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REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 21 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge has blocked the state of Georgia from enforcing a new Republican-backed law that bars doctors from providing hormone replacement therapy to treat gender dysphoria in transgender children under age 18. The ruling marked the latest instance of a federal judge blocking a law banning medical procedures for transgender youth. The judge said that amounts to a form of unconstitutional sex discrimination because a minor's sex at birth determines whether that child can receive a given form of medical treatment. The state argued that banning hormone therapy was justified by the risk that an individual may later in life regret the physical changes brought on by hormone replacement therapy. By contrast, research showed mental health benefits from allowing the treatment of gender dysphoria, the judge said.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Sarah Geraghty, Christopher Carr, Kara Richardson, Brian Kemp, Geraghty, Joe Biden, Georgia, Nate Raymond, Will Dunham, Alexia Garamfalvi Organizations: Trump, City Hall, REUTERS, Republican, U.S, U.S . Constitution, Circuit, Appeals, Democratic, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Georgia, Atlanta, U.S ., Boston

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 17 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Thursday refused to allow Idaho to enforce a first-in-the-nation ban on transgender women and girls from participating in female sports leagues, saying the measure likely was unconstitutional. That argument was pursued by the ACLU's client, Lindsay Hecox, a transgender athlete who sought to join the women’s track team at Boise State University. Wardlaw said the law also discriminates against all Idaho female student athletes on the basis of sex by subjecting only them and not male athletes to the "invasive" sex dispute verification process. The Biden administration's Department of Education in April proposed a rule change that would prohibit schools from enacting outright bans on transgender athletes from teams that are consistent with their gender identities while offering flexibility on exceptions for the highest levels of competition. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Chase Strangio, Brad Little, Christiana Kiefer, Circuit Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw, Bill Clinton, Lindsay Hecox, Wardlaw, Nate Raymond, Alexia Garamfalvi, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Trump, City Hall, REUTERS, Circuit, Republican, American Civil Liberties Union, Christian, Alliance Defending, Democratic, U.S, Boise State University, Idaho, Biden administration's Department of Education, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, Idaho, North Carolina, Constitution's, Boston

Circuit Court of Appeals stopped short of ruling that the drug must be pulled off the market altogether, as a lower court had done. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice said that the Biden administration will appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, supports abortion rights and last year ordered the federal health agency to expand access to mifepristone. [1/2]Used boxes of Mifepristone, the first pill in a medical abortion, line a trash can at Alamo Women's Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, U.S., April 20, 2023. The U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned its landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that had legalized abortion nationwide.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden, Matthew Kacsmaryk, Kacsmaryk, Erin Hawley, Susan B, Anthony Pro, Alexis McGill Johnson, Evan Masingill, Evelyn Hockstein, James Ho, mifepristone, telemedicine, Jennifer Walker Elrod, Wade, Brendan Pierson, Patrick Wingrove, Nate Raymond, Sharon Bernstein, Trevor Hunnicutt, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Circuit, U.S . Department of Justice, U.S, Supreme, Alliance, Hippocratic Medicine, FDA, Alliance Defending, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, U.S . Food, Alamo Women's, REUTERS, Guttmacher Institute, American College of Obstetricians, American Medical Association, Reuters, Thomson Locations: U.S, New Orleans, Amarillo , Texas, Alamo, Carbondale , Illinois, New York, Boston, Sacramento , California, Washington

Used boxes of Mifepristone, the first pill in a medical abortion, line a trash can at Alamo Women's Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, U.S., April 20, 2023. Circuit Court of Appeals stopped short of ruling that the drug must be pulled off the market altogether, as a lower court had done. The three-judge 5th Circuit panel was reviewing an order in April by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, Texas. They contend the FDA used an improper process when it approved mifepristone in 2000 and did not adequately consider the drug's safety when used by minors. The court also reversed the agency's 2016 decision to allow mifepristone to be used up to 10 weeks of pregnancy, up from seven.

Persons: Evelyn Hockstein, Matthew Kacsmaryk, Kacsmaryk, Erin Hawley, William Ho, mifepristone, telemedicine, Jennifer Walker Elrod, Wade, Brendan Pierson, Nate Raymond, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Alamo Women's, REUTERS, Circuit, U.S, Supreme, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, White, Alliance, Hippocratic Medicine, FDA, Alliance Defending, STATES, Guttmacher Institute, American College of Obstetricians, American Medical Association, Thomson Locations: Alamo, Carbondale , Illinois, U.S, New Orleans, Amarillo , Texas, New York, Boston

Members of law enforcement work at the scene of a weekend shooting at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York, U.S. May 19, 2022. Also sued were three retailers--Mean Arms, Vintage Firearms and RMA Armament--that allegedly sold firearm equipment and body armor that Gendron used. Alphabet (GOOGL.O) and Google, which own YouTube, are also defendants, as are Gendron's parents. Through the defendants' alleged negligence, Gendron "gained the racist motivation, tools and knowledge necessary for him to commit the mass shooting," the complaint said. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York and Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Payton Gendron, Harris Stanfield, DennisJanee Brown, Rose Marie Wysocki, Gendron, Jonathan Stempel, Nate Raymond, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Blacks, YouTube, Firearms, Google, Gun Safety, Tops, Thomson Locations: Buffalo , New York, U.S, Buffalo, . New York, New York, Boston

[1/2] William McGlashan Jr., a former Executive at TPG private equity firm facing charges in a nationwide college admissions cheating scheme, leaves the federal courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., March 29, 2019. REUTERS/Brian SnyderCompanies TPG Capital Management LP FollowBOSTON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Monday upheld the conviction of a former senior executive at the private equity firm TPG Capital for participating in a vast U.S. college admissions fraud scheme by paying $50,000 to rig his son's college entrance exam results. Carter Phillips, McGlashan's lawyer, said his "deeply disappointed" client was evaluating next steps, adding it was clear that ACT test scores were not "property," a necessary element of the fraud statute. More than 50 people pleaded guilty, including the actors Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, who were among Singer's clients. Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York and Nate Raymond in Boston Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: William McGlashan Jr, Brian Snyder, William McGlashan's, McGlashan, Jeffrey Howard, William, Rick, Singer, Carter Phillips, McGlashan's, Lori Loughlin, Felicity Huffman, John Wilson, Gamal Aziz, Wilson, Jonathan Stempel, Nate Raymond, Matthew Lewis Organizations: TPG, REUTERS, Brian Snyder Companies TPG Capital Management, BOSTON, TPG Capital, U.S, Circuit, ACT, Yale, University of Southern, University of Southern California . Singer, Varsity, Thomson Locations: Boston , Massachusetts, U.S, Boston, Georgetown, University of Southern California, California, New York

[1/2] Students and pedestrians walk through the Yard at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., March 10, 2020. Democratic President Joe Biden's administration had defended that long-standing practice in the court cases against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. The ruling left some questions unanswered, and more legal challenges by conservative activists are expected targeting diversity initiatives in education and corporate America. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said promoting campus diversity remained important even after the ruling. But the departments said universities may consider how race has affected an applicant's life, such as in an applicant's essay.

Persons: Brian Snyder, Biden, Joe Biden's, Miguel Cardona, ”, Nate Raymond, Jarrett Renshaw, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Harvard University in, REUTERS, U.S, Supreme, Education, Justice, Democratic, Harvard University, University of North, America, Justice Department, Department's, Civil, Harvard, Thomson Locations: Harvard University in Cambridge , Massachusetts, U.S, University of North Carolina, Boston, Washington

AR-10s for sale at the Belle-Clair Fairgrounds & Expo Center Gun Show, after the state of Illinois passed its "assault weapons" ban into law, in Belleville, Illinois, U.S., January 14, 2023. The state's high court in a 4-3 vote rejected arguments by a group of plaintiffs led by a Republican state Representative Dan Caulkins, that the ban violated the Illinois Constitution by not applying the law equally to all citizens. The plaintiffs also argued the law violated the right to keep and bear arms under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment. That Second Amendment argument is central to separate ongoing federal lawsuits also challenging Illinois' law. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Alexia GaramfalviOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Kate Munsch, Dan Caulkins, Democratic Illinois Governor J.B, Pritzker, Elizabeth Rochford, Rochford, Lisa Holder White, David Overstreet, Mary Kay O’Brien, Nate Raymond, Jonathan Oatis, Alexia Garamfalvi Organizations: Belle, Clair Fairgrounds, REUTERS, Democratic, Republican, Democratic Illinois Governor, Protect, AK, U.S, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Illinois, Belleville , Illinois, U.S, Highland Park, Protect Illinois, New York, Boston

REUTERS/Jonathan ErnstAug 10 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Thursday will weigh lifting a Louisiana judge's order limiting the Biden administration's ability to communicate with social media companies to urge them to moderate information it deems harmful or misleading. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is set to hear arguments in the administration's appeal of the judge's ruling, which found that the government wrongly pushed social media firms to suppress disfavored political views. The Biden administration quickly appealed, and the 5th Circuit temporarily put the judge's ruling on hold while it heard the case. The administration denies forcing social media companies to take down any posts. The panel that will hear the Biden administration's appeal includes three judges who were all appointed by Republican presidents, U.S.

Persons: Joe Biden, Jonathan Ernst, Terry Doughty's, Doughty, Donald Trump, Trump, lockdowns, Biden, Edith Brown Clement, Jennifer Walker Elrod, Don Willett, Brendan Pierson, Nate Raymond, Aurora Ellis Organizations: REUTERS, Biden, Circuit, District, Democratic, Meta, Inc, YouTube, Twitter, X Corp, Trump, Department of Health, Human Services, Federal Bureau of, 5th Circuit, Republican, Thomson Locations: Arcosa, Belen , New Mexico, U.S, Louisiana, New Orleans, Missouri, Monroe, New York

Customers shop for handguns at the Des Moines Fairgrounds Gun Show at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. March 11, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File PhotoAug 9 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled that a decades-old law prohibiting users of illegal drugs from owning firearms was unconstitutional as applied to the case of a marijuana user, the latest fallout from a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that expanded gun rights. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that the federal law violated a Mississippi man's right to "keep and bear arms" under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration did not administer a drug test, though Daniels admitted he sometimes smoked marijuana, which federal law prohibits. While his case was pending, the conservative-majority Supreme Court in June 2022 declared for the first time that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to carry a handgun in public for self-defense.

Persons: Jonathan Ernst, Patrick Daniels, Daniels, Jerry Smith, Ronald Reagan, Stephen Higginson, Barack Obama, Nate Raymond, Shri Navaratnam Organizations: Des Moines, Iowa State Fairgrounds, REUTERS, U.S, Supreme, Circuit, Appeals, U.S . Drug, Administration, New York, Thomson Locations: Des Moines , Iowa, U.S, New Orleans, Mississippi, Boston

Aug 9 (Reuters) - A federal judge has blocked the state of Hawaii from enforcing a recently enacted ban on firearms on its prized beaches and in other areas including banks, bars and parks, citing last year's landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling expanding gun rights. The measure was challenged by three Hawaii residents and the gun rights group Hawaii Firearms Coalition, who called the prohibitions unconstitutional. Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez's office argued the law was consistent with historical gun regulations and served a state interest in protecting public safety, including on crowded beaches where children and families congregate. But while Kobayashi acknowledged the important role beaches play in Hawaii's economy, "the state does not provide any evidence that this nation has a historical tradition of regulating or prohibiting the carrying of firearms on beaches." Alan Beck, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, hailed the judge's temporary restraining order, saying Kobayashi "faithfully applied Supreme Court precedent and came to the correct result."

Persons: Leslie Kobayashi, Bruen, Josh Green, Anne Lopez's, Kobayashi, Barack Obama, Alan Beck, Lopez, Nate Raymond, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Supreme, U.S, New York, Democratic, Hawaii Firearms Coalition, Thomson Locations: Hawaii, Honolulu, Boston

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about his plans for continued student debt relief after a U.S. Supreme Court decision blocking his plan to cancel $430 billion in student loan debt, at the White House in Washington, U.S. June 30, 2023. The rule is separate from Biden's more sweeping student debt relief plan. The Supreme Court in June blocked his administration from canceling $430 billion in student loan debt for 43 million borrowers. The Democratic president has since announced plans to provide relief for student loan borrowers using a different approach. CCST sued in February after the Education Department in October finalized a rule changing a "borrower defense to repayment" program that allows students to seek debt relief if their schools mislead them.

Persons: Joe Biden, Leah Millis, Biden, Edith Jones, Kyle Duncan, Cory Wilson, CCST, The Biden, Nate Raymond, Alistair Bell Organizations: U.S, Supreme, White, REUTERS, ITT Educational Services, Circuit, Colleges, Schools of Texas, Democratic, Republican, U.S . Department of Education, Education Department, Corinthian Colleges, ITT Technical Institute, The, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, New Orleans, Boston

REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman/File PhotoAug 4 (Reuters) - A divided federal appeals court on Friday ruled that Mississippi cannot strip the right to vote from thousands of convicts after they complete their sentences, calling that a "cruel and unusual punishment" that disproportionately affected Black people. Circuit Court of Appeals faulted a provision of Mississippi's state constitution that mandates lifetime disenfranchisement for people convicted of a set of crimes including murder, rape and theft. Siding with a group of convicts who sued in 2018 to regain their right to vote, U.S. Circuit Judge James Dennis wrote that the state's policy violated the U.S. Constitution's Eighth Amendment, which bars cruel and unusual punishments. Circuit Judge Carolyn Dineen King in reversing a lower-court judge's ruling.

Persons: Jonathan Bachman, James Dennis, Dennis, Carolyn Dineen King, Mississippians, Jonathan Youngwood, Lynn Fitch, disenfranchisement, Edith Jones, Ronald Reagan, Jones, Nate Raymond, Deepa Babington Organizations: REUTERS, Circuit, U.S ., Washington , D.C, U.S, Democratic, Republican, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Ridgeland , Mississippi, U.S, Mississippi, New Orleans, U.S . Civil, Washington ,, Constitution's, Boston

An AI (Artificial Intelligence) sign is seen at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, China July 6, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song/File PhotoBOSTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Massachusetts securities regulators have opened an investigation into the ways in which investment firms use artificial intelligence in their interactions with investors, citing concerns about the technology's potential unchecked use. Others who received letters included Tradier Brokerage, US Tiger Securities, E*Trade, Savvy Advisors and Hearsay Systems, according to a spokesperson for Galvin, a long-serving Democrat and prominent state securities regulator. "If deployed without the guardrails necessary to ensure proper disclosure and consideration of conflicts, I am concerned that this technology could result in harm to investors," Galvin said in a statement. The investigation came a week after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proposed requiring broker-dealers to eliminate possible conflicts of interest from the use of artificial intelligence on trading platforms.

Persons: Aly, Bill Galvin, Morgan Stanley, Galvin, Nate Raymond, Chris Prentice, Mark Porter, Andrea Ricci Organizations: Artificial Intelligence, REUTERS, BOSTON, JPMorgan Chase, US Tiger Securities, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Massachusetts, Boston, Washington

[1/2] The entrance to the Sandy Hook Permanent Memorial on the 10th anniversary of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, U.S., December 14, 2022. REUTERS/David 'Dee' Delgado/File PhotoAug 3 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday rejected a gun rights group's challenge to an assault weapons ban the state of Connecticut adopted after a gunman in 2012 killed 20 children and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown. The National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR) filed a lawsuit in September, arguing the 2013 ban violated the right to bear arms under the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment, citing a major U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year that expanded gun rights. But U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton in New Haven in a 74-page ruling rejected those claims, saying the group failed to establish that assault weapons and large capacity magazines are commonly bought and used for self-defense. Arterton, an appointee of former Democratic President Bill Clinton, cited "persuasive" evidence by the state that assault weapons are instead more often sought out for their militaristic characteristics and are often used in crimes and mass shootings.

Persons: David, Dee, Delgado, NAGR, Janet Bond Arterton, Bill Clinton, William Tong, Hannah Hill, Nate Raymond, David Gregorio, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Sandy, Sandy Hook Elementary, REUTERS, National Association for Gun Rights, U.S, Supreme, New York, Democratic, National Foundation for Gun Rights, Thomson Locations: Newtown , Connecticut, U.S, Connecticut, Sandy, Newtown, New Haven, Bruen, Boston

Uber and Lyft drivers protest during a day-long strike outside Uber’s office in Saugus, Massachusetts, U.S., May 8, 2019. "The best antidote to unchecked corporate greed and rising inequality is building worker power through a union," Roxana Rivera, the head of the union in Massachusetts, said in a statement. The measures' proponents would then need to gather thousands of signatures to secure their placement on the ballot. The industry-backed proposal follows a similar 2020 measure in California, where the companies persuaded state voters to solidify ride-hail and food delivery workers’ status as independent contractors with some benefits. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by David Gregorio and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Brian Snyder, Uber, Roxana Rivera, Andrea Campbell, Nate Raymond, David Gregorio, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, BOSTON, Uber Technologies, Massachusetts Drivers, Labor, SEIU, 32BJ, Thomson Locations: Saugus , Massachusetts, U.S, Massachusetts, California, Boston

[1/2] An American Airlines aircraft flies past JetBlue and United Express aircraft as it lands at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., January 24, 2022. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File PhotoBOSTON/WASHINGTON, July 26 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday rejected the Justice Department's bid to restrict JetBlue Airways (JBLU.O) and American Airlines (AAL.O) from entering into any partnerships with other carriers akin to their now-scrapped Northeast Alliance. JetBlue and American Airlines are winding down their arrangement announced in 2020, in which they joined forces for flights in and out of New York City and Boston. While the Northeast Alliance is set to be fully wound down by January, the Justice Department has been pushing for further restrictions on the two airlines. Daniel Wall, a lawyer for American Airlines, called the appointment of monitor highly unusual and said restrictions on deals with other airlines was a step too far.

Persons: Joshua Roberts, Department's, Judge Leo Sorokin, William Jones, Sorokin, Jones, Daniel Wall, Nate Raymond, David Shepardson, Richard Chang, Diane Craft Organizations: American Airlines, JetBlue, United Express, Reagan National Airport, REUTERS, BOSTON, JetBlue Airways, Alliance, Massachusetts, Justice Department, Spirit Airlines, Department, Northeast Alliance, Airlines, Thomson Locations: Arlington , Virginia, U.S, WASHINGTON, New York City, Boston ., Boston, Washington

BOSTON, July 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday urged a judge to restrict JetBlue Airways (JBLU.O) and American Airlines (AAL.O) from entering into any partnerships with other carriers akin to their now-scrapped Northeast Alliance, which the judge deemed anticompetitive. JetBlue and American Airlines are winding down their arrangement announced in 2020, in which they joined forces for flights in and out of New York City and Boston. JetBlue subsequently decided to terminate the alliance, while preparing to defend a planned $3.8 billion purchase of Spirit Airlines (SAVE.N) in court in a separate Justice Department antitrust case seeking to block that deal. While the Northeast Alliance is set to be fully wound down by January, the Justice Department has been pushing for further restrictions on the companies. Daniel Wall, a lawyer for American Airlines, called the appointment of monitor highly unusual and said restrictions on deals with other airlines was a step too far.

Persons: Leo Sorokin, William Jones, Sorokin, Jones, Daniel Wall, Wall, Department's, Nate Raymond, Richard Chang Organizations: BOSTON, U.S . Department of Justice, Wednesday, JetBlue Airways, American Airlines, Alliance, JetBlue, Boston . U.S, District, Justice Department, Spirit Airlines, Department, Northeast Alliance, Thomson Locations: New York City, Boston ., Boston

The department's Office for Civil Rights opened the probe following a complaint filed earlier this month by three civil rights groups, who argued that Harvard's preference for "legacy" undergraduate applicants overwhelmingly benefits white students, in violation of a federal civil rights law. Those statistics were calculated from Harvard admissions data that became public as a result of the case that the Supreme Court decided in June. The Education Department through a spokesperson confirmed it had an open investigation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars race discrimination for programs receiving federal funds. "Simply put, Harvard is on the wrong side of history," said Oren Sellstrom, the litigation director of Lawyers for Civil Rights, the Boston-based group representing the civil rights groups who prompted the Education Department investigation. Sellstrom spoke at a Tuesday press conference regarding the federal probe, along with representatives for two of the Boston-area civil rights groups represented in the complaint.

Persons: Nicole Rura, Oren Sellstrom, Sellstrom, Zaida Ismatul Oliva, Edward Blum, Julia Harte, Nick Macfie, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S . Department of Education, Harvard, Civil Rights, Harvard College, University of North, Harvard University, Supreme, Education Department, Ivy League, Department, Civil, Wesleyan University, University of Minnesota's, University of Minnesota's Twin Cities, Fair Admissions, NAACP, Mexican American Legal Defense, Thomson Locations: University of North Carolina, Cambridge , Massachusetts, University of Minnesota's Twin, Boston

[1/2] Judge Elizabeth Scherer reads the verdict in the trial of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S., October 13, 2022. Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoJuly 25 (Reuters) - Florida's top court has publicly reprimanded the judge who presided over the trial of Nikolas Cruz, who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in 2018, for appearing partial to the prosecution. Monday's decision by the Florida Supreme Court came after the 15-member Judicial Qualifications Commission concluded in June that Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer violated judicial conduct rules during last year's trial. Her decision to hug members of the prosecution and the victims’ families in the courtroom after sentencing Cruz in November prompted the Florida Supreme Court to remove her from another death penalty case involving a different defendant, Randy Tundidor, in April. Scherer admitted her treatment of defense lawyers was times not patient or dignified, though she said she offered to embrace defense counsel too, according to court records.

Persons: Elizabeth Scherer, Marjory Stoneman, Nikolas Cruz, Amy Beth Bennett, Cruz, Scherer, Randy Tundidor, Nate Raymond, William Maclean Organizations: Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, South Florida Sun Sentinel, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Florida Supreme, Broward, Circuit, Parkland, Thomson Locations: Broward, Fort Lauderdale , Florida, U.S, South, Parkland, Florida, Boston

A person familiar with the matter said he was Rajaratnam, who was sentenced in 2011 to 11 years in prison and was released early in 2019. Starting in 2018, Tidwell began receiving undisclosed benefits from Rajaratnam and a close friend and business associate of Rajaratnam, according to charging papers and the person familiar with the matter. Later, after Rajaratnam was released from prison, Tidwell in 2020 received a $50,000 loan from the onetime inmate's friend to buy a house. Prosecutors said he lied on a bank loan application about the source of that money. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by David Bario and Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Raj Rajaratnam, William Tidwell, Rajaratnam, Prosecutors, Goldman Sachs, Tidwell, Samidh Guha, Rajaratnam's, Brad Bailey, Nate Raymond, David Bario, Chris Reese Organizations: eBay, Galleon Group, Federal Medical Center Devens, Google, Thomson Locations: BOSTON, Massachusetts, Boston, Ayer , Massachusetts, York

[1/2] A woman holds a Smith and Wesson handgun at the National Rifle Association's (NRA) annual meeting, in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., April 28, 2019. REUTERS/Bryan Woolston/File PhotoBOSTON, July 24 (Reuters) - The Mexican government on Monday urged a U.S. appeals court to revive a $10 billion lawsuit seeking to hold U.S. gun manufacturers responsible for facilitating the trafficking of weapons to drug cartels across the U.S.-Mexico border. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston questioned whether a lower-court judge wrongly concluded that a U.S. law barred Mexico from suing Smith & Wesson Brands (SWBI.O), Sturm, Ruger & Co (RGR.N) and others. "What we want is an injunction to make these defendants start paying attention to their distribution systems," he said. "You have licensed manufacturers that sell to licensed distributors that sell to licensed retailers that sell to individuals who satisfy the requirements of federal law, but some of them happen to be straw purchasers," he said.

Persons: Smith, Bryan Woolston, Sturm, Steve Shadowen, Noel Francisco, William Kayatta, Kayatta, Nate Raymond, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Wesson, REUTERS, BOSTON, 1st U.S, Circuit, Wesson Brands, Ruger, Co, Beretta USA, Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Colt's Manufacturing, Glock Inc, Smith & Wesson, Thomson Locations: Indianapolis , Indiana, U.S, Mexico, Boston, United States

☆ US Supreme Court sidesteps 'acquitted conduct' cases for now
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( John Kruzel | Industry Insight | Corporate Attorneys Don T Want To Pay Law Firms For Chatgpt When They Could Use It Themselves | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The justices turned away appeals in cases that would have given them an opportunity to prohibit the consideration of "acquitted conduct" in sentencing decisions in criminal cases. Sentencing Commission, a bipartisan panel responsible for crafting U.S. criminal sentencing policy, before addressing the issue. The commission in January proposed amending federal sentencing guidelines to prohibit judges from considering a defendant's acquitted conduct with only narrow exceptions. Numerous criminal defendants have asked the justices to revisit a 1997 Supreme Court ruling that said a jury's verdict of acquittal does not prevent a sentencing judge from considering conduct underlying an acquitted charge. Some current and former Supreme Court justices have questioned whether judges should be permitted to extend a defendant's prison sentence based on acquitted conduct.

Persons: Sonia Sotomayor, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, John Kruzel, Nate Raymond, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, U.S . Sentencing, U.S . Justice Department, Liberal, Constitution's, National Association of Criminal Defense, Thomson Locations: Boston

June 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday threw out a lower court ruling that blocked South Carolina from ending public funding to Planned Parenthood, giving the Republican-governed state another chance to defend its bid to deprive the reproductive healthcare and abortion provider of government money. Circuit Court of Appeals had barred South Carolina from terminating funding to Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, the organization's regional affiliate, under Medicaid, because the organization provides abortions. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic operates clinics in the South Carolina cities of Charleston and Columbia, where it provides physical exams, cancer and other health screenings, as well as abortions. South Carolina is one of numerous Republican-led states that have moved to ban or restrict abortion since the Supreme Court in 2022 overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that had legalized the procedure nationwide. The law is a revised version of a previous ban that the state's highest court struck down in January.

Persons: Julie Edwards, Henry McMaster, Edwards, Roe, Wade, Andrew Chung, Nate Raymond, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Republican, Circuit, Appeals, Atlantic, Medicaid, Federal Nursing Home, Thomson Locations: South Carolina, Indiana, Richmond , Virginia, Charleston, Columbia, South Carolina's, New York, Boston

The 8-1 ruling, written by liberal Justice Elena Kagan, upheld a lower court's decision to allow the Justice Department to toss a lawsuit against a UnitedHealth Group Inc (UNH.N) unit by a former employee named Jesse Polansky who accused it of wrongdoing. Polansky had sought to bar the department from dismissing whistleblower lawsuits filed under the False Claims Act in instances in which the government initially declined to exercise its right to take over the cases. Whistleblower cases brought under the False Claims Act resulted in $48.2 billion in recoveries from 1987 to 2021, according to Justice Department data. The Justice Department sought dismissal of Polansky's lawsuit in 2019, citing concerns including the "tremendous" burden of requests for the government to produce documents. The Supreme Court on June 1 ruled in another whistleblowers case involving the False Claims Act.

Persons: Department's, Elena Kagan, Jesse Polansky, Polansky, Polansky's, Kagan, Clarence Thomas, Donald Trump's, Nate Raymond, John Kruzel, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Justice Department, Circuit, Health Resources, Conservative, Department, U.S . Chamber, Commerce, Republican, The Justice, Thomson Locations: Philadelphia, Boston, Washington

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