A federal judge Thursday dismissed a lawsuit brought by a Muslim woman against a Michigan court judge who told her to remove her head-dress during a name change hearing. U.S. District Judge Marianne O. Battani ruled there was no evidence Circuit Judge J. William Callahan of Wayne County knew Raneen Albaghdady’s head covering had religious [...]
The United States Supreme Court ruled Monday that excessive force claims must be decided based on the nature of the force rather than the extent of the injury. The Wilkins v. Gaddy [docket] ruling says a defendant need not “show significant injury in order to state an excessive force claim.” The decision reinstates a North [...]
The Obama administration announced Thursday it will pay out $1.25 billion settlement in order to resolve a decade long dispute by black farmers who say the Department of Agriculture discriminated against them in loan programs. “This is a very historic, emotional day for black farmers,” said John Boyd Jr., president of the National Black Farmers [...]
A federal district court judge ruled that a legally blind law-school grad who sued the National Conference of Bar Examiners can use adaptive technology when she takes the February 2010 California Bar Exam. Stephanie Enyart, who was diagnosed with macular degeneration and lost much of her vision at 15, wanted to use ZoomText technology that would help her [...]
Although he argued his actions were justified to save the lives of unborn children, the jury Friday swiftly convicted an abortion opponent of premeditated first-degree murder for shooting to death a late-term abortionist. The jury only deliberated for 37 minutes before finding Scott Roeder, 51, guilty of killing Dr. George Tiller on May 31. Guilty [...]
The online dating site eHarmony settled a lawsuit Tuesday in California by agreeing to be more inclusive with gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders, who are looking for love. In 2005, Eric McKinley, a gay man from New Jersey filed suit against eHarmony for not offering matchmaking for gays and lesbians. eHarmony agreed to a settlement [...]
In a 32-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon wrote a scathing decision in which he reprimanded the Food and Drug Administration for trying to assert jurisdiction over e-cigarettes – battery-powered or rechargeable devices made to look like real cigarettes that vaporize a liquid nicotine solution. “This case appears to be yet another example of [...]
The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals described the actions by city of Chicago officials, who applied zoning and administrative rules to prevent a church ministry from offering housing to victims of Hurricane Katrina, as a “malicious prosecution of a religious organization.” World Outreach Conference Center, a Chicago based church ministry, purchased a former YMCA building [...]
A federal judge ruled that a Baltimore City judge must yield to the mandatory judicial retirement provisions of the state and step down off the bench. Baltimore City Circuit Judge Charles G. Bernstein, who turned 70 on Dec. 27, is so far losing his battle on what he calls “constitutional senility.” Bernstein filed a federal [...]
A Colorado judge sentenced ‘Balloon Boy’ father Richard Heene Wednesday to 90 days in jail and four years probation and from making any profits from his lie. Although David Lane, attorney for Richard Heene, pleaded for leniency saying that the couple “have learned a lesson they will never forget for the rest of their lives,” [...]