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Nov 10 (Reuters) - A federal judge in Texas on Thursday ruled that President Joe Biden's plan to cancel hundreds of billions of dollars in student loan debt was unlawful and must be vacated, delivering a victory to conservative opponents of the program. The debt relief plan had already been temporarily blocked by the St. Louis-based 8th U.S. "The Program is thus an unconstitutional exercise of Congress's legislative power and must be vacated," Pittman wrote. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office in September calculated the debt forgiveness would eliminate about $430 billion of the $1.6 trillion in outstanding student debt and that over 40 million people were eligible to benefit. The plan, announced in August, calls for forgiving up to $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 per year, or $250,000 for married couples.

But Pryor mocked the notion that the 60,000-member professional organization was working "in the shadows" to reshape the courts. He also took aim at liberal commentators who frequently criticize the Federalist Society. He also took issue with criticism of society's role in the judicial nomination process. Leonard Leo, a long-time conservative legal activist, while serving as a Federalist Society executive helped compile a list of potential U.S. Supreme Court nominees that Trump drew from during his tenure. "Are there members of the Federalist Society who are involved in that process?

BOSTON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - A former Yale University women's soccer coach who cooperated with authorities investigating the U.S. college admissions scandal was sentenced on Wednesday to five months in prison for accepting bribes to help parents get their children into the Ivy League school. The prison sentence Wolf ordered came despite prosecutors' recommending Meredith, 54, receive a non-custodian punishment after becoming a key witness in the "Operation Varsity Blues" investigation. The investigation centered on William "Rick" Singer, a California college admissions consultant who admitted in 2019 to facilitating college entrance exam cheating and bribing coaches to secure his clients' children's admission as phony athletes. The investigation led 51 people to plead guilty, including actors Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, two of the many wealthy parents Singer counted as clients. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Leslie Adler and Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/3] A man rides a scooter past the front of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, U.S. September 30, 2022. conservative Justice Samuel Alito asked Malcolm Stewart, a lawyer for the Department of Justice representing both commissions. The Supreme Court's conservative justices have signaled skepticism toward expansive regulatory power and the duty of judges, under Supreme Court precedent, to give deference to that authority. She told Stewart that of the three factors relevant to the case under a Supreme Court precedent, "two factors are pretty darn bad for you." Axon sued the FTC in 2020 in federal court in Arizona following an investigation by the agency into its 2018 acquisition of Vievu, a rival body-camera provider.

[1/3] A man rides a scooter past the front of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, U.S. September 30, 2022. The Supreme Court has a 6-3 conservative majority. Its conservative justices have signaled skepticism toward expansive regulatory power and the duty of judges, under Supreme Court precedent, to give deference to that authority. Axon sued the FTC in 2020 in federal court in Arizona following an investigation by the agency into its 2018 acquisition of Vievu, a rival body-camera provider. Cochran sued in 2019 to stop the enforcement action, like Axon contesting the SEC's in-house judges under Article II.

The justices took up Amgen's appeal of the lower court ruling that threw out the Repatha patents. Amgen and other drugmakers have called the case a test of their ability to earn and defend patents for important drugs. Amgen first sued Regeneron and Sanofi in 2014 over their rival drug Praluent, which works by a similar mechanism as Repatha. Thousand Oaks, California-based Amgen sold more than $1.1 billion worth of Repatha worldwide last year. Regeneron sold $170 million worth of Praluent in the United States last year, and Sanofi sold over $200 million worth in the rest of the world.

[1/2] The U.S. Supreme Court building is seen in Washington, U.S., June 26, 2022. The Senate has the authority to confirm a president's nominees to the federal judiciary including the Supreme Court. Biden's Republican predecessor Donald Trump put a major emphasis on getting judicial nominations confirmed as he worked to move the judiciary rightward. If Democrats retain control, Biden has a chance to match or surpass Trump's mark of having 234 judicial nominees confirmed over four years. Circuit courts are the regional federal appellate courts one step below the Supreme Court.

☆ U.S. Supreme Court's Barrett again declines to block Biden student debt relief
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Gram Slattery | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Judge Amy Coney Barrett testifies during the third day of her Senate confirmation hearing to the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, U.S., October 14, 2020. Barrett denied an emergency request by the Indiana borrowers, represented by a conservative legal group, to bar the U.S. Department of Education from implementing the Democratic president's plan to forgive debt held by qualified people who had taken loans to pay for college. Barrett on Oct. 20 denied a similar request by a Wisconsin taxpayers organization represented by another conservative legal group. The justice acted in the cases because she is the justice assigned to handle certain emergency requests from a group of states that includes Indiana and Wisconsin. Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Nov 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Thursday rejected a bid by a businessman to block his extradition to South Korea to face embezzlement charges that stemmed from a 2014 ferry sinking that killed 304 people. He also is known as Keith Yoo. Sotomayor is the justice assigned to review emergency appeals from a group of states that include New York, where Yoo's extradition case had been pending. "We are disappointed the Supreme Court denied our motion to stay Keith Yoo's extradition pending resolution of his appeal," his lawyer Shawn Naunton said in a statement. Yoo's lawyers had argued that the U.S. State Department - not judges - should decide whether South Korea waited too long to seek Yoo's extradition under its 1998 treaty with the United States.

Walmart has agreed to pay $3.1 billion, mostly up front, according to two people familiar with the matter. The proposed settlement, which would be the first nationwide deal with retail pharmacy companies, follows nationwide opioid settlements with drugmakers and distributors totaling more than $33 billion. CVS, Walgreens and Walmart are the three largest retail pharmacies in the country by market share. The agency has attributed much of the recent rise in overdose cases to illegally manufactured fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid. A congressional report last month put the economic toll of the opioid crisis in 2020 alone at $1.5 trillion.

The proposed settlement calls for CVS to pay $5 billion over 10 years, Walgreens to pay $5.7 billion over 15 years and Walmart to pay $3.1 billion, mostly up front, according to the people. Walgreens and CVS declined to comment. Walmart and a spokesperson for the plaintiffs' attorneys in the litigation did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The proposed settlement, which would be the first nationwide deal with retail pharmacy companies, follows nationwide opioid settlements with drugmakers and distributors totaling more than $33 billion. CVS, Walgreens and Walmart are the three largest retail pharmacies in the country by market share.

Graham had appealed to the Supreme Court after the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. 'UNIQUE KNOWLEDGE'Prosecutors sought Graham's testimony about phone calls he made to Georgia election officials in the weeks after Trump, a Republican, lost the election to Democrat Joe Biden. Graham has "unique knowledge" regarding communications "involved in the multi-state, coordinated efforts to influence the results of the November 2020 election in Georgia and elsewhere," the prosecutors added. During the phone call, Trump urged Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to overturn his Georgia loss to Biden. Legal experts have said Trump's phone calls may have violated at least three Georgia election laws: conspiracy to commit election fraud, criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and intentional interference with performance of election duties.

WASHINGTON, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Former President Donald Trump on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in his fight to prevent a U.S. House of Representatives committee from gaining access to his tax returns for reasons he claims are politically motivated. Trump filed an emergency request to put on hold a lower court ruling against the Republican former president that upheld the Democratic-led House Ways and Means Committee's request for the tax materials as a justified part of its legislative work while his attorneys prepare an appeal. Reporting by Andrew Chung in Washington and Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Will DunhamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The court confronts this divisive issue four months after its major rulings curtailing abortion rights and widening gun rights. The court's 6-3 conservative majority is expected to be sympathetic toward the challenges to Harvard and UNC. The cases give the court an opportunity to overturn its prior rulings allowing race-conscious admissions policies. Blum's group said UNC discriminates against white and Asian American applicants and Harvard discriminates against Asian American applicants. UNC said there is a difference between a racist policy like segregation that separates people based on race and race-conscious policies that bring students together.

According to Harvard, around 40% of U.S. colleges and universities consider race in some fashion in admissions. The Supreme Court has been upheld such policies, most recently in a 2016 ruling involving a white woman who sued after the University of Texas rejected her. Ruling in favor of the plaintiffs could require the court to overturn its 2016 ruling and earlier decisions. 'DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION'The lawsuits accused UNC of discriminating against white and Asian American applicants and Harvard of discriminating against Asian American applicants. Circuit Court of Appeals found that Harvard's use of race was "meaningful" and not "impermissibly extensive" because it prevented diversity from plummeting.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in the two cases on Monday, with rulings due by the end of June. Blum's goal is for the Supreme Court to overturn its own precedents allowing race as a factor in admissions. Blum raised more than $8 million from 2015 to 2020 for Students for Fair Admissions, most going to covering legal fees. No Students for Fair Admissions members served as plaintiffs or testified in court in the Harvard and UNC cases as the group lost in lower courts. The Supreme Court in January agreed to hear appeals backed by Blum in both cases.

Oct 27 (Reuters) - Leading consulting firm McKinsey & Co has agreed to settle claims by hundreds of U.S. local governments and school districts around the country that it fueled an epidemic of opioid addiction through its work for OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP and other drug companies. The deal was disclosed in a court filing Wednesday evening in San Francisco federal court. Its terms were not made public, and McKinsey and a lawyer for the settling plaintiffs did not immediately respond to requests for comment. McKinsey previously agreed to pay more than $600 million to settle opioid claims brought by all U.S. states and territories, and had argued that those settlements should shield it from local governments' and school districts' lawsuits. Purdue is in bankruptcy and is seeking to resolve opioid claims against it through a proposed $6 billion settlement funded by members of its founding Sackler family.

Kagan issued an order effectively putting the litigation on hold and preventing enforcement of the subpoena pending a further order by her or the full court. Kagan is the justice designated to handle emergency appeals from a group of states including Arizona. The panel sought the records as part of its investigation into events surrounding the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by Trump supporters who sought to block Congress from certifying his election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump, who is considering another run for the presidency in 2024, has accused the panel of waging unfair political attacks on him. The panel had already been in the process of seeking records concerning Ward, who the panel said participated in multiple aspects of the attempts to interfere with the electoral count.

Associate Justice Elena Kagan poses during a group photo of the Justices at the Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., April 23, 2021. Erin Schaff/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoOct 21 (Reuters) - Liberal Justice Elena Kagan on Friday expressed hope that her colleagues on the conservative-dominated U.S. Supreme Court could get back to finding "common ground," saying it risked looking political by continuing to overturn legal precedents. Speaking at an event at the University of Pennsylvania, Kagan did not explicitly reference the Supreme Court's decision in June to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. Cases on the court's docket this term present opportunities for the court's conservative justices to flex their mussels further by weakening the landmark Voting Rights Act and barring the consideration of race in college admissions. "Time will tell whether this is a court that can get back to finding common ground, to ratcheting down the level of decision making so we can reach compromises," Kagan said.

U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks about the student loan forgiveness program from an auditorium on the White House campus in Washington, U.S., October 17, 2022. U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey in St. Louis said that while the six Republican-led states had raised "important and significant challenges to the debt relief plan," they lacked the necessary legal standing to be able to pursue the case. Autrey ruled an hour after Barrett denied without explanation an emergency request to put the debt relief plan on hold in the challenge brought by the Brown County Taxpayers Association. The plaintiffs in the case are represented by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, a conservative legal group. Circuit Court of Appeals subsequently refused the group's request to block the debt relief program pending an appeal.

Oct 19 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday that the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding apparatus is unconstitutional, faulting a system Democrats designed to insulate the agency from requiring congressional appropriations. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the CFPB's independent funding through the Federal Reserve rather than budgets passed by Congress violated the separation of powers principles in the U.S. Constitution. "The Bureau's perpetual self-directed, double-insulated funding structure goes a significant step further than that enjoyed by the other agencies on offer." It could ask the full 5th Circuit to reconsider the case or appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court in 2020 ruled in another case that the protection Congress originally afforded the CFPB director, who could only be fired for cause, was unconstitutional.

Oct 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday turned down Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp's (NOVN.S) bid to block the launch of generic versions of the company's blockbuster multiple sclerosis drug Gilenya in a dispute with China's HEC Pharm Co Ltd (1558.HK) and other generic drugmakers. Novartis had asked the justices to stay a lower court's ruling that lifted a ban on generic versions of Gilenya, the Switzerland-based company's third highest-selling drug last year with $2.8 billion in sales. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Nate Raymond in Boston Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Oct 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday weighed the constitutionality of a California law banning the sale of pork from pigs confined in spaces with too little space to move freely that industry groups have said impermissibly regulates out-of-state farmers. The law was approved by voters as a ballot initiative in 2018 to bar sales in California of pork, veal and eggs from animals whose confinement failed to meet minimum space requirements. "As I read California's law, it's about products being sold in California," conservative Justice Clarence Thomas said. The Supreme Court took up the case after the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has sided with the pork producers, saying in a Supreme Court brief that states cannot ban products "that pose no threat to public health or safety based on philosophical objections."

Oct 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear McKinsey & Co's bid to escape a lawsuit by retired turnaround specialist Jay Alix accusing the management consulting firm of concealing potential conflicts when seeking permission from bankruptcy courts to perform lucrative work on corporate restructurings. Circuit Court of Appeals in January revived the case, saying Furman gave "insufficient consideration" to whether McKinsey undermined the integrity of federal judicial proceedings. McKinsey in its petition to the Supreme Court argued that the 2nd Circuit's decision ran contrary to past rulings by the high court holding that RICO lawsuits may be brought only by plaintiffs injured "directly" by wrongdoing. The firm urged the Supreme Court to consider whether lower courts must follow that standard "even if, in the court's judgment, the plaintiff's allegations implicate the court's 'supervisory responsibilities'" over judicial proceedings. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Will DunhamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Oct 11 (Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday questioned whether upholding a California law banning the sale of pork from pigs kept in tightly confined spaces would invite states to adopt laws imposing their political or moral views outside their borders. "It's an extraterritorial regulation that conditions pork sales on out-of-state farmers adopting California's preferred farming methods for no valid safety reasons," Bishop said, noting that 99.9% of California's pork comes from elsewhere. "As I read California's law, it's about products being sold in California," conservative Justice Clarence Thomas said. Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor said that while California represents a huge market, "no one's forcing them to sell to California." 'SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT'But liberal Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson said that the court must accept that California's law will have a "substantial impact on the operation of this market."

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