Many Americans are surprised to learn that in U.S. presidential elections, the members of the Electoral College do not necessarily have to pick the candidate the voters in their state favored. Or do they? This month the Supreme Court will rule on the independent powers of electors, which will determine...
Supreme Court Rules SEC Can Recoup Money in Fraud Cases
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday preserved an important tool used by securities regulators to recoup ill-gotten gains in fraud cases. By an 8-1 vote, the justices ruled that the Securities and Exchange Commission can seek to recover the money through a process called disgorgement. Last year, the SEC...
Justices Reject Trump Bid to Void California Sanctuary Law
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump administration’s bid to throw out a California immigrant-sanctuary law that limits local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The justices’ order leaves in place lower court rulings that upheld the law. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas voted to hear...
Justices Rule LGBT People Protected From Job Discrimination
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Monday that a landmark civil rights law protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in employment, a resounding victory for LGBT rights from a conservative court. The court decided by a 6-3 vote that a key provision of the Civil Rights Act of...
Supreme Court Rejects Several Gun Rights Cases for Next Term
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday passed up several challenges to federal and state gun control laws, over the dissent of two conservative justices. Gun rights advocates had hoped the court would expand the constitutional right to “keep and bear arms” beyond the home. Instead, the justices left in...
Supreme Court Hearing Clash Over Trump Tax, Bank Records
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is taking up President Donald Trump’s bid to keep his tax, bank and financial records private, a major clash over presidential accountability that could affect the 2020 presidential campaign. The justices are hearing arguments by telephone Tuesday morning in two cases about subpoenas from congressional committees and the...
Unanimous Supreme Court Throws out ‘Bridgegate’ Convictions
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday threw out the convictions of two political insiders involved in New Jersey’s “Bridgegate” scandal, saying that “not every corrupt act by state or local officials is a federal crime.” The court said in a unanimous decision Thursday that the government had overreached in prosecuting two...
Called to Order: Supreme Court Begins 1st Arguments by Phone
WASHINGTON — It's a morning of firsts for the Supreme Court, the first time audio of the court's arguments was heard live by the world and the first arguments by telephone. The changes are a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which has made holding courtroom sessions unsafe, especially with six justices aged 65 or older...
It’s Time to Review AB 5 If Policymakers Really Want to Restart California’s Economy
“Bring Back Borello!” will never work as a rallying cry, but it might be a timely agenda item for California legislators to seriously consider when the coronavirus coast is clear for them to return to Sacramento. In the meantime, the April 30 second anniversary of the state Supreme Court’s Dynamex decision and the Assembly...
Court Rules Insurers Can Collect $12B for Obamacare Losses
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Monday that insurance companies can collect $12 billion from the federal government to cover their losses in the early years of the health care law championed by President Barack Obama. Insurers are entitled to the money under a provision of the “Obamacare” health law...