Recent Updates
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US judge nixes suit that split Obama. gays
Legal News Feed 08/26/2009A same-sex marriage lawsuit that created a public rift between President Barack Obama and his gay supporters was dismissed Monday on a technicality. U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ruled the case — the first of several pending challenges to the f...
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Gay legal groups want in on Calif court case
Legal News Feed 07/09/2009Three gay-friendly legal groups have asked to be part of a federal lawsuit challenging California's same-sex marriage ban — a request that drew an icy reception from the activists behind the case.After publicly questioning the wisdom of the suit and ...
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Court fails to decide on anti-Hillary movie
Legal News Feed 07/01/2009The Supreme Court has failed to decide on whether a scathing documentary about Hillary Rodham Clinton that was shown during the presidential race should be regulated as if it were a campaign ad. The court said Monday it will hear arguments in the cas...
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White firefighters win Supreme Court appeal
Legal News Feed 06/30/2009The Supreme Court ruled Monday that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge. The ruling could alter...
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High court rules narrowly in voting rights case
Legal News Feed 06/22/2009The Supreme Court ruled narrowly Monday in a challenge to the landmark Voting Rights Act, exempting a small Texas governing authority from a key provision of the civil rights law but side-stepping the larger constitutional issue. The court, with only...
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Sen. Jeff Sessions 'troubled' over Obama court picks
Legal News Feed 06/16/2009The top Republican on the Senate committee reviewing Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court said Monday that he is concerned President Obama is driving federal courts "far to the left" by choosing "activist" judges for the bench. Sen. Jeff...
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Hearing for Supreme Court nominee poses challenges
Legal News Feed 06/15/2009U.S. Senate Republicans are in a quandary over the Supreme Court nomination of Sonia Sotomayor, aiming to raise pointed questions about her record without angering increasingly influential Hispanic voters. Senator John Cornyn exemplifies the Republic...
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DOJ moves to dismiss first fed gay marriage case
Legal News Feed 06/12/2009The U.S. Justice Department has moved to dismiss the first gay marriage case filed in federal court, saying it is not the right venue to tackle legal questions raised by a couple already married in California. The motion, filed late Thursday, argued ...
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SC high court orders Gov. Sanford to request money
Legal News Feed 06/05/2009South Carolina's Supreme Court ordered Gov. Mark Sanford on Thursday to request $700 million in federal stimulus money aimed primarily at struggling schools, ending months of wrangling with legislators who accused him of playing politics with people'...
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Obama reverses Bush immigration lawyer rule
Legal News Feed 06/04/2009A rule limiting access to lawyers for immigrants facing deportation has been tossed out by the Obama administration. The rule was issued in the waning days of the Bush administration, angering immigrants rights groups that immediately sought to persu...
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Minn. high court hears Senate case arguments
Legal News Feed 06/01/2009Republican Norm Coleman is asking the Minnesota Supreme Court to toss out a lower-court ruling that gave Democrat Al Franken a victory in the state's U.S. Senate race. Coleman attorney Joe Friedberg argued before the high court Monday that counties w...
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Sotomayor made a law firm apologize
Legal News Feed 05/28/2009As a senior at Yale Law School, Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor forced a Washington law firm to apologize for what she considered discriminatory questions that a partner asked about her Puerto Rican heritage during a recruiting dinner. Th...