Top eight today

Top eight stories for today including The Senate voted to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court Thursday, securing her place in history as the first Black woman justice to serve on the highest court in the nation; The First Circuit gave strong indications Thursday that it would strike down a Maine law that says only in-state residents can own for-profit medical marijuana dispensaries; NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned on Thursday that the war in Ukraine may last months or even years longer and more.

National

Senate confirms Ketanji Brown Jackson as first Black woman Supreme Court justice

The Senate voted to confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court Thursday, securing her place in history as the first Black woman justice to serve on the highest court in the nation.

President Joe Biden holds hands with Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as they watch the Senate vote on her confirmation from the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington on April 7, 2022. (Susan Walsh/AP)

Girl Scouts lose bid to corner a market that’s gone gender-neutral

A federal judge found no basis Thursday to let the Girl Scouts claim that the Boy Scouts caused marketplace confusion and damaged their recruitment efforts by using words like “scouts” and “scouting” in marketing materials.

(Image by Jeanene Fisher from Pixabay via Courthouse News)

Regional

Social workers are quitting over Texas’ anti-trans childcare order

Randa Mulanax worked at Texas Child Protective Services for six years, ultimately leading a small unit of investigators in Austin. But when a new policy required her to investigate families of transgender children, Mulanax decided she couldn’t be part of a mission that “didn’t feel right.”

Demonstrators gather on the steps of the Texas State Capitol to speak against transgender-related bills being considered in the Texas Senate and Texas House on May 20, 2021, in Austin, Texas. (Eric Gay/AP)

First Circuit poised to approve interstate marijuana investment

The First Circuit gave strong indications Thursday that it would strike down a Maine law that says only in-state residents can own for-profit medical marijuana dispensaries.

(Image by NickyPe from Pixabay via Courthouse News)

International

Ukraine war could last years, NATO chief warns

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned on Thursday that the war in Ukraine may last months or even years longer, bringing much more destruction to Ukraine and raising the risk that the conflict could draw in Western powers.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks in the Danish Parliament at Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark, during the Nordic Council meeting on Nov. 3, 2021. (Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)

Finland leads way to potential NATO membership with Sweden tapping in

Ending over 200 years of neutrality in foreign affairs and security policy is properly a hot potato on many Swedish dinner tables these days.

Logo of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, commonly known as NATO. (Pixabay image via Courthouse News)

Macron, Le Pen poised for French presidency runoff repeat

French voters go to the polls on Sunday in a tight presidential race that seems destined to once again star President Emmanuel Macron in a second-round runoff with Marine Le Pen, the mellowed far-right leader whose chances of a shocking upset victory are on the rise.

French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with supporters as he arrives for a meeting in Paris on April 2, 2022. (Ludovic Marin/Pool via AP)

Google must investigate links for false information, says top EU court adviser

If someone asks for links to be removed from Google because they are false, the company must look into the claim, said an adviser to the European Court of Justice in a non-binding opinion issued Thursday.

The logo of Google is displayed on a carpet at the entrance hall of Google France in Paris on Nov. 18, 2019. (Michel Euler/AP)

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.