Nightly Brief

Your Friday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News

Top CNS stories for today including the Senate Judiciary Committee narrowly advancing the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, but Senator Jeff Flake said he only did so with the understanding the FBI would conduct an investigation into the sexual assault allegations embroiling Kavanaugh; four environmental groups sue Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to protect the two-state Dinosaur National Monument from increased air pollution from oil and gas drilling; the Ninth Circuit revives an ongoing spat on claims the opening guitar riff in Led Zeppelin’s rock epic “Stairway to Heaven” was lifted from another band’s song; the city of Ferguson, Missouri, asks the Eighth Circuit to toss claims that it runs a debtor’s prison for people too poor to pay traffic tickets; an Orange County, California judge rules the state's “sanctuary” law restricting police from cooperating with federal immigration authorities violates the state constitution and cannot be enforced; describing the plight of two Reuters journalists imprisoned in Myanmar, attorney Amal Clooney issues a call for Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi to intervene in the case, and more.

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National

1.) The Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday narrowly advanced the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, but Senator Jeff Flake said he only did so with the understanding the FBI would conduct an investigation into the sexual assault allegations embroiling Kavanaugh.

2.) Four environmental groups sued Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Thursday to protect the two-state Dinosaur National Monument from increased air pollution from oil and gas drilling.

3.) Nearly all of the interview transcripts connected to the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation of meddling by Russia in the 2016 election will be released after lawmakers voted unanimously on Friday to disclose them.

4.) The Ninth Circuit on Friday revived an ongoing spat on claims the opening guitar riff in Led Zeppelin’s rock epic “Stairway to Heaven” was lifted from another band’s song.

Regional

6.) The city of Ferguson, Missouri, fought at the Eighth Circuit on Friday to toss claims that it runs a debtor’s prison for people too poor to pay traffic tickets.

7.) A federal judge has ordered Missouri to alter its system for changing mailing address records for the purposes of voter registration, finding that the current system violates federal law.

8.) California’s “sanctuary” law restricting police from cooperating with federal immigration authorities violates the state constitution and cannot be enforced against the state’s 121 charter cities, an Orange County judge ruled Thursday afternoon.

International

9.) Describing the plight of two Reuters journalists imprisoned in Myanmar, attorney Amal Clooney issued a call Friday for Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi to intervene in the case.

10.) Italy’s maverick government is at it again: After challenging the European Union this summer over refugee policies, it’s opening a new fight over public spending limits.

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