Top Eight

Your Wednesday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News

Top eight stories for today including House lawmakers held a hearing on the excessive caseloads that plague judges across the United States; A new survey shows Americans support President Joe Biden’s foreign policy views; The First Circuit nixed a novel Maine law that would have allowed consumers to buy channels and programs on an à la carte basis rather than as part of a package, and more.

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National

1.) The number of cases fought in U.S. lower courts has increased exponentially over the last 30-plus years, but the number of judgeships has not — a disconnect that took the focus of House lawmakers on Wednesday. 

2.) As President Joe Biden marks his first month in office, Americans support his foreign policy views — particularly his emphasis on working cooperatively with allies and restoring America’s role as a global leader, according to a survey released by Pew Research Center. 

3.) Advancing the process toward allowing Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine to be used in the United States, FDA scientists reported Wednesday that the one-shot candidate is effective at preventing moderate to severe illness. 

4.) Republican senators on Wednesday picked up where they left off the day before in grilling President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Interior Department over the administration’s energy policies.

Regional

5.) Governor Gavin Newsom imposed tighter constraints on the oil and gas industry two years ago, but the Center for Biological Diversity says the state’s top oil and gas regulator continues to approve thousands of oil and gas drilling permits without any environmental review.

6.) A Maine law that allows consumers to buy individual channels and programs rather than a pre-packaged “bundle” from their cable provider was blocked Wednesday by the First Circuit. 

7.) Facebook urged the Texas Supreme Court on Wednesday to dismiss lawsuits from three women who say they were pulled into the sex trade by pimps who contacted them on the company’s social media platforms.

International

8.) European Union member states cannot pursue taxes on improperly exported goods if another has already collected them, the EU’s top court ruled Wednesday.

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