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☆ Texas Abortion Law Still Faces Questions After Roe v. Wade’s Demise
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Laura Kusisto | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A novel Texas law caused a national stir in late 2021 by allowing private citizens to sue abortion providers and others for monetary damages, essentially ending state abortion access months before the Supreme Court removed legal protections for the procedure. The law’s practical significance faded this year when the high court overruled Roe v. Wade in June, but it continues to complicate the legal landscape and inspire imitation laws, leaving questions for the courts heading into 2023.

☆ A Georgia GOP congressman who backed Trump's election lies voted in the wrong county, but his spokesman insists it wasn't a 'devious ploy'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A GOP Congressman in Georgia may have broken the state's voting law by casting ballots in the wrong county. Rep. Drew Ferguson voted in the county where he used to live during the 2022 election cycle. Ferguson has been an advocate against voter fraud since the 2020 election and backed Trump's election lies. "Congressman Ferguson resolved the issue, and proceeded to vote in Troup County for the primary, general, and run-off elections." "Congressman Ferguson is currently in the process of transitioning his residency to his new home in Pike County," the spokesman added.

☆ A food fight is raging over what we can and can't call 'meat'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Morten Toft Bech, the founder of a startup that makes plant-based meat alternatives, brought the animals in protest. Meat lobbies argue that plant-based products have stolen the concept of meat without matching its taste and nutrition standards, tarnishing the integrity and cultural importance of meat. It tends to argue that plant-based meat alternatives shouldn't be allowed to use meaty terms at all because, put simply, they aren't meat. Meat bodies want startups to come up with new terms for plant-based food that imitates meat. Both meat organizations and plant-based companies told Insider they encouraged a healthy, balanced diet.

☆ Tech groups ask Supreme Court to rule on hot-button Texas social media law
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Washington CNN —Two technology industry groups asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to review a hotly debated Texas law restricting social media platforms’ ability to moderate content, potentially opening the door to a sweeping reinterpretation of First Amendment precedent. The challenged state law, known as HB 20, would allow for lawsuits against tech companies accused of suppressing user posts or accounts. But Thursday’s petition brings the law back before the Court, this time for a possible ruling on the merits. That is why Texas’ law is unconstitutional, according to the trade organizations petitioning the Court on Thursday. Multiple Supreme Court justices have expressed interest in hearing cases that deal with content moderation, citing the enormous role that social media now plays in democratic discourse.

☆ Department of Veterans Affairs sued over decision to offer abortion counseling and certain abortions to veterans
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A nurse at a Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility in Texas sued the department Tuesday over its decision to offer abortions services in certain cases and abortion counseling to veterans, claiming the new rules violate her religious beliefs. Though the lawsuit is reportedly one of the first challenges to the new rule, it is not seeking to block the department from enforcing the policy nationwide. Instead, it asks the court to rule that the policy is illegal and unconstitutional and block the department from enforcing the policy at the facility in Temple. The state additionally has a civil enforcement law – authorizing private citizens to bring lawsuits against alleged violators in state court – for abortions performed after around six weeks into the pregnancy. These services are also offered to Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs beneficiaries.

☆ Tech industry group sues to block California law designed to protect kids online over free speech concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Modeled off standards in the U.K., the California law aims to establish rules that make the internet safer for kids. Lawmakers are, in many instances, attempting to weaken the broad liability protections that online platforms enjoy for their content moderation efforts and their users' posts. "The State is empowered to impose crushing financial penalties" if the companies guess incorrectly, the group said. "The State can also impose such penalties if companies fail to enforce their content moderation standards to the Attorney General's satisfaction." The Supreme Court could still choose to take up the cases against both the state laws.

The proposals have alarmed voting rights activists and state Democrats, who tried and failed last year to block a GOP-backed overhaul of election laws — a priority of Gov. The 62 voting rights-related bills Texas lawmakers have already prefiled represent nearly all prefiled voting rights legislation across the country, according to a review of prefiled bills by Voting Rights Lab and NBC News. An election police forceRepublican-authored Texas bills, such as HB 549 and SB 220, propose creating a system of state “election marshals,” who would investigate allegations of violations of election and voting laws, and file criminal charges when warranted. Harsher penaltiesLegislation such as HB 39, HB 52, HB 222, HB 397 and SB 166 aims to raise the penalty for election and voting rights crimes to a felony from a misdemeanor. “All my bill does is restore the felony punishment for illegal voting,” Texas Rep. David Spiller, the author of HB 52, said in an interview.

[1/2] A view of the U.S. Supreme Court building on the first day of the court's new term in Washington, U.S. October 3, 2022. The Supreme Court on Dec. 1 said it would hear arguments on the legality of the debt relief program in the other case pursued by six mostly Republican-led states. Biden announced in August that the U.S. government would forgive up to $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 a year, or $250,000 for married couples. Students who received Pell Grants to benefit lower-income college students would have up to $20,000 of their debt canceled. The Congressional Budget Office in September calculated that the debt forgiveness program would cost taxpayers about $400 billion.

☆ Lawsuit against doctor who defied Texas' abortion law is dismissed
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

SAN ANTONIO — Lawyers for a doctor who intentionally defied a Texas abortion law that the lawyers called a “bounty-hunting scheme” say a court has dismissed a test of whether members of the public can sue providers who violate the restrictions for at least $10,000 in damages. Dr. Alan Braid published an opinion piece in the Washington Post last year revealing that he intentionally violated the Texas law shortly after it took effect in September 2021. The dismissal was announced from the bench, and no formal written opinion had been published as of Friday morning. He has said that he wasn’t aware he could claim at least $10,000 in damages if he won his lawsuit, and that if he had received any money, he likely would have donated it to an abortion rights group or to the patients of the doctor he sued. Braid has closed his clinics in Texas and Oklahoma, where abortion is also outlawed.

Trinidad Gonzales, a professor of history and Mexican American studies at South Texas College, has been honored with the 2022 John Lewis Award for History and Social Justice. Refusing to Forget's work spurred an award-winning exhibit at the Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin — the first time the state had publicly addressed "La Matanza." He played a role in a five-year battle to help change state standards for high school Mexican American history classes. “We all knew internally that it wasn’t just simply a fight for Mexican American studies,” Gonzales told South Texas College. "We're fearful that they're going to try to eliminate Mexican American studies, African American Studies, Indigenous Studies and Asian American studies," Gonzales said in the interview.

Rulings by lower courts in two challenges filed against the debt relief program have put Biden's policy on ice. Biden announced in August that the U.S. government would forgive up to $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 a year, or $250,000 for married couples. The Congressional Budget Office in September calculated that the debt forgiveness program would cost taxpayers about $400 billion. Biden and his predecessor Trump had invoked the law to pause student loan repayments. Biden on Nov. 22 extended the repayment pause to no later than next June 30 to give the Supreme Court time to decide the case.

☆ Texas Lawsuit Challenges Key Plank of Affordable Care Act
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Stephanie Armour | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Employers have often supported preventive-care services because they say it helps reduce healthcare costs. WASHINGTON—A key element of the Affordable Care Act hangs in the balance as a federal lawsuit in Texas is challenging the law’s requirement that most insurers cover an array of preventive health services that range from screenings for depression to mammograms. A district court judge ruled in September that the way a federal task force determines which services are covered is unconstitutional and said the health-insurance requirement for HIV-prevention medications violated a company’s religious freedom.

CNN —Republican Herschel Walker is getting a tax break intended only for a primary residence this year on his home in the Dallas, Texas, area, despite running for Senate in Georgia. Walker registered to vote in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2021 after living in Texas for two decades and voting infrequently. 11Alive News, a local Georgia station, first reported that Walker took the homestead exemption on his Texas home in 2020. The county tax office in Texas where Walker maintains his home confirmed the exemption. Homeowners in many states are able to apply for a tax exemption by declaring their home to be their primary residence and the exemption lowers their tax bill by removing part of their home’s value on paper.

Briana Sanchez/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoDALLAS, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on Tuesday failed in his bid to slash a nearly $50 million defamation verdict against him over his false claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting was a hoax. The judge in that case tacked on an additional $473 million in punitive damages for Jones’ “cruel” conduct earlier this month. Evidence in both cases showed that bogus Sandy Hook claims turbocharged traffic to Infowars and drove sales of its products, including supplements and doomsday supplies. The Sandy Hook families have intervened in the case, alleging Jones is using the proceedings to shield his assets and avoid paying. Another defamation lawsuit against Jones brought by Sandy Hook parents is set to go to trial in Austin, Texas, in March.

The justices declined to review a ruling by a three-judge federal district court panel denying an injunction against the reconfigured state Senate district sought by the challengers. The dispute centers on a state Senate district that includes part of the city of Fort Worth in north-central Texas. loadingBlack and Hispanic plaintiffs sued after the Texas legislature approved new electoral maps in 2021. They argued that they had been "splintered" into other Senate districts where they will be "overpowered" by white voters. In their appeal to the Supreme Court, the plaintiffs said resolution was needed prior to the 2024 election.

☆ Some of Taylor Swift's biggest fans are also lawyers. After Ticketmaster's botched handling of her Eras Tour, they're mobilizing to take the ticketing giant down.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Nicole Tabak | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Ticketmaster badly botched its sale of Taylor Swift tour tickets last week. Facing endless questions and concerns over the chaos that ensued during presales for Swift's upcoming Eras Tour, fans gathered on social media not just to commiserate, but to take action. How Ticketmaster's chaotic handling of the Eras Tour presale may lead to its undoingSwift fans shared screenshots of the long queues for tickets. "And I know that sounds stupid to people who don't love Taylor Swift the way that a lot of us do. The momentum may be thanks to her Eras Tour, but this is about holding a monopoly accountable.

☆ Biden's administration just asked the Supreme Court to reinstate its student-loan forgiveness plan to 'avoid prolonging this uncertainty for the millions of affected borrowers'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Biden administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to revive its student-debt relief plan. It comes after a lower federal court ruled on Monday to keep the relief paused. The Biden administration also told the Supreme Court that the appeal can be considered a formal petition for a full briefing on the dispute "to avoid prolonging this uncertainty for the millions of affected borrowers," Prelogar wrote. Since Biden announced the one-time debt cancellation in August, a number of conservative lawsuits have attempted to block the debt relief. Given the lower courts' rulings blocking the relief, it's unclear how the Supreme Court will intervene.

☆ Biden will ask the Supreme Court to allow his student-loan forgiveness plan to move forward after lower courts blocked the relief
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The 8th Circuit Court blocked Biden's student-debt relief from moving forward on Monday. On Thursday, the Justice Department said it's planning to ask the Supreme Court to reverse that decision. It also appealed another ruling from a Texas judge who declared the debt relief illegal. On Thursday, Politico first reported that the Justice Department is planning to ask the Supreme Court to allow Biden's debt relief plan to move forward. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett has already dismissed two requests from different conservative lawsuits that were seeking to block Biden's debt relief, but it's unclear how the Court will rule on the lawsuits Biden's administration is challenging given the lower courts' decisions to block the debt cancellation.

Now, a woman from Austin, Texas, has come forward because she nearly died when she couldn’t get a timely abortion. “We found out that we were going to lose our baby,” Amanda said. “To see in a matter of maybe five minutes, for her to go from a normal temperature to the condition she was in was really, really scary,” he said. That leaves the Zurawskis scared – and furious that they might never have a family because of a Texas law. She and Josh worry about women in rural areas, or poor women, or young, single mothers in states like Texas.

☆ Appeals Court Blocks Biden’s Student-Loan Forgiveness Program
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Gabriel T. Rubin | Jacob Gershman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A federal appeals court on Monday blocked the Biden administration from moving ahead with its mass student-debt cancellation program, dealing another blow to the administration’s plan after it was ruled unlawful by a federal judge in Texas last week. A three-judge panel of the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a preliminary injunction against President Biden’s plan to erase hundreds of billions of dollars in student loans, at the request of six states that sued to challenge the debt relief.

☆ Why a Trump-appointed Texas judge blocked Biden's student-debt cancellation plan
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Trump-appointed Judge Mark Pittman struck down Biden's debt relief in Texas last week. They claimed that enacting broad student-loan forgiveness is an overreach of the authority and should require Congressional approval, while Biden has maintained one-time student-loan forgiveness is well within the administration's legal authority. The plaintiffs' standing to sueBoth of the plaintiffs who brought the Texas lawsuit hold student loans. The first plaintiff, Myra Brown, sued because her loans are commercially-held and therefore ineligible for Biden's debt relief, which requires the borrower to owe their debt directly to the federal government. Pittman said that Biden's Justice Department argument that the plaintiffs' standing does not exist is "untrue."

☆ SpaceX shakes up Starship leadership in Texas as push for the rocket's next milestone intensifies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

An aerial view of a Starship prototype stacked on a Super Heavy booster at the company's Starbase facility outside of Brownsville, Texas. While Elon Musk earns daily headlines over changes at Twitter, a significant reorganization is underway at his space company's Texas launch facility. The space venture also quietly brought on Omead Afshar, a Texas-based Tesla operations lead, as a vice president of Starship production. SpaceX had hoped to conduct the first orbital Starship launch as early as summer 2021, but delays in progress and regulatory approval have pushed back that timeline. NASA last month said SpaceX most recently told the agency that Starship's first orbital launch could take place as soon as early December.

WASHINGTON — Republican Kris Kobach has won the race to serve as Kansas's attorney general, NBC News projected Thursday. As the state's attorney general, Kobach will have the power to prosecute voter fraud and enforce other election laws. He told the Associated Press in October that “there’s no question” voter fraud occurred in 2020 and that Americans will never know “how many fraudulent ballots were cast." As the vice chair of Trump's election commission, he was charged with investigating claims of voter fraud in the 2016 election. The panel found no major evidence of voter fraud and the committee was dissolved in 2018.

Vallejo is one of three South Texas Democrats locked in highly competitive congressional races with Republicans who are Latina. “This is South Texas fighting for South Texas, and I need everybody in this fight with me,” Vallejo said at the event Monday. Clinton praised gains and growth in the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas. McCarthy, R-Calif., was in South Texas on Sunday for an event on behalf of the three Republican Latina congressional candidates who call themselves the Triple Threat. “We think it’s great that Bill Clinton is campaigning for Texas Democrats.

☆ New Mexico town delays banning abortion
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Brad Brooks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Clovis does not have an abortion clinic, but could be a place that could serve people from Republican-controlled Texas, to the east. On Monday, the city commission of the nearby town of Hobbs is expected to take up a similar measure. Mitchell participated in the city commission meeting by phone. What it's doing is it's putting women — women and girls' lives at risk." Laura Wight, a Clovis resident helping lead Eastern New Mexico Rising, a progressive group opposed to ordinance, welcomed the delay.

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