Top Eight

Your Friday night briefing from the staff of Courthouse News

Top eight stories for today including advocates are voicing dismay that a House bill removing barriers to citizenship for certain qualifying immigrants does not include juveniles who have run afoul of the criminal-justice system; Europe solemnly marked the milestone of 1 million deaths from Covid-19; A judge ruled the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd will go on as scheduled, and more.

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National

1.) After the House took a big step toward removing barriers to citizenship for certain qualifying immigrants, advocates are voicing dismay that the move does not include juveniles who have run afoul of the criminal-justice system.

2.) The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division faces an onslaught of voter-suppression efforts across the country. Experts worry it might not have all the tools to combat them. 

3.) Saying it’s safe, with universal masking, for school desks to be just 3 feet apart, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance Friday, cutting in half the recommended distance between desks. 

4.) The week was a mixed one for stocks, but it was very good for bonds, which saw yields rise significantly as inflation concerns continue to bubble up.

5.) Attorneys general for Maryland and the District of Columbia have asked the Fourth Circuit for guidance on the outcome of district court opinions in since-mooted emoluments clause cases against former President Donald Trump.

Regional

6.) The trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd will go on as scheduled in Minneapolis, and evidence related to an earlier arrest Chauvin’s attorney says speaks to a pattern of behavior for Floyd will be tightly restricted. 

7.) In a victory for women’s health and civil rights advocates, a federal judge on Friday issued an injunction blocking South Carolina’s latest abortion legislation that bans the procedure after a fetal heartbeat can be detected. 

International

8.) Pushing vaccination as the means to both revive social and economic life before the start of summer, as well as prevent a fresh wave of death, Europe solemnly marked the milestone of 1 million deaths from Covid-19 on Friday.