Top eight today

Top eight stories for today including the Supreme Court ruled Kentucky’s attorney general can intervene to fight for a law that would ban abortions after 15 weeks; A federal appeals court denied an injunction to New York City teachers and other employees flouting pandemic protocols; Russia's onslaught in Ukraine entered its eighth day, and more.

National

Supreme Court green-lights Kentucky AG’s defense of abortion law

Kentucky’s attorney general can intervene to fight for a law that would ban abortions after 15 weeks, the Supreme Court ruled 8-1 Thursday.

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron speaks during a Sept. 23, 2020, news conference in Frankfort, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, file)

Jan. 6 committee subpoenas Kimberly Guilfoyle, Donald Trump Jr.’s fiancée

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection has subpoenaed Kimberly Guilfoyle, former Fox News host, Trump campaign aide and current fiancée of Donald Trump Jr.

Kimberly Guilfoyle speaks at a rally in support of then-President Donald Trump in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Oath Keeper’s plea to seditious conspiracy could be ‘damaging blow’ for other Capitol rioters

The first-of-its-kind plea from a Capitol rioter to the rare charge of seditious conspiracy, and his promise to cooperate with the government, may spell trouble for hundreds of others accused in the deadly insurrection.

The affidavit in support of the criminal complaint against Joshua James, an Alabama man affiliated with the far-right Oath Keepers militia group who pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy for his actions leading up to and through the Jan. 6 riot. The conviction on March 2 of James marks the first person involved in the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol to be convicted of the rarely used charge. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

Regional

NYC school staff who refused vaccines served 2nd Circuit defeat

A coterie of holdouts representing New York City's bare 1% of public school employees who have refused to get vaccinated against the coronavirus failed Thursday for the second time to secure injunctive relief.

Teachers from the Earth School speak out on issues related to lack of Covid testing outside of P.S. 64 on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Brittainy Newman)

Newsom wants courts to play new role in treating mental health and homelessness crises

California judges could compel people suffering from illnesses like schizophrenia to accept medical treatment under a comprehensive new mental health and homelessness plan announced Thursday by Governor Gavin Newsom.

A beachfront homeless encampment in Venice, California. (Martin Macias Jr./Courthouse News)

International

Russia pounds Ukraine with bombs, ceasefire talks resume

Russia's onslaught in Ukraine entered its eighth day on Thursday and saw no letup in Moscow's bombing of cities as intense fighting was reported across much of the eastern half of the country.

A building burns after shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Countering powerlessness: In Denmark, locals desperately try to help Ukrainian civilians

All over the country, Danes offer small-scale humanitarian help — raising funds for medicine, clothes and food and making trips to get Ukrainians out of the war zone.

A woman is overwhelmed by emotion in the backyard of a house reportedly damaged by a Russian airstrike in Gorenka, Ukraine, outside the capital Kyiv, on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Unemployment continues to fall as producer prices rise in Europe

Unemployment dropped 1.5% in the eurozone in January 2022 compared to a year ago, and prices for manufacturers have risen there by 30.6% over the same timeframe, per the European Union’s statistics agency.

This infographic by Eurostat shows that the producer price index, a measure of how costs have changed from producers’ point of view, has risen greatly over the last year in the European Union. (Eurostat/European Union)

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.