Supreme Court dodges death penalty IQ question, leaving justices at odds
WASHINGTON (CN) — In an unusual dismissal on Thursday, the Supreme Court declined to weigh in on whether an Alabama man should be disqualified for capital punishment, keeping him off death row. The justices instead dismissed Alabama’s appeal over the...
Botched execution attempt buys Tennessee man another year
WASHINGTON (CN) — In a last-minute emergency order, the Supreme Court on Thursday refused to stop Tennessee’s planned execution of a man fighting to prove his innocence in a triple murder. Tony Carruthers was sentenced to death 30 years ago after being forced to...
Legal adviser warns landscape objections shouldn’t smother Europe’s green transition
(CN) — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent Europe racing to build wind farms, and on Thursday that sprint crashed into an older European obsession: How much landscape and history should be sacrificed to make the green transition move faster. Advocate General Athanasios...
House Democrats take on the Supreme Court shadow docket
WASHINGTON (CN) — A top House Democrat on Thursday unveiled a package of legislation he said would shine a spotlight on the Supreme Court’s shadow docket and demystify the justices’ secretive and often unexplained emergency orders. But while a trio of bills from...
EU court backs Italy push to unmask fiduciary trusts
(CN) — A financial arrangement built to keep one person’s name off another person’s assets ran headfirst into Europe’s anti-money laundering rules Thursday, as EU judges backed Italy’s push to uncover who is really behind the money. In a ruling spanning two joined...
Feds, oil companies defend oil leases on sage grouse habitat
(CN) — Conservationists on Wednesday again faced off with the federal government and oil companies over leasing decisions on imperiled sage grouse habitat — the latest step in a long-running environmental case. At issue in this phase of the litigation is the Bureau of...
Berkeley’s former police watchdog sues the city over his firing
(CN) — The former director of Berkeley’s police accountability office is suing the city and its mayor, claiming he was fired after trying to investigate officer misconduct and enforce the police department’s legal obligations. Hansel Aguilar filed the...
Oregon conservation groups challenge Mount Hood land swap
(CN) — Conservationists in Oregon are crying foul over a potential land deal between a ski resort and the U.S. Forest Service on top of the iconic Mount Hood that they say violates the law and was made without public input. Attorneys representing several conservation...
Mandatory retirement for New York judges hits top state court
(CN) — New York voters in 2024 approved adding age as a protected civil rights category. What that means for the court system’s mandatory retirement age is now a question for the state’s top court. Three septuagenarian judges brought their case before the...