Your Wednesday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News
Top eight CNS stories for today including a booming Western city will host the first and only debate showdown between Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris; California Governor Gavin Newsom set a new goal to conserve 30% of the state’s land and coastal water by 2030; The Supreme Court heard arguments in the so-called copyright lawsuit of the decade, and more.
Sign up for CNS Top Eight, a roundup of the day’s top stories delivered directly to your email Monday through Friday.
National
1.) On the heels of a raucous first presidential debate and amid a coronavirus crisis at the White House, a booming Western city will host the first and only debate showdown Wednesday between Vice President Mike Pence and his Democratic rival, Senator Kamala Harris of California.
2.) Voters aren’t so hot on their options for vice president, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted ahead of Wednesday night’s debate between the incumbent Mike Pence and Democrat Kamala Harris.
3.) The Supreme Court laid bare the so-called copyright lawsuit of the decade on Wednesday: a clash between Google and Oracle with the potential to rewrite the rules of computer coding.
4.) The Second Circuit was unanimous Wednesday in refusing to block a subpoena of President Donald Trump’s tax returns for an ongoing fraud investigation headed up by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance.
Regional
5.) Building on efforts to curb the effects of climate change amid a historically severe wildfire season, California Governor Gavin Newsom set a new goal Wednesday to conserve 30% of the state’s land and coastal water by 2030.
6.) The Democratic election administrator of Texas’ most populous county cannot send absentee ballot applications to all its registered voters, the state’s high court ruled Wednesday, handing a victory to Republicans who said it would lead people to mistakenly believe they qualify for voting by mail.
7.) Supporters of Proposition 24 say Californians need a tougher data protection law than the Legislature passed — and lobbyists and businesses have sought to chip away at — two years ago. But privacy watchdogs say the initiative still doesn’t go far enough.
8.) Dual October surprises in North Carolina are rocking the battleground state’s tight race for U.S. Senate, less than four weeks from Election Day.
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.