Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including the Supreme Court upheld a law that governs the adoption of Indian children; A man who used a metal bike rack to trip and injure Capitol Police officers on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced to 30 months in prison; European climate scientists warned 2023 could be the hottest year on record, and more.

National

Tribal preference over adoptions upheld at Supreme Court

The Supreme Court averted a blow to tribal sovereignty Thursday in upholding a law that governs the adoption of Indian children.

Chebon Kernell beats a drum and sings during a rally in support of 3-year-old baby Veronica; Veronica's biological father, Dusten Brown; and the Indian Child Welfare Act in Oklahoma City on Aug. 19, 2013. Brown is trying to maintain custody of the girl who was given up for adoption by her birth mother to a couple in South Carolina. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)

Capitol rioter lampooned as JackTheTripper ordered to prison

A man who was recorded using a metal bike rack to trip and injure Capitol Police officers on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced Thursday to 30 months in federal prison.

A photograph or capture from a video shows Mikhail Slye near a metal barricade used to trip a Capitol Police officer on January 6, 2021. (DOJ via Courthouse News)

Click here to listen to the latest episode of Courthouse News’ podcast Sidebar, tackling the stories you need to know from the legal world.

Twitter users suspended for Covid tweets argue to reinstate case against feds

Twitter users who gained popularity for criticizing officials during the Covid-19 pandemic argued Thursday before an appeals court panel to reinstate First Amendment claims against the federal government for viewpoint suppression.

The Twitter app icon on a mobile phone. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Regional

Separate and unequal access in Virginia at issue in Court of Appeal

The press and public are required to use the equivalent of a horse and buggy to review court records in Virginia while government officials and lawyers can ride on the superhighway of remote access. The First Amendment issue is now fully briefed in a federal court of appeals.

Journalist arrested at Iowa protest takes case against cop to Eighth Circuit

A photojournalist covering an Iowa protest in response to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis was wrongly arrested by a Des Moines police officer, his lawyer told a federal appeals court panel Thursday, arguing the officer should not be protected from liability by qualified immunity.

These images included in a brief filed with the Eighth Circuit show the arrest of photojournalist Mark Nieters during a protest in Des Moines, Iowa, in spring 2020. (Screenshot via Courthouse News)

International

Brexit bade toodle-oo to EU citizenship rights, top court says

Citizens of the United Kingdom are no longer EU citizens and not eligible for the benefits granted by the political and economic union, the European Union’s highest court ruled on Thursday.

The Union Flag and European Union flags flap in the wind at EU headquarters in Brussels on Dec. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)

EU scientists warn 2023 could be hottest-ever year

The first part of June was the hottest on record globally, an ominous sign as the El Niño weather pattern sets in and threatens to make 2023 one of the hottest – if not the hottest – ever registered, European climate scientists warned Thursday.

A graphic showing global mean temperatures breached for the first time in June the 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) threshold above pre-industrial levels set by the 2015 Paris agreement. (Copernicus Climate Change Service via Courthouse News)

Science

Study shows overfishing is killing off reef shark populations

In a study published in Science on Thursday, a global initiative founded by researchers at Florida International University has given scientists invaluable reef data. After three years, The Global FinPrint team combed through over 20,000 hours of underwater footage across 391 reefs and found alarming losses among reef sharks and hopeful sanctuaries.

Sharks in the Great Barrier Reef. (Pixabay image via Courthouse News)

Categories / Closing Arguments

Subscribe to our free newsletters

Our weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.