Kagan Defends Securities Class Actions in State Courts
Telecommunications company Cyan failed Tuesday to have the U.S. Supreme Court quash a securities class action it faces in California.
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Report Finds Racial Disparity in Youth Confinement
Black boys make up nearly half of all male juveniles in confinement despite the fact that less than 14 percent of minors in the U.S. are black, according to a report from a Massachusetts-based prison reform advocacy group.
Read moreCalifornia Takes Over as Watchdog for SFPD Reforms
California will assume the role of watchdog to oversee San Francisco’s police reforms after the Trump administration ended an Obama-era program aimed at helping troubled police departments rebuild trust with citizens.
Read moreLess Time for Drug Crimes Reduces Race Disparity
California’s voter-backed reform that downgraded certain crimes to misdemeanors four years ago has helped shrink the disparity in the criminal-justice system between blacks and whites in San Francisco, according to a new study.
Read moreNYC Touts Success of Court-Appearance Reminder Texts
New York City’s pilot program of texting reminders to people about upcoming court dates has been a success so far, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday.
Read moreAs Tax Season Nears, Americans Are Split on GOP Cuts
Americans have mixed feelings along party lines about the impact of the new tax law on their families and the country as a whole, the Pew Research Center reported Wednesday, a month after President Donald Trump signed the bill.
Read moreDA Vance Fights to Erase Campaign-Finance Stain
Resuming campaign fundraising after his treatment of Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump and Harvey Weinstein raised eyebrows, New York District Attorney Cy Vance said Monday he is in full compliance with a nonprofit’s new report about reducing conflicts of interest.
Read moreWalmart Rolls Out $11 Minimum Wage After Tax Reform
Walmart said Thursday that it will raise the starting salary for U.S. employees to $11 an hour, pay out a one-time cash bonus for eligible associates of up to $1,000, and expand maternity and parental leave benefits.
Read moreIowa State Pays Pot-Reform Students $343,000 in Fees
A First Amendment battle between Iowa State University and a student group advocating marijuana law reform will cost Iowa at least $343,000 in appellate attorney fees, under a settlement approved Tuesday.
Read moreOn Stage With Sanders, Maryland Candidate Unveils Single-Payer Plan
Joined by Sen. Bernie Sanders to unveil his plan for universal health care, the Democratic candidate for Maryland governor said his state is better positioned than any other to adopt a single-payer system.
Read moreWisconsin Legislators Push to Simplify Litigation Process
A reform bill introduced Thursday by Wisconsin lawmakers proposes statutory changes that its sponsors say would streamline the Badger State’s civil-litigation system.
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Kenya Top Court Upholds Kenyatta’s Win in Repeat Election
Kenya’s Supreme Court on Monday upheld President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election in a repeat vote that the opposition boycotted while saying electoral reforms had not been made. The decision appeared to put an end to a months-long political drama never before seen in Africa that has left dozens dead.
Read moreCalifornia Judges Lobby for End to Money Bail System
California has lulled itself into a false sense of security regarding money bail, a San Diego judge who worked on a report that recommends largely doing away with money bail statewide told the state Judicial Council on Thursday.
Read moreMassachusetts House Embraces Criminal-Justice Reform
Efforts to reform the Massachusetts criminal-justice system cleared another hurdle as the state House passed an omnibus bill on the heels of a version passed by the Senate.
Read moreAs US Prepares to Leave UNESCO, Envoy Urges Deep Reforms
The chief U.S. envoy at UNESCO says anti-Israel bias and opaque bureaucracy are hobbling the U.N. cultural agency and is urging deep reforms.
Read moreRepublican Tax Architect Pitches Reform Plan in Texas
The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and a chief architect of Republicans’ tax-reform plan claimed Wednesday the plan would simplify the law so much that most Americans could file their taxes by filling out 15 lines on a return the size of a postcard.
Read moreCalifornia Justice Reforms Give Hope to Youthful Offenders
Governor Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed a criminal justice reform package focused on reducing juvenile sentences and recidivism in California, drawing applause from civil rights groups and celebrity activists.
Read moreHouse Passes GOP Budget, Setting Stage for Tax Cut Debate
The House Thursday passed a $4.1 trillion budget plan that’s a critical step for the party’s drive to rewrite the tax code later this year.
Read moreSenators Start Bipartisan Push for Criminal Justice Reform
A bipartisan group of senators reintroduced a sweeping criminal justice reform bill on Wednesday, reviving a legislative package that had broad support but never received a vote in the last Congress.
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ACLU Slams Chicago Cops’ Treatment of Disabled Citizens
The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois on Wednesday continued the push for reforms in the Chicago Police Department by filing a lawsuit claiming it mistreats people with disabilities in black and Latino communities.
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