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The day's top stories from Courthouse News in short takes with links.
1.) Behind Bars, Cost-Cutting Puts Ramen's Barter Value on the Rise
The Netflix prison dramedy "Orange is the New Black" nails one aspect of life as a federal prison inmate: ramen noodles are becoming more important than tobacco as underground currency in U.S. prisons.
2.) Private-School Grad Students Can Unionize
Graduate students at private universities won the right to unionize Tuesday after the National Labor Relations Board overturned its prior decision that "deprived an entire category of workers" of labor protections.
3.) Tantaros Blasts Misogynistic Cult at Fox News
The latest sexual-harassment suit against former Fox News head Roger Ailes says the conservative news station "operates like a sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency, and misogyny."
4.) California High Court Upholds Gold-Dredging Ban
In a win for protectors of California's natural resources, the state high court ruled that federal laws do not pre-empt a temporary ban on a controversial method of gold mining.
5.) Calif. Auditor Slams State for Over-Drugging Foster Kids
A troubling state audit released Tuesday found that California foster children are prescribed psychotropic drugs at higher rates compared than non-foster children, with many receiving dosages that exceed recommended guidelines.
6.) Cockfigting Immigrant Gets a Break in 9th Circ.
However "depraved and vile" the United States considers cockfighting, the Ninth Circuit voiced skepticism Tuesday that the crime should get people deported.
7.) Nebraska Top Court OKs Sex Offender as Step-Dad
The Nebraska Supreme Court on Monday denied a father's claim to take full custody of his daughters after it was revealed that his ex-wife married a sex offender.
8.) Court Reloads Fight Over Massive Illegal Gun Cache
A woman whose husband stockpiled more than 1,600 guns with plans to battle Fidel Castro's Cuban government faced an excessive forfeiture order, the Ninth Circuit ruled.
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