Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including Russian President Vladimir Putin lashed out at the West as he formally annexed four Ukrainian regions; Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson sat on the bench for the first time for her formal investiture; The third quarter came to a sobering end after one of the worst Septembers on Wall Street in more than a decade, and more.

National

Formal investiture kicks off at Supreme Court for Justice Jackson

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson sat on the bench for the first time Friday for her formal investiture.

The Supreme Court held a special sitting on September 30, 2022, for the formal investiture ceremony of Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, pictured here with Chief Justice John Roberts. (Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States via Courthouse News)

Markets crap out again to close out horrific September and quarter

The third quarter of 2022 came to a sobering end Friday, but perhaps not quickly enough for investors after one of the worst Septembers in more than a decade.

(Barbara Leonard/Courthouse News Service)

Alabama redistricting battle poised to gut Voting Rights Act for good

With Americans refocusing on elections ahead of November, the Supreme Court is set to cast its ballot on a redistricting fight out of Alabama, deciding how much power Black voters get to elect their representatives of choice.

Voting rights activists march outside of the Supreme Court on Aug. 2, 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Regional

Still deadly after 67 years, James Dean crash site a landmark for legends, rebels and lost potential

James Dean may have been the most famous person to die at the intersection of highways 41 and 46 in California's San Luis Obispo County, but he wasn't the first — or the last. Not by a long shot.

A semi truck drives along the problematic “Cholame Y,” just a few yards from the unofficial James Dean memorial. The intersection is slightly different than when Dean crashed here but even more deadly, as dozens of fatal crashes have occurred here through the decades. (Pat Pemberton/Courthouse News)

Newsom signs off on recall reform in 11th-hour signing spree

With hours left to either sign or veto a stack of bills before they automatically become law, California Governor Gavin Newsom plowed through more than 150 bills within 24 hours — including two born from his recent brush with a recall effort.

FILE - In this photo, Gov. Gavin Newsom holds a face mask as he urges people to wear them to fight the spread of the coronavirus during a news conference in Rancho Cordova, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, Pool, File)

International

Putin annexation of four Ukrainian regions decried as illegal land grab

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday lashed out at the West as he formally annexed four Ukrainian regions that his troops are struggling to hold onto against advances from Kyiv's forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, waves from the Kremlin in Moscow on Sept. 30, 2022, during a treaty-signing ceremony to annex four regions of Ukraine to Russia. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

UK financial crisis leaves government credibility in tatters

The United Kingdom's government is facing a major crisis of confidence amid market turmoil in response to the new economic approach set out by Prime Minister Liz Truss and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng.

British Prime Minister Liz Truss visits Berkeley Modular in Northfleet, Kent, Britain, on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022. (Dylan Martinez/Pool Photo via AP)

Notaries, government aim to change Mexicans’ minds about drawing up wills

Despite the accessibility of will making in Mexico, stubborn cultural assumptions continue to deter the vast majority of eligible citizens from drawing one up. But lawyers, notaries and the government are determined to change the culture, both within Mexico and abroad.

Only 7% of eligible Mexican citizens have drawn up a will, but that number has risen steadily in recent years. (Pixabay user RazorMax via 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.