Yesterday Judge Alison Nathan of the Southern District of New York, issued a scathing decision calling for an investigation in procedures and systems in the US Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York. The basis for the judge’s opinion was the dismissal of the criminal case and conviction in US v. Ali Sadr […]
This past Saturday, from the golf course, President Trump signed an executive order touted as a relief to employees from payroll tax. The order relieves employers from collecting the employees’ share of payroll tax. But issued without any guidance from the Treasury Department or the IRS, it raises many more issues than it purports to […]
Federal Judge Carlton Reeves, of the Southern District of Mississippi, ruled that the doctrine of qualified immunity meant that a white police officer could not be sued for racially profiling and then terrorizing an innocent black man on the side of the road. Judge Reeves ruled that the law required the dismissal of the case […]
Prominent MSNBC anchor Joy Reid lost a big appellate decision that will shape the rules of many cases involving free speech. Fighting this case made no sense and in the end it dealt a large blow to protections long relied upon by the media. Last week, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated libel claims from […]
This SCOTUS season is turning this into a full-time Supreme Court Blog which is not what it is supposed to be. But these past few decisions have been so important -not just for the decisions themselves, but as a window into this divided, politicized Court, that I wanted to write about them. In a huge […]
Its been a heck of a SCOTUS term so far, with key rulings on Gay Rights; DACA and now abortion. This decision today in June Medical Services LLC v. Russo, is a great relief to supporters of women’s reproductive rights. Since the language of this law was nearly identical to the Texas law struck down […]
Another day, another big loss for the Trump Administration and I would argue another great win for American society. In a 5-4 vote, with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the liberal wing of the Court to form a majority, the Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) […]
In a landmark ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and transgender status, a major victory for advocates of gay rights; the transgender rights movement; and anyone who recognizes the invalidity of discrimination against any class of people on […]
The arc of Lenny “Nails” Dykstra’s life is like a roller coaster. Well at least that first part of the rollercoaster where you go up a huge hill, reach the top, and then speedily plummet to the bottom. Lenny’s hit so rock-bottom that recently a NY Judge ruled he is “libel-proof.” That is, his public […]
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