A newsletter by Reuters and Westlaw |
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This morning let’s take a look at the Voting Rights Act, a landmark law barring discrimination in voting. It was a product of the U.S. civil rights era, sought by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Martin Luther King, passed by Congress and signed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965.
Six decades later, it faces its greatest threat, with the U.S. Supreme Court looking poised to hollow out one key section after gutting a different one in 2013. In doing so, the court would not be striking down the Voting Rights Act, but the question is, what will be left of it?
Jan Wolfe has more analysis here. |
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The 4th Circuit will consider whether to uphold a judge's ruling requiring the Trump administration to reinstate grants awarded to over a dozen nonprofits and six cities that challenged a freeze on funding awarded through congressionally approved programs to support energy-efficient affordable housing, food access initiatives and local farmers. Read the district court order.
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The 6th Circuit will hear arguments in a lawsuit challenging a Michigan law prohibiting “conversion therapy.” Read the district court order here. The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a similar case opposing a Colorado ban earlier this month.
- U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan in D.C. will hold a motion hearing in a lawsuit brought by immigrants rights advocates seeking to block the Trump administration from detaining immigrants at Guantanamo Bay, citing violations of the Constitution and federal law. Read the complaint.
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Morgan & Morgan, which is appealing the way attorneys fees were divided in a $600 million settlement with Norfolk Southern after the 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, will bring its case to the 6th Circuit. The firm claims that a federal district court judge wrongly approved a “quick-pay” provision that allowed attorneys to collect $162 million in fees within days of final settlement approval.
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The 4th Circuit will hear an appeal in a lawsuit over access to South Carolina’s voter rolls. The Public Interest Legal Foundation, a conservative legal group, sued the state’s election commission after being denied a list of voters. Last year the district court granted PILF’s request for summary judgment, giving it access to the list. Read that opinion here.
- The 2nd Circuit will hear an appeal by animal protection organizations challenging a USDA rule establishing a new inspection system for hog slaughter houses, which they claim violates environmental and animal welfare laws. Read the lower court order here.
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The U.S. Senate will vote on the confirmation of Stephen Chad Meredith to be a U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky. It will also vote for cloture on the nomination of Rebecca Taibleson to be a U.S. Circuit Judge for the 7th Circuit.
- The National Association of Women Judges will hold its annual conference in Boston. Speakers will include U.S. District Judge Ester Salas, whose son was murdered by a disgruntled lawyer, and Boston-based Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Casper.
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U.S Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is scheduled to speak at California State University Dominguez Hills.
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Court calendars are subject to last-minute docket changes. |
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The U.S. law school class of 2024 enjoyed record-high employment, but that robust job market was not enough to erase longstanding racial hiring gaps, according to new data released by the National Association for Law Placement. Learn more here.
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Quinn Emanuel’s Alex Spiro, the prominent New York lawyer whose clients include billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, has signed on to defend former Activision Blizzard chief executive Bobby Kotick in a shareholder lawsuit in Delaware after a judge said the case could proceed. Read more here.
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Moves: Former associate director at the CFTC, Dan Ullman moved to Orrick … Elena Babinecz joined Baker Donelson’s financial services litigation and compliance group from the CFPB … Stanford Renas moved to Wilson Sonsini’s energy and climate solutions practice from Katten Muchin Rosenman … Corporate partner Josh Lane returned to K&L Gates from Prolific where he was general counsel.
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Conservative anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck sued Google in Delaware state court, accusing the tech giant's AI of generating "outrageously false" information about him. Read the complaint.
- New Jersey sued Amazon for allegedly refusing workplace accommodations to warehouse employees who have disabilities or were pregnant and firing some who asked for them. Read more here.
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Reddit sued AI startup Perplexity in New York federal court, accusing it and three other companies of
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