WASHINGTON — Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett batted back Democrats' skeptical questions on abortion, health care and a possible disputed election in a lively Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday, insisting she would bring no personal agenda to the court but would decide cases “as they come.” The 48-year-old appellate court judge declared...
Supreme Court Divided in 1st Big Abortion Case of Trump Era
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court appeared divided in its first major abortion case of the Trump era, leaving Chief Justice John Roberts as the likely deciding vote. Roberts did not say enough to tip his hand in an hour of spirited arguments at the high court Wednesday. The court's election-year...
Supreme Court Will Decide the Fate of Obama Health Care Law
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to decide a lawsuit that threatens the Obama-era health care law, but the decision is not likely until after the 2020 election. The court said it would hear an appeal by 20 mainly Democratic states of a lower-court ruling that declared part...
Will US Supreme Court End Inclusionary Zoning?
In a story that largely has flown under the radar, a major case involving inclusionary zoning in California could be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. A tip of the hat to City Lab's Kriston Capps for his story about a fight over inclusionary zoning in Marin County that began...
Trump Administration Puts Tough New Asylum Rule Into Effect
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — With a go-ahead from the U.S. Supreme Court, the Trump administration Thursday began enforcing a radical new rule that would deny asylum to nearly all migrants arriving at the southern border — a move that spread despair among those fleeing poverty and violence in their homelands....
Federal Lawsuit Filed to Block Alabama’s New Abortion Ban
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A federal lawsuit filed Friday asks a judge to block an Alabama law that outlaws almost all abortions, the most far-reaching attempt by a conservative state to seek new restrictions on the procedure. The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood filed the lawsuit on behalf of...
Immigrant-Heavy GOP States OK with Census Citizen Question
PHOENIX — It's not just Democratic-leaning states at risk of losing federal money and clout in Congress if the Supreme Court says the upcoming census can include a citizenship question. Fast-growing Arizona, Florida and Texas all have large groups of immigrants, especially Hispanics, who might choose to sit out the...
Newsom Signs Internet Sales Tax into Law
SACRAMENTO — Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a law requiring companies like Amazon and eBay to collect sales taxes on behalf of some out-of-state sellers. The law comes after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year states can collect sales taxes from companies even if the company is based outside...
Justices Seem Ready to OK Asking Citizenship on Census
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court's conservative majority seemed ready Tuesday to uphold the Trump administration's plan to ask about citizenship on the 2020 census, despite evidence that millions of Hispanics and immigrants could go uncounted. There appeared to be a clear divide between the court's liberal and conservative justices in...
Mixed Feelings in Supreme Court Ruling in Fresno Equal Pay Case
The attorney who won a landmark equal pay case for a Fresno woman calls the latest Supreme Court ruling a “minor setback.” The high court ruled on Monday that the case of Aileen Rizo, a math consultant with the Fresno County Office of Education, should head back to the Ninth...