Recent Updates

  • US appeals court upholds Maryland assault weapons ban

    US appeals court upholds Maryland assault weapons ban

    National News 02/24/2017

    Maryland's ban on 45 kinds of assault weapons and its 10-round limit on gun magazines were upheld Tuesday by a federal appeals court in a decision that met with a strongly worded dissent. In a 10-4 ruling, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Ric...

  • High court ruling limits international reach of patent laws

    High court ruling limits international reach of patent laws

    Legal Events 02/24/2017

    The Supreme Court on Wednesday sided with California-based Life Technologies Corp. in a patent infringement case that limits the international reach of U.S. patent laws. The justices ruled unanimously that the company's shipment of a single part of a...

  • Court: Florida Docs Allowed to Ask Patients About Guns

    Court: Florida Docs Allowed to Ask Patients About Guns

    Recent Cases 02/22/2017

    A federal appeals court has cleared the way for Florida doctors to talk with patients about whether they own guns. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday that key provisions of a 2011 law that restricted such speech violate the First A...

  • Court: Missouri not required to name execution drug's source

    Court: Missouri not required to name execution drug's source

    Headline Legal News 02/21/2017

    A Missouri appellate court has ruled that the state's prison officials aren't obligated to publicly reveal the source of the drug used to execute prisoners. The appellate court's Western District decided Tuesday to overturn a 2016 trial court ruling ...

  • Trial court election changes considered by North Carolina House

    Trial court election changes considered by North Carolina House

    Legal Solutions 02/21/2017

    Some Republicans are set on returning all North Carolina state judicial elections to being officially partisan races again. A law quickly approved in December during a special election directed statewide races for Supreme Court and Court of Appeals t...

  • UK court says income threshold for foreign spouses is lawful

    UK court says income threshold for foreign spouses is lawful

    Headline Legal News 02/20/2017

    Britain's Supreme Court says the government is entitled to set a minimum-income threshold for people wanting to bring foreign spouses to the country, a measure introduced to ensure immigrants won't draw on public welfare funds. But the court says the...

  • Wisconsin Supreme Court to hear open meetings case

    Wisconsin Supreme Court to hear open meetings case

    Law Firm News 02/15/2017

    The Wisconsin Supreme Court is to hear arguments in a case that could give school boards and other governmental bodies a way around the open meetings law. The case up for argument Wednesday focuses on whether meetings of a committee created by employ...

  • Court: Police executing 'no-knock' warrant before shooting

    Court: Police executing 'no-knock' warrant before shooting

    National News 02/14/2017

    Court documents show Hickory police were executing a "no knock" search warrant when a police officer was shot in the arm by a suspect who was shot and killed. WSOC-TV in Charlotte reports documents showed that police were concerned that one of their ...

  • NC court blocks law stripping governor of election powers

    NC court blocks law stripping governor of election powers

    Legal Events 02/14/2017

    North Carolina's Supreme Court on Monday again blocked a state law approved by Republicans that strips the new Democratic governor of powers to oversee elections. A lower appeals court briefly let the law to take effect last week, allowing a revamped...

  • Supreme Court nominee has defended free speech, religion

    Supreme Court nominee has defended free speech, religion

    Law Firm News 02/12/2017

    Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch has been a defender of free speech and a skeptic of libel claims, an Associated Press review of his rulings shows. His record puts him at odds with President Donald Trump's disdain for journalists and tendency to la...

  • Partisan struggle over NC governor's authority back in court

    Partisan struggle over NC governor's authority back in court

    Recent Cases 02/11/2017

    Judges are hearing more arguments about North Carolina Republican lawmakers' efforts to reduce Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's authority in choosing his Cabinet. A three-judge panel scheduled arguments Friday on whether to extend their recent temporary ...

  • Kenya court blocks closing of world's biggest refugee camp

    Kenya court blocks closing of world's biggest refugee camp

    National News 02/11/2017

    A Kenyan court ruled Thursday that the government must not close the world's largest refugee camp and send more than 200,000 people back to war-torn Somalia, a decision that eases pressure on Somalis who feared the camp would close by the end of May....