Articles Posted in Constitutional Law

From August 21 to September 9, inmates across at least 17 states plan to refuse to work to draw attention to poor prison conditions and exploitative labor practices in American correctional facilities.

Colorado baker Jack Phillips, who won a decision before the U.S. Supreme Court in June, is suing again following his refusal to bake a cake to celebrate a gender transition. His refusal resulted in a probable cause finding by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission that he had violated Colorado’s public accommodations law.…

Federal District Court judge, Dabney Friedrich, appointed by President Trump, issued an opinion today denying a motion intended to upend the Mueller investigation by questioning its legitimacy.

A lawsuit has been filed against an Ohio judge for rejecting the requests of transgender teens for changing their names to match their gender identities. The plaintiffs, who are the mothers of three transgender teens, claim that Judge Joseph Kirby’s rulings denying the name-change requests may violate the adolescents' constitutional rights. All of the teens have full support from their doctors and are going through therapy and medical treatment for their gender dysphoria.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeal has ruled against President Trump's Executive Order punishing sanctuary cities. Read the full opinion on Justia.

A federal judge has struck down the policy of a high school in Ponte Vedra Beach, which had required an 18-year-old student to use a gender-neutral bathroom. The judge found that the policy was unjustified because the student did not threaten the safety or privacy of other students. Thus, the transgender student…

In a per curiam (unsigned) opinion, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held on Wednesday that the policy and practice of the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education to include a prayer in a portion of school board meetings that is open to the public and includes student attendees and participants.

On Wednesday, a federal judge ruled against President Trump’s latest attempt to hinder a lawsuit that discusses Trump’s alleged violation of the U.S. Constitution through his continued business transactions with foreign governments. The ruling was made by U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte and will enable the plaintiffs, the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia — to move forward with their lawsuit, which argues that Trump has violated anti-corruption clauses, known as emoluments clauses, in the U.S. Constitution.

On Tuesday, July 24, 2018, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in a 2-1 ruling held that the Second Amendment grants the right to carry guns openly outside the home. With three federal appeals courts having found no right to carry guns openly in public, the issue seems ripe for United States Supreme Court interpretation.

In May, the City of Philadelphia announced that it was suspending foster care placements at Catholic Social Services (CSS) and Bethany Christian Services after reports showed that the agencies refused to place children with same-sex couples. Doing so was in violation of the city’s Fair Practices Ordinance. While Bethany agreed to comply with the law, CSS sued to city and argued that it should be allowed to discriminate against same-sex couples in accordance with their religious beliefs.