Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including the Supreme Court broke into fits of laughter while reviewing a toymaker’s spoof on Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey; Courthouse News gained ground in its fight to quash delays in access to court filings; Starbucks workers across the country went on strike in protest of the company's anti-union tactics, and more.

National

Potty humor at whiskey legend’s expense gives high court a chuckle

The normally sedate Supreme Court broke into fits of laughter on Wednesday while reviewing a toymaker’s spoof on Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey.

A bottle of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey is displayed next to a Bad Spaniels dog toy in Arlington, Va., on Nov. 20, 2022. (AP Photo/Jessica Gresko, file)

Starbucks workers go on nationwide strike ahead of shareholder meetings

One hundred Starbucks locations across the country went on strike Wednesday morning in protest of the coffee company's anti-union tactics.

Starbucks workers protest after the firing of Laila Dalton in Scottsdale, Ariz., on April 5, 2022. (Photo courtesy of Jason White/Courthouse News)

Environmental justice reinforcement unveiled in House

Democratic lawmakers unveiled a sweeping new piece of legislation Wednesday, aimed at shielding vulnerable communities from the effects of pollution and climate change, as well as strengthening government outreach.

Arizona Congressman Raúl Grijalva speaks at the unveiling of the A. Donald McEachin Environmental Justice for All Act on March 22, 2023. (Benjamin S. Weiss/Courthouse News Service)

Cruz maneuvers to cap Supreme Court bench at nine

Texas Senator Ted Cruz made a play Wednesday, not for the first time, to amend the country’s founding document so that the possibility of a U.S. Supreme Court with more than nine justices remains confined to some Democratic imaginations.

Senator Ted Cruz speaks at a May 11, 2021, hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee. (Screenshot via Courthouse News)

Regional

Rare weather event leaves California battered and soaked

Even in an unusually cold and wet winter season, the storm that hit California on Tuesday — officially the second day of spring — stood out.

High winds create large waves along The Embarcadero near Pier 14 between Mission Street and Howard Street in San Francisco on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. (Salgu Wissmath/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Federal judge orders Columbus court to stop delaying access to new complaints

Courthouse News gained ground in its fight to quash delays in access to court filings, winning a preliminary injunction that will require a Franklin County court to stop withholding e-filed complaints from public view during a clerk review process.

Courthouse News Service bureau chief Ryan Abbott (right) and reporter Charly Himmel (center) speak with court staff at the Mahoning County Court of Common Pleas in Youngstown, Ohio. (Bill Girdner/Courthouse News)

Florida poised for major changes to legal system

Florida lawmakers are expected to pass a sweeping tort reform law this week that would change large swaths of the civil justice system, including statutes covering attorney fees, medical reimbursement and liability in negligence cases.

Science

Implant could restore function to paralyzed and amputated limbs

Although the physical connection to a limb is severed during amputation, the signals that originally guided those limbs still remain — signals that researchers say can be reconnected with a neural implant to restore functionality.