Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including the U.K. government approved the first new coal mine to be built in England in three decades; The Second Circuit refused to overturn the sex-trafficking convictions that landed the leader of an upstate New York cult 120 years in prison; Stock markets dipped in reaction to higher-than-expected producer prices and growing unemployment, and more.

National

Wall Street hopes one week of woes won’t deter the Santa Claus rally

With a relatively light week of data and renewed concerns about a growth slowdown, investors turned their back on last week’s highs.

Numbers for the Dow Jones Industrial Average are displayed on a screen at the New York Stock Exchange on Sept. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)

Supreme Court left in the cold as Congress takes up mantle to uphold rights

Only months after Justice Clarence Thomas suggested protections for same-sex marriage could be erased by the high court’s conservative majority, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers have passed legislation to give it federal protection. This move signaled the Supreme Court’s reluctance to play its role in our democratic system and the further degradation of its authority.

Members of the Supreme Court sit for a new group portrait following the addition of Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on Oct. 7, 2022. Standing beside her in the back row, from left are Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch and Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Samuel Alito, and Associate Justice Elena Kagan are seated in front. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

NXIVM sex cult leader loses appeal, will be imprisoned for life

The Second Circuit refused Friday to overturn the sex-trafficking convictions that landed the leader of an upstate New York cult 120 years in prison.

In the sex-trafficking trial of NXIVM leader Keith Raniere, prosecutors introduced this photo showing the “first-line masters” of DOS, a secretive sex cult within the group. Raniere, their “master," is pictured at center, with Lauren Salzman in the top-left corner. The government redacted the image of Camila as she is a sex-crime victim. (Image courtesy of U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York via Courthouse News)

Eighth Circuit shields Catholic groups from transgender health care rule

A federal appeals court Friday issued a permanent injunction barring enforcement of a Biden administration rule under the Affordable Care Act that would have forced Catholic hospitals to provide transgender medical services that violate their religious beliefs.

Schooling and suspicions form barrier to sit on jury for rioters accused of sedition

Four days of jury selection ended Friday with a panel of 12 jurors and four alternates to hear whether four members of the far-right Oath Keepers organization plotted to overthrow the U.S. government so Donald Trump could stay in power.

Insurrectionists loyal to President Donald Trump stand outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

International

International Criminal Court makes governance meeting off limits to striking lawyers

Defense and victims' counsel who wanted to attend the annual meeting of countries who are involved in the International Criminal Court were informed with less than 24 hours' notice that they would not be allowed inside.

The International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. (Molly Quell/Courthouse News)

Environmentalists decry UK approval of first new coal mine in 30 years

The United Kingdom’s government approved the first new coal mine to be built in England in three decades this week, amid consternation from environmental campaigners.

New visa raises overdevelopment concerns in Bali

A “second home” visa coming into effect this month aims to attract wealthy foreigners who can help accelerate Indonesia’s growing economy, but some worry it will come at the expense of locals and the environment.

Locals and tourists in Bali, Indonesia, enjoying the sunset together on Kuta beach before the lockdown in 2021. (Lasse Sørensen/Courthouse News)

Categories / Closing Arguments

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.