Appeals court nominee Grasz assures senators he would follow court precedent

Omaha attorney Steve Grasz repeatedly assured members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that he would adhere to judicial precedent and not allow his personal views to interfere with his judgment if he is confirmed as a nominee to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Attorneys: Confederate emblem causes unequal treatment

Attorneys say in written arguments to the U.S. Supreme Court that the Confederate battle emblem on the Mississippi flag is "an official endorsement of white supremacy" and lower courts were wrong to block a lawsuit challenging the flag. The arguments were made in papers filed Friday by lawyers for Carlos Moore, an African-American attorney who sued the state in 2016 seeking to have the flag declared an unconstitutional relic of slavery.

Judge allows new route to challenge Mississippi LGBT law

A gay rights group is getting another chance to challenge a Mississippi law that lets government workers and private business people cite their own religious beliefs to refuse services to LGBT people. Legal experts say it's the broadest religious-objections law enacted by any state since the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide in 2015.

Confederate emblem causes unequal treatment, attorneys argue

In this Jan. 19, 2016 file photo, a couple leaves the grounds of the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., after participating in a rally in support of keeping the Confederate battle emblem on the state flag. Attorneys say in written arguments to U.S. Supreme Court that the Confederate battle emblem on the Mississippi flag is "an official endorsement of white supremacy" and lower courts were wrong to block a lawsuit challenging the flag.

Federal judge strikes down two abortion restrictions in Alabama

A U.S. judge on Thursday struck down two abortion restrictions in Alabama that limited how close clinics can be to public schools and banned a procedure used to terminate pregnancies in the second trimester. The decision is a blow to abortion opponents in Alabama, who have joined conservatives in other states in enacting new laws that critics said were chipping away at the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v.

10 Commandments monument in New Mexico moving off city land

The Bloomfield Ten Commandments is pictured, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016 at Bloomfield City Hall in Bloomfield, N.M. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, Oct. 16, 2017, sided with a lower court, the the 10th U.S. Circuit ... Firefighters and construction workers say the Trump administration is putting their health at risk by ignoring the hazards posed by millions of tons of asbestos, flame retardants and other toxins found in homes,... Firefighters and construction workers say the Trump administration is putting their health at risk by ignoring the hazards posed by millions of tons of asbestos, flame retardants and other toxins found in homes, businesses and industrial sites.

Trump cries foul on judges, but he’s ahead of Obama

President Donald Trump says Democrats are holding up his judicial nominees, but almost nine months into his presidency, he has had more judges confirmed than President Barack Obama did in the same time period, and his numbers aren't far off those of other recent presidents. Trump counts the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch as one of his signature achievements.

Answer in Gerrymandering Case is Clear

This case marks a crucial opportunity for Supreme Court to end extreme gerrymandering in America. Gerrymandering, which Merriam-Webster as the division of a state "into political units to give special advantages to one group," results in elected officials who do not proportionally represent a state's population and its citizens' interests.

Author Explains How Government Avoids Accountability for Killing Citizens

"Texas City, the Tuskegee Syphilis study, Ruby Ridge, Waco, Fast and Furious, the VA hospital scandal - time after time, government employees kill Americans by negligence, stupidity, or agency corruption, and time after time they escape all legal accountability," attorney and author David T. Hardy told me about his latest book prior to its release. Now that "I'm From the Government, and I'm Here to Kill You: The Human Cost of Official Negligence" has been published , Hardy accepted my invitation for an exclusive Q&A that will give readers further insights into how and why such travesties occur.

NJ Politics Digest: Judge Rejects Menendez Request to Toss Out Charges

Sen. Bob Menendez's corruption trial will go forward after a federal judge on Monday refused to toss out any charges against the New Jersey Democrat and his top donor, Salomon Melgen. U.S. District Judge William H. Walls said a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision did not invalidate the "stream of benefits" theory at the center of the Justice Department's case against Menendez.