Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including Justice Clarence Thomas is under the microscope for potential violations of federal law; Colorado lawmakers advanced a bill mandating state courts to provide remote public access to criminal proceedings; France saw more massive demonstrations against pension cuts, and more.

National

Thomas’ luxury vacations footed by GOP megadonor test boundaries on high court ethics

Justice Clarence Thomas is under the microscope for potential violations of federal law by failing to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of luxury trips gifted to him by Republican megadonor Harlan Crow.

Associate Justice Clarence Thomas sits during a group photo at the Supreme Court in Washington on April 23, 2021. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool)

Title IX rule would allow schools to restrict transgender athletes in some cases

A new Biden administration proposal bars schools from implementing a blanket ban on transgender students participating on teams consistent with their gender identity, but it allows teams to impose some restrictions for high school and college sports.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Wednesday, March 17, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Regional

Mandate for remote access to criminal court proceedings clears hurdle in Colorado

A bill mandating Colorado courts to provide remote public access to criminal proceedings passed the House Judiciary Committee unanimously just after midnight Thursday morning.

Colorado residents turned out at the state Capitol in Denver to protest safe-at-home orders spurred by the novel coronavirus pandemic. (Courthouse News photo / Amanda Pampuro)

On his 86th birthday, we salute the Hag

When country music legend Merle Haggard died on his 79th birthday on April 6, 2016, he left behind chart-topping singles like "Okie from Muskogee" and the hugely influential Bakersfield Sound.

A photo of Merle Haggard from the commemorative plaque outside the Haggard House at the Kern County Museum. (Rebekah Kearn/Courthouse News)

Minnesota argues it is not liable for police dog attack

Minnesota’s Court of Appeals delved into the fiddly depths of the English language late Thursday morning in evaluating claims brought by a woman bitten by a state trooper’s dog.

A police dog for the Outagamie County, Wisconsin, Sheriff’'s Department. (Michael Pereckas/Wikimedia Commons via Courthouse News)

International

March global temps second warmest on record, EU agency says

The world saw its second-warmest March on record and the Antarctic sea ice covered the second-smallest extent ever measured, the European Union's climate change service reported Thursday.

A graphic showing global temperatures (left) in March 2023 and one showing the temperaures for Europe in March 2023. (Copernicus Climate Change Service via Courthouse News)

France seized by an 11th day of nationwide strikes, protests

France was the scene of massive protests, new clashes between demonstrators and police and widespread strikes on Thursday as public anger remains high three weeks after French President Emmanuel Macron rammed through unpopular pension cuts without the parliament's approval.

Demonstrators march during a protest against pension reforms in Nantes, France, on Thursday, April 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)

Top UN court rules it can hear Guyana-Venezuela border dispute

The United Nations’ highest court on Thursday rejected an objection by Venezuela over admissibility and ruled proceedings in a more than century-old legal battle with Guyana can move forward.

Exterior view of the Peace Palace, which houses the International Court of Justice, or World Court, in The Hague, Netherlands. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

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