All articles tagged with #law
The U.S. Fifth Circuit ruled that the 1868 federal ban on home distilling is unconstitutional, saying it improperly expands Congress's power to tax and reduces potential tax revenue; the decision, favoring the Hobby Distillers Association, upholds a 2024 district court ruling.
A U.S. appeals court in New Orleans (the 5th Circuit) ruled that the Reconstruction-era federal ban on home distilling is unconstitutional, saying Congress cannot criminalize in-home activities merely to collect taxes and that the ban actually reduced tax revenue by curbing distilling. The decision affirms a 2024 lower-court ruling and was praised as a victory for individual liberty by the Hobby Distillers Association, while the Justice Department did not immediately comment.
IBM will pay 17,077,043 to settle False Claims Act allegations that its federal contracts included discriminatory DEI practices, such as a diversity bonus modifier, diverse interview slates, race and sex demographic goals, and restricted training opportunities; the government says these actions violated anti-discrimination provisions, though IBM cooperated and implemented remedial measures; this settlement is the first resolution under the Civil Rights Fraud Initiative.
The parents of 17-year-old Larissa Rodriguez filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Glazer's Beer and Beverage, alleging Alani Nu energy drinks contributed to her fatal cardiomyopathy from excessive caffeine, citing inadequate warnings on the cans and marketing aimed at youth; they seek $1 million in damages and expect additional defendants.
A Washington federal judge blocked parts of Trump’s 2025 executive order to defund NPR and PBS, ruling the move unconstitutional retaliation that violated the First Amendment press freedoms; the injunction prevents the funding cuts while NPR and PBS pursue their lawsuit.
The Supreme Court, in an 8‑1 decision written by Justice Gorsuch, ruled that Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors must be reviewed under strict scrutiny rather than the lower rational-basis standard, sending the case back to a lower court and likely leading to the law’s invalidation. The ruling drew praise from religious-liberty groups and sharp pushback from LGBTQ advocates, and arrived on Transgender Day of Visibility with dissents warning of potential harms.
Two juries in New Mexico and Los Angeles found Meta liable for harming minors and YouTube liable in LA, treating the platforms as defective products and signaling a potential shift around liability shields like Section 230; if upheld on appeal, the rulings could trigger multimillion-dollar penalties and larger settlements, but the ultimate effects on platform design, regulation, and free expression remain uncertain.
The Supreme Court will hear arguments on President Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship, examining how it would be implemented and the broader constitutional implications under the 14th Amendment, with concerns about the practicalities of proving citizenship for newborns and the potential for systemic confusion, while noting ongoing guidance from federal agencies and international comparisons.
Colorado's House advanced HB 26-1210 to outlaw using personal data and algorithms to set individualized wages or product prices, while excluding loyalty programs and normal supply-demand fluctuations; the bill would make surveillance pricing a deceptive trade practice enforceable by the attorney general, prompting questions about breadth as it heads to the Senate.
A Georgia judge heard Fulton County’s bid to reclaim seized 2020 ballots in a dispute with the Trump administration, after FBI agents removed the materials as part of a federal review; the case centers on custody of the ballots and is continuing in Fulton County.
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that internet service providers aren’t liable for copyright infringement committed by subscribers unless the provider directly intended or actively encouraged the piracy, applying the Grokster framework to Cox Communications’ multi-year case. Cox, which serves about six million subscribers, had faced a $1 billion damages verdict that was overturned on appeal; the decision narrows ISP liability to cases of active involvement rather than mere knowledge that infringement will occur.
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Cox Communications cannot be held liable for copyright infringement by its subscribers in Cox Communications v. Sony Music Entertainment, reversing the Fourth Circuit. The Court said an internet service provider is liable only if it intends the service to be used for infringement, and Cox’s deterrence steps (warnings, suspensions, terminations) supported this view. The original $1 billion damages verdict was not reinstated, and while Justices Sotomayor and Jackson concurred with the outcome, they disagreed with the reasoning. The Trump administration supported Cox, and the decision narrows the scope of secondary liability for ISPs.
The Supreme Court ruled that Cox Communications cannot be held contributorily liable for copyright infringements by its customers, saying the service was not intended to enable infringement and that liability should not exceed prior jurisprudence. Justices Sotomayor and Jackson concurred in judgment but warned the ruling narrows liability inconsistent with precedent; their concurrence highlights procedural nuance. The decision reverses a 2024 Fourth Circuit ruling in Sony’s suit over pirated songs by Cox customers from 2013–2014, which sought over $1 billion in damages. Cox framed the ruling as a victory and the RIAA expressed disappointment, as the case progressed from district court to appellate court and finally to the Supreme Court, with oral arguments held previously. The ruling signals ISPs are not copyright police and should not be treated as arbiters of internet access based on speech.
Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin says the DOJ provided Congress with sealed grand-jury materials related to the Trump classified-documents case, potentially violating Judge Aileen Cannon's gag order and federal secrecy rules; he demands full disclosures, including a Bedminster flight manifest and details on who was advised of highly sensitive documents, while DOJ maintains it complied with the law and redacted sensitive information.
A California civil jury found Bill Cosby liable for drugging and sexually assaulting Donna Motsinger in 1972, awarding a total of $59.25 million: $17.5 million in past damages, $1.75 million for future damages, and $40 million in punitive damages, after a two-week Santa Monica trial. Cosby’s lawyers said they will appeal. Motsinger described finally being heard after decades, as the case adds to the wave of #MeToo-era scrutiny surrounding Cosby and parallels earlier lawsuits and his overturned Pennsylvania conviction.