New delay in Miss. law on objection to gay marriage

New court action has created a slight delay for a Mississippi law that, barring an intervention from the U.S. Supreme Court, will let government workers and business people cite their own religious objections to refuse services to gay couples. Opponents asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday to keep blocking the law, which has been on hold more than a year.

Appellate judges show concern over Harris County bail practices, court ruling

A panel of three federal appellate judges seemed concerned Tuesday morning with Harris County's bail practices concerning poor misdemeanor defendants, but they also questioned a lower judge's ruling that changed the county's system. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans held an hour-long hearing on the pretrial system of Texas' most populous county , where arrestees who can't afford their bail bonds regularly sit in jail - often until their cases are resolved days or weeks later - while similar defendants who have cash are released.

Appeals court panel overturns verdict against guardrail firm

Three appeals court judges have overturned a $663 million fraud verdict against a company that makes guardrails found along many U.S. roads and highways. The panel of judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on Friday threw out a 2014 jury verdict against Trinity Industries Trinity was accused of fraud for failing to tell regulators about changes it made to guardrails, which critics said made them more dangerous when hit by cars at certain angles.

Appeals court OKs some of Texas’ sanctuary cities law

A federal appeals panel on Monday said part of Texas' law banning sanctuary city policies may going into effect while the court awaits arguments scheduled for November. The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Texas law enforcement agencies must comply with federal detainers for undocumented immigrants, part of Senate Bill 4. The three-judge panel left in place a lower court ruling blocking the part of the law that threatens fines, imprisonment and removal from office for any state, county or city official who interferes with enforcement of the state law.

U.S. appeals court allows part of Texas law to punish sanctuary cities

A U.S. appeals court on Monday issued a mixed decision on a Texas law to punish "sanctuary cities" by allowing a few parts of the law to take effect but blocking major parts of it. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit allowed the part of the Texas law that called on localities to abide by detainer requests from federal authorities to hold people in local jails to allow for checks of suspected U.S. immigration law violations.

Texas asks court to allow ‘sanctuary cities’ ban

With immigrants and their advocates chanting and beating drums outside, a federal appeals court heard arguments Friday on whether it should allow a Texas law aimed at combatting "sanctuary cities" to immediately take effect. Under the law, Texas police chiefs could face removal from office and criminal charges for not complying with federal immigration officials' requests to detain people jailed on non-immigration offenses.

NFL trying to speed appeal over blocked Elliott suspension

The NFL is trying to accelerate the timeline in its appeal of a federal judge's injunction that blocked Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott's six-game suspension over a domestic violence case. The NFL quickly answered a filing from Elliott's attorneys Wednesday, telling U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant that the league would immediately go to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans if he didn't rule on its request for a stay of his injunction by Thursday.

Ted Cruz Clarifies Sex Toys Policy, and No, This Is Not a Joke…

When Sen. Ted Cruz's official Twitter account "liked" a pornographic video late Monday night, many delighted in the fact that as a Texas state attorney, he had once argued that there is no Constitutional right "to stimulate one's genitals." In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Cruz clarified that he doesn't actually think about the subject very often - and explained that when he made the genitals argument, he was just doing his job.

DACA is unconstitutional, as Obama admitted

President Donald Trump has caught a lot of heat for rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program with a six-month wind-down. Few people seem aware that he's ending an administrative amnesty for illegal aliens that President Barack Obama lacked the constitutional and legal authority to implement.

The Rule of Law

Earlier this week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that in six months, the Department of Justice will begin the long process for deportation proceedings against 800,000 young people who came to America as babies and young children in the care of their parents and others because those entries into this country were and remain unlawful. When President Barack Obama signed numerous executive orders attempting to set forth the conditions under which illegally immigrated adults whose children were born here could lawfully remain here, he was challenged in federal court and he lost.

Texas Federal Court Deals Yet Another Blow to USDOL’s Overtime Rule

A federal judge in Texas struck down the controversial Obama-era change to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act that was intended to substantially raise the minimum salary threshold required for employees to qualify for the "white collar" exemptions. This signifies another setback for the so-called "overtime rule".

Federal Judge Tosses Out Texas Voter ID Law

In her second ruling on the Texas Senate Bill, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos said changes made to 2011 voter ID law did not "fully ameliorate" its "discriminatory intent." LM Otero/AP hide caption In her second ruling on the Texas Senate Bill, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos said changes made to 2011 voter ID law did not "fully ameliorate" its "discriminatory intent."

Appeals court voids pipeline safety order for Exxon

An appeals court has voided an order that would have required Exxon Mobil to revise its pipeline-safety procedures after a 2013 oil spill in Arkansas. The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued the order in 2015, and it could have applied to more than 1,000 miles of the Texas oil and gas company's pipelines.