Justia News

The New York Times Sues FCC Over Refusal to Respond to FOIA Requests Updated: Published by:

The New York Times has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over the FCC's ongoing refusal to adequately respond to FOIA requests. When the FCC's website was soliciting public comments over the controversial net neutrality policies last year, it received an alarmingly high number of comments from…

Proposed House Bill Would Eliminate Downloading Fees for Federal Court Documents and Filings Updated: Published by:

Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) recently proposed the Electronic Court Records Reform Act, which, if passed, would eliminate the fee structure of PACER, the federal court filing database. PACER presently charges users up to 10 cents per page and a maximum of $3 per document for these public record documents. The…

In A Victory for Transparency, Dark Money Donors Revealed Updated: Published by:

The Supreme Court issued an order  yesterday upholding a US Federal District Court decision  that requires, effective immediately, more transparency in the naming of of donors to non-profit groups which run advertisements for or against political candidates. The lawsuit, brought by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) against…

8th Circuit Court of Appeals Holds That Political Action Committees Have Freedom of Speech and Association Rights Under the First Amendment Updated: Published by:

On Monday, September 10, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit found a Missouri law that banned donations between political action committees ("PACs") violated the First Amendment. Judge Steven Colloton wrote that the law "limits the donor-PAC's speech and associational rights under the First Amendment." 

State Farm Agrees to Settle Suit Alleging Improper Influence Over Judicial Election for $250M Updated: Published by:

A federal district court judge in Illinois has granted preliminary approval to a settlement between State Farm and a class of plaintiffs claiming that the insurance giant created a RICO enterprise to bankroll the election of a judge to the state's high court. Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lloyd Karmeier was…

9th Circuit Rules That Top Charitable Donors in California Must Disclose Information Updated: Published by:

Arguing for the charities' right of free association, a public interest law firm and a charitable group co-founded by the Koch brothers had challenged the disclosure of information, stating that the requirement chills donor contributions.

North Carolina Democrats Hope to Erode Republican Grasp on Legislature Updated: Published by:

The North Carolina legislature historically has been dominated by Republicans, but times may be changing in a state known for extremely conservative lawmaking. While the Governor is a Democrat, the Republican supermajority in the legislature has pushed many laws past his veto over the last two years. One of the…

Mass. Judge Cites “Unreasonable Delays” by FDA on Tobacco Warning Rules Updated: Published by:

A federal district court judge has ordered the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) provide an expedited publication schedule for rules on tobacco warnings on cigarette packs and advertisements, citing "unreasonable delays" by the FDA.