Recent Updates
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Supreme Court bars broadcast of Prop 8 trial in California
Legal News Feed 01/14/2010The Supreme Court split along ideological lines Wednesday as it barred a federal judge in San Francisco from broadcasting a high-profile trial involving same-sex marriage. The court issued an unsigned opinion that said lower courts had not followed p...
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Ohio governor says he regrets slot machine plan
Legal News Feed 12/22/2009A feisty, yet reflective Gov. Ted Strickland said Monday that his biggest mistake in 2009 was deciding to rely on revenue from racetrack slot machines that were later sidelined by the Ohio Supreme Court.It was one of the most controversial decisions ...
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US court blocks huge gold mine project in Nevada
Legal News Feed 12/07/2009blocked construction of a massive gold mine project in northeast Nevada that critics say would harm the environment and ruin a mountain several tribes consider sacred.A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed part of an ea...
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Ariz. gov, lawmakers slam cities on budget lawsuit
Legal News Feed 11/25/2009Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and top Republican legislators blasted Arizona municipalities for going to court to challenge the constitutionality of parts of a budget law, including provisions that deny government services and benefits to illegal immigrant...
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Senate confirms controversial judge
Legal News Feed 11/20/2009The Senate on Thursday confirmed U.S. District Judge David Hamilton for the Chicago-based federal appeals court, approving a nominee targeted by conservatives as a liberal activist.Hamilton was approved on a 59-39 vote and became the eighth of Presid...
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Controversial court nominee survives Senate test
Legal News Feed 11/18/2009Democrats on Tuesday crushed a Senate filibuster against a controversial appeals court nominee, demonstrating to Republicans they can't stop President Barack Obama from turning the federal judiciary to the left.The 70-29 vote limited debate over the ...
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Senate tips Richmond appeals court to Democrats
Legal News Feed 11/10/2009The Senate gave President Barack Obama a major victory Monday in his efforts to remake the federal courts, confirming a judge who will tip the political balance on the once-conservative appeals court based in Richmond.The 72-16 vote for U.S. District...
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On Obama's Nobel Peace Prize and censorship
Legal News Feed 10/12/2009Read Street was a lively place for commenters last week, in the wake of President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize. And "lively" is an understatement. The comments were unusually vitriolic and polarized for this blog. They put me in the unusual role of cens...
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Obama, Democrats court women on health overhaul
Legal News Feed 10/09/2009The White House and top Democrats, intensifying their push to build support for their party's health overhaul proposals, are increasingly targeting women, a politically crucial group with strong opinions on health care that polls suggest has yet to b...
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SC gov asks court to keep ongoing probe secret
Legal News Feed 10/02/2009Lawyers representing South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford in an ethics investigation are asking the state Supreme Court to keep the report out of the hands of a Legislature expected to consider impeaching him.Sanford has been under pressure to quit since...
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NY court: Paterson can appoint lieutenant governor
Legal News Feed 09/22/2009New York's top court has upheld Gov. David Paterson's power to appoint a lieutenant governor, reversing a lower court's decision.The court ruling released Tuesday is a timely victory for Paterson, who is facing calls from national Democratic Party le...
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Obama administration improves openness
Legal News Feed 09/08/2009President Barack Obama's policies on secrecy get higher grades for openness than those of President George W. Bush, yet there's still room for improvement, says a coalition of public interest groups.In a report issued Tuesday, the coalition says the ...