Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis has appointed a special master to investigate Fox News' handling of court-ordered discovery in a defamation lawsuit brought against the network by Dominion Voting Systems. The lawsuit alleges Fox News promoted false claims about Dominion's voting machines rigging the 2020 election, and the trial began Tuesday morning. This is the first major defamation case against a media company to go to trial since the Supreme Court ruled in 1964, and is expected to be closely watched by media companies and First Amendment advocates.
Posts tagged as “the Supreme Court”
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin has expressed outrage over the revelation that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has received gifts and luxury travel from a Republican donor, prompting a debate among Senate Democrats over the need for a hearing on Supreme Court ethics. However, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to help Democrats temporarily replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein on the Senate Judiciary Committee while she is ill, effectively blocking any hopes of pushing through judicial nominations.
The Supreme Court is set to consider a case involving a Christian former postal worker who claims the U.S. Postal Service violated a federal civil rights law by failing to accommodate his religious beliefs. The outcome of the case could have a major impact on how employers accommodate the religious practices of their workers, and is being closely watched by religious groups and civil rights advocates alike. The court's decision could also set a precedent for how religious claims are handled in the future.
The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a ruling from a federal judge in Texas that would have put a pause on the Food and Drug Administration's approval of mifepristone, a medicine used in two-step medication abortions. This decision will allow for nationwide access to mifepristone to be preserved until Wednesday, when the justices will consider next steps. Abortion clinics are readying contingency plans in case mifepristone's FDA approval is overturned.
Mike Pompeo has announced he will not run for president in 2024, Nikki Haley has attacked President Trump in a campaign memo, and three American sailors are missing off the coast of Mexico.
The Supreme Court has issued a temporary stay on a lower court ruling in a dispute involving the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. The order requires both sides to weigh in by Tuesday and preserves access to the drug for now. The court will take time to more fully consider the issues raised in the court challenge before making a final decision, though it is unclear when they will make a final ruling.
A new report from ProPublica has revealed that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas failed to properly report gifts from a billionaire benefactor, Harlan Crow, involving the sale of three properties in Savannah, Georgia. In response, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) has called on the body overseeing the federal judiciary to refer Justice Thomas to the Department of Justice for investigation. Ethics law experts have noted that Thomas’ failure to report the sale of the properties appears to be a violation of the law, and the consequences of this violation remain unclear.
The Society of Family Planning's report reveals that medication abortions provided by virtual-only providers have increased by 136% since the Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to abortion in June 2022. Total abortions decreased by 2%, and the Guttmacher Institute found that medication abortions already accounted for more than half of all US abortions in 2020. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently ruled to preserve but narrow access to an abortion pill across the U.S., and the rate of medication abortions is likely to continue to rise.