Latest National courts News
In divided votes, NC legislature OK's another primary delay
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A divided General Assembly agreed Wednesday to delay North Carolina's already postponed primaries by another three weeks, with Republicans citing uncertainty surrounding their new redistricting maps for the date change. But with the legislation approved on...
Otto Warmbier's parents get $240K seized from North Korea
NEW YORK (AP) — The parents of Otto Warmbier, a U.S. student who died after being taken hostage by North Korea and released by the country in a coma in 2017, should receive $240,300 seized from a North Korean bank account, a federal judge ruled last week. The amount would be a...
Sotomayor, Gorsuch deny report they were at odds over masks
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Supreme Court justices say a media report that they were at odds over the wearing of masks in court during the recent surge in coronavirus cases is false. The court on Wednesday issued an unusual three-sentence statement from Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil...
Georgia courts, investigators say they're tackling backlogs
ATLANTA (AP) — Leaders of Georgia's state court system on Wednesday told lawmakers they're trying to pass out federal money as fast as they can to help courts catch up with pandemic-related backlogs, while the leader of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation says it's a challenge to station a...
Push to stop House map carving Nashville has legal obstacles
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Democrats and voting rights organizations have blasted Tennessee Republicans for what they say is a brazen effort to dilute the state's Black vote by carving up booming Nashville into three likely GOP-controlled congressional districts. But their legal path for getting the...
Raw Senate debate in fight to end voting bill filibuster
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senators faced off in emotional, raw debate Wednesday on voting legislation that Democrats and civil rights leaders say is vital for protecting democracy but that's almost certain to be defeated without a filibuster rules change. It's a stunning setback for...
US judge dismisses lawsuit filed by Whitey Bulger's family
WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by family members of Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger Jr., who was beaten to death in a federal prison in West Virginia. U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey in Wheeling granted the government's...
BNSF railroad tries to block 17,000 workers from striking
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — BNSF railroad wants a federal judge to prevent two of its unions from going on strike next month over a new attendance policy that would penalize employees for missing work. The Fort Worth, Texas-based railroad went to court after the Brotherhood of Locomotive...
Starbucks nixes vaccine mandate after Supreme Court ruling
Starbucks is no longer requiring its U.S. workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, reversing a policy it announced earlier this month. In a memo sent Tuesday to employees, the Seattle coffee giant said it was responding to last week’s ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. In a 6-3...
Voting changes and more in Democrats' broad elections bill
The sweeping elections bill being considered by the Senate is about far more than voting. The Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act would create national automatic voter registration, allow all voters to cast ballots by mail and weaken voter ID laws. It would ban partisan gerrymandering...
