A federal judge has ruled that Dominion Energy Inc. may restart construction on its ambitious offshore wind project off the coast of Virginia, delivering another judicial rebuke to the Trump administration’s efforts to halt major renewable energy developments. The decision came late Friday in the U.S. District Court for the…
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Appointment of Trump Nominee as Acting U.S. Attorney Struck Down by Court
A federal judge has ruled that Ryan Ellison, the acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico, was improperly appointed and therefore has been serving unlawfully in the top federal prosecutor role, delivering a fresh legal setback for the Trump administration’s efforts to place loyalists in key Justice Department…
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Court Upholds Convictions After Violent Encounter with Virginia Beach Officers
The Court of Appeals of Virginia has affirmed the convictions of Dean Anton Vitasek, who was found guilty on numerous charges stemming from a highly volatile confrontation with two Virginia Beach police officers in May 2023. Vitasek appealed, challenging the evidence for three specific felony convictions and arguing that his…
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Magistrates Can Issue Custody Orders for Sexually Violent Predators, Virginia Appeals Court Rules
The Court of Appeals of Virginia has overturned a circuit court order that sought to restrict which judicial officers could issue Emergency Custody Orders (ECOs) for a designated sexually violent predator, William Messenger. The appellate court firmly stated that under Virginia’s Sexually Violent Predators Act (SVPA), magistrates—not just circuit courts—have…
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CenturyTel Loses Bid to Overturn NLRB Ruling on Information Request
A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) finding that CenturyTel of Montana, Inc., violated federal labor law by refusing to provide the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 768 (the Union), with requested information regarding non-union technicians working in the Union’s…
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Supreme Court Considers Legality of Transgender Sports Bans in High-Profile Equal Protection Case
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday opened oral arguments in a pair of closely watched cases evaluating whether multiple states can legally bar transgender athletes from competing on female sports teams in public schools and colleges. The hearings mark a major moment in the national debate over transgender rights, discrimination…
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Tenth Circuit Upholds Denial of Habeas Relief in High-Profile Murder Appeal
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit has affirmed the denial of federal habeas corpus relief to Brenda Andrew, convicted and sentenced to death for the first-degree murder of her husband, Rob Andrew. The court’s decision centered on Ms. Andrew’s sole remaining claim: that the introduction of evidence…
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Court Sides with Homeland Security Agencies in FOIA Battle Over Reza Zarrab Records
A federal district court in Washington D.C. has granted summary judgment to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its components—ICE, CBP, and USCIS—in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit brought by the law firm Williams & Connolly, LLP. The firm sought records pertaining to Reza Zarrab, an Iranian,…
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Court Says No to Contract Claim, Yes to Fraud and Theft Claims Against Individual Defendants
The First Appellate District of Ohio has issued a mixed ruling in a case where clients sued two individuals, Mark Reder and Mark Picard, after they allegedly failed to provide accounting services for which a $5,000 retainer was paid to their company, Sheldon Reder CPA’s Inc. (SRC). The appellate court…
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Parolee Loses Fight for “Erroneous Liberty” Credit, But Board Must Explain Denial of Other Time Off
The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has issued a nuanced ruling concerning Vernon Robinson, a parolee whose sentence calculations were challenged after a complex series of violations and subsequent incarcerations. While the court sided with the Pennsylvania Parole Board (Board) in denying Robinson credit for time he spent out of custody following…