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National

A tale of two trials: Depp-Heard case nears an end

After a weeklong pause in the proceedings, the defamation case brought by actor Johnny Depp against his ex-wife, actress Amber Heard, is, at last, in the home stretch.

Special counsel John Durham set for courtroom showdown with Democrat-backed lawyer Michael Sussmann

John Durham’s investigation into the FBI’s 2016 Trump-Russia collusion probe entered its third year on Friday, three days before the closely watched court case between the Trump-era special counsel and Democrat-linked lawyer Michael Sussmann will be in front of a federal jury in Washington. 

As a 50-year precedent fades, the political landscape looks even older

With the expectation that the Supreme Court will overrule the landmark 1973 decision that enshrined abortion rights in America, vestiges of the laws from before Roe v. Wade are already beginning to resurface. Because of how the conservative right has reframed the issue over the last 49 years as one about morals instead of health care, however, the degree to which the post-Roe era will resemble its precursor is less certain.

Regional

Newsom floats $300.6 billion revised California budget

Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled a $300.6 billion revised spending plan Friday that provides more money for Californians pinched by rampant inflation, bolstered by a $97.5 billion surplus from high-income taxpayers.

First Amendment fight for press access takes center stage in Florida federal court

A federal judge in Tallahassee heard oral arguments in a constitutional challenge to the practice by Florida court clerks of withholding access to new civil complaints until clerical processing is complete.

Texas high court OKs investigations into parents of transgender kids

The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that the state Department of Family and Protective Services is allowed to investigate the families of transgender children for abuse with the one exception of a family that has already won an injunction against the state. 

International

Ukrainian political sociologist: This is a war of leadership failures at many levels

Volodymyr Ishchenko, a Ukrainian political sociologist, sees the Russian invasion as the consequence of a “crisis of hegemony” and failure of leadership both on the global level and inside Russia. He talks with Courthouse News.

Undercover policing inquiry exposes scale of British surveillance

A British investigation into the historic misuse of undercover policing has heard from witnesses that there was “no clear rationale, justification or necessity” for tactics used during the surveillance of thousands of political activists from the 1960s onwards.

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