately prepared to accommodate. The army had no immediate comment. |
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Unanimous Supreme Court preserves access to widely used abortion medication
Legal News Highlight |
2024/06/13 11:49
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The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously preserved access to a medication that was used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S. last year, in the court’s first abortion decision since conservative justices overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago.
The nine justices ruled that abortion opponents lacked the legal right to sue over the federal Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the medication, mifepristone, and the FDA’s subsequent actions to ease access to it. The case had threatened to restrict access to mifepristone across the country, including in states where abortion remains legal.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was part of the majority to overturn Roe, wrote for the court on Thursday that “federal courts are the wrong forum for addressing the plaintiffs’ concerns about FDA’s actions.”
The decision could lessen the intensity of the abortion issue in the November elections, with Democrats already energized and voting against restrictions on reproductive rights. But the high court is separately considering another abortion case, about whether a federal law on emergency treatment at hospitals overrides state abortion bans in rare emergency cases in which a pregnant patient’s health is at serious risk.
More than 6 million people have used mifepristone since 2000. Mifepristone blocks the hormone progesterone and primes the uterus to respond to the contraction-causing effect of a second drug, misoprostol. The two-drug regimen has been used to end a pregnancy through 10 weeks gestation.
Health care providers have said that if mifepristone is no longer available or is too hard to obtain, they would switch to using only misoprostol, which is somewhat less effective in ending pregnancies.
President Joe Biden’s administration and drug manufacturers had warned that siding with abortion opponents in this case could undermine the FDA’s drug approval process beyond the abortion context by inviting judges to second-guess the agency’s scientific judgments. The Democratic administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories, which makes mifepristone, argued that the drug is among the safest the FDA has ever approved.
The decision “safeguards access to a drug that has decades of safe and effective use,” Danco spokeswoman Abigail Long said in a statement.
The plaintiffs in the mifepristone case, anti-abortion doctors and their organizations, argued in court papers that the FDA’s decisions in 2016 and 2021 to relax restrictions on getting the drug were unreasonable and “jeopardize women’s health across the nation.”
Kavanaugh acknowledged what he described as the opponents’ “sincere legal, moral, ideological, and policy objections to elective abortion and to FDA’s relaxed regulation of mifepristone.”
Federal laws already protect doctors from having to perform abortions, or give any other treatment that goes against their beliefs, Kavanaugh wrote. “The plaintiffs have not identified any instances where a doctor was required, notwithstanding conscience objections, to perform an abortion or to provide other abortion-related treatment that violated the doctor’s conscience since mifepristone’s 2000 approval,” he wrote.
In the end, Kavanaugh wrote, the anti-abortion doctors went to the wrong forum and should instead direct their energies to persuading lawmakers and regulators to make changes.
Those comments pointed to the stakes of the 2024 election and the possibility that an FDA commissioner appointed by Republican Donald Trump, if he wins the White House, could consider tightening access to mifepristone.
The mifepristone case began five months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe. Abortion opponents initially won a sweeping ruling nearly a year ago from U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a Trump nominee in Texas, which would have revoked the drug’s approval entirely. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals left intact the FDA’s initial approval of mifepristone. But it would reverse changes regulators made in 2016 and 2021 that eased some conditions for administering the drug.
The Supreme Court put the appeals court’s modified ruling on hold, then agreed to hear the case, though Justices Samuel Alito, the author of the decision overturning Roe, and Clarence Thomas would have allowed some restrictions to take effect while the case proceeded. But they, too, joined the court’s opinion Thursday.
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