Nightly Brief

Top CNS stories for today including a federal appeals court rejecting expanded early voting in North Carolina; a witness recalls finger-pointing as hammer on bridge plot dropped; a fight over Nina Simone royalties in 9th Circuit, and more.

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1.) Federal Appeals Court Rejects Expanded Early Voting in N.C.

The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday denied an emergency appeal from a group of North Carolina voters who sought an extension of early, in-person voting in the presidential battleground state.

2.) Witness Recalls Finger-Pointing as Hammer on Bridge Plot Dropped

When David Wildstein was being forced out of office for New Jersey's politically engineered traffic jam of 2013, he was desperate to take down others with him, a defense witness testified Wednesday.

3.) Marvel CEO Scorched for Private Emails at Work

Opening the discovery floodgates in a defamation case against the billionaire CEO of Marvel Entertainment, a judge said Isaac Perlmutter should have known better than to claim privilege over emails he sent from his work account.

4.) Fight Over Nina Simone Royalties in 9th Circuit

Numerous people and businesses with interests in Nina Simone's recordings submitted briefs to the Ninth Circuit in a long-running legal battle over who owns the rights.

5.) Excessive-Force Award Against Police Upheld

A federal judge refused to grant a new trial to two St. Louis police officers convicted in August and ordered to pay $600,000 for using excessive force during an arrest.

6.) Attorneys Make Final Pleas in Derrick Rose Rape Trial

An attorney representing pro basketball player Derrick Rose in a civil rape case rebuked his accuser's attorneys on Tuesday for tapping into "racial stereotypes" and filing a meritless lawsuit.

7.) Residency Challenge Roils Missouri Election

A Missouri appeals court revived a challenge to a lawmaker's residency, just weeks before the general election.

8.) Historic Settlement of VW Emissions Scandal Near

Although a federal judge delayed granting final approval of Volkswagen's $15 billion class action settlement of an emissions cheating scandal that has reverberated around the globe, the agreement is likely days away from becoming official.

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