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The Georgia Supreme Court on Wednesday denied the state Republican Party's bid to block early voting in the state's hotly contested Senate runoff from moving forward this Saturday. Early voting is required to be available statewide Monday through Friday of next week. The state Republican Party appealed the decision, arguing it was allowing “illegal advance voting.”The dispute centered on a provision of Senate Bill 202, signed by Republican Gov. Raffensperger contended that meant there could be no early in-person voting on Nov. 26, the Saturday following Thanksgiving. In a court filing, Democrats said at least 19 counties with a total of over 4 million residents were planning on offering early voting on Saturday.

Nov 22 (Reuters) - A federal judge has blocked New York from restricting the carrying of guns on private property under a Democratic-backed law adopted following the U.S. Supreme Court's June ruling that struck down the state's strict gun permitting regime. Sinatra ruled in a lawsuit by two firearms owners and two gun rights groups. The Firearms Policy Coalition, one of those groups, called the ruling a "monumental step" toward restoring the gun rights of New Yorkers. "Property owners indeed have the right to exclude," Sinatra wrote. In a court filing, the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, said it would appeal.

☆ Explainer: What's the latest on Biden's U.S. student loan forgiveness?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

On Nov. 22, Biden said he would extend the COVID-19 pandemic-era pause in student loan payments until no later than June 30, 2023. WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR LOAN FORGIVENESS? About 26 million Americans have applied for student loan forgiveness since August, and the U.S. Department of Education has already approved requests from 16 million. U.S. borrowers hold about $1.77 trillion in student debt, according to the latest Federal Reserve figures. Biden's student loan forgiveness plan could add $300 billion to $600 billion to the federal debt, economists estimate.

☆ A Florida judge blocked Ron DeSantis's Stope WOKE Act for colleges, calling it a 'positively dystopian' violation of free speech
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Florida judge on Thursday blocked part of the Stop WOKE Act that restricted race-related speech on campus. The judge said part of the law, which was backed by GOP Gov. Chief US District Judge Mark Walker's 138-page order described Florida's attempt to censor certain viewpoints related to race and gender as "positively dystopian" and said it violated free speech. "We strongly disagree with Judge Walker's preliminary injunction orders on the enforcement of the Stop W.O.K.E. Judge Walker previously suspended enforcement of another part of the law that impacted companies with 15 employees or more, also dismissing it as a violation of free speech.

Nov 17 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Thursday blocked key provisions of a Florida state law that curbs professors from endorsing particular viewpoints in public university classrooms, calling the measure "positively dystopian" in the latest blow to the Republican-enacted measure. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in Tallahassee said in a 139-page ruling that Florida's Individual Freedom Act, also known as the Stop WOKE Act, would have unlawfully required public university professors to self-censor. His ruling came in consolidated lawsuits filed by professors and students challenging the Individual Freedom Act, which Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis championed and signed into law in April. A spokesperson for DeSantis did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment, nor did the Florida attorney general's office, which defended the law in court. Attorneys for Florida had argued that the state had full power to restrict what public university professors, as state employees, could say in their classrooms.

☆ Judge blocks Trump-era border rule known as Title 42 that expelled migrants at U.S. border
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julia Ainsley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

“Title 42 was a misuse of the public health laws from the beginning and has cause grace harm to tens of thousands of desperate asylum seekers. The practical significance of the ruling cannot be overstated,” Lee Gelernt of the ACLU, one of the lead attorneys on the case to end Title 42, told NBC News on Tuesday. He added that Sullivan's ruling essentially overrides the Louisiana court’s decision to stop the Biden administration from ending Title 42. But before the Biden administration lifted the rule, U.S. District Judge Robert Summerhays of the Western District of Louisiana issued a preliminary injunction, blocking officials from ending it. Single adults and families encountered will continue to be expelled, where appropriate, under Title 42.”The Biden administration has faced criticism on both sides of the aisle for its handling of Title 42.

☆ 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."

The increase in college tuition and predatory lending have created a situation where, unless you’re fortunate to get a full-ride scholarship or come from a lot of money, students are vulnerable. Though Biden’s debt relief focused on federal student loans, there have been problems with private lenders as well, including the suit against student loan giant Navient. Research has shown that student loans increase access to financing and add to student diversity, which is great, but data also shows that women and people of color are disproportionately more likely to have debt. Student debt relief is one way to let people be people, first and foremost, and loanees second. But we need to do these things because we choose to and not because our college system is broken.

☆ U.S. stops taking student debt relief applications after Trump judge ruling
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 11 (Reuters) - The United States government has stopped taking applications for student debt relief, after a federal judge blocked President Joe Biden's loan forgiveness plan, according to a notice on a government website. A judge in Texas who was appointed by former President Donald Trump ruled on Thursday that Biden's plan to cancel hundreds of billions of dollars in student loan debt was unlawful and must be vacated. "Courts have issued orders blocking our student debt relief program. As a result, at this time, we are not accepting applications. Editing by Heather Timmons and Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Eli Lilly says some staff want to leave Indiana because of abortion ban, Financial Times reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 6 (Reuters) - Some Eli Lilly and Co (LLY.N) employees have requested transfers from the drugmaker's Indiana operations after the U.S. state's lawmakers approved a bill that would ban most abortions there, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Some staff had asked to relocate outside the state even though an Indiana judge has temporarily halted the ban, the Indiana-based pharmaceutical firm's chief executive David Ricks told the newspaper in an interview. His comments come after the Republican-controlled Indiana Senate passed a law in August banning most abortions. An Indiana judge blocked the state in September from enforcing the new law while Planned Parenthood and other healthcare providers challenge it in court. Eli Lilly did not provide details on how many staff have asked to move from Indiana, the FT said.

☆ Eli Lilly says some staff want to leave Indiana because of abortion ban - FT
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 6 (Reuters) - Some Eli Lilly and Co (LLY.N) employees have requested transfers from the drugmaker's Indiana operations after the U.S. state's lawmakers approved a bill that would ban most abortions there, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Some staff had asked to relocate outside the state even though an Indiana judge has temporarily halted the ban, the Indiana-based pharmaceutical firm's chief executive David Ricks told the newspaper in an interview. An Indiana judge blocked the state in September from enforcing the new law while Planned Parenthood and other healthcare providers challenge it in court. Ricks said the new restrictions had created challenges for people to come to work in Indiana and that if Eli Lilly wanted to attract and retain the best staff, it had to grow in other locations, the FT said. Eli Lilly did not provide details on how many staff have asked to move from Indiana, the FT said.

☆ Forget about making money. Here’s what it takes to write a book
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

If you want an idea of how ridiculous the book publishing industry is, look no further than the proposed Penguin Random House-Simon & Schuster merger. Penguin Random House has said it would appeal. A 2018 survey of 5,067 authors conducted by the Authors Guild found that the median income of the authors surveyed had fallen to $6,080 in 2017. Earnings from book income alone was a paltry $3,100, indicating that authors were supplementing their incomes through speaking engagements, book reviewing, or teaching. The Authors Guild report notes the explosive growth of alternative ways for consumers to spend their time (video and streaming).

☆ Judge blocks Penguin Random House takeover of Simon & Schuster
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailJudge blocks Penguin Random House takeover of Simon & SchusterA federal judge has blocked Penguin Random House's planned takeover of Simon & Schuster, agreeing with the Justice Department that the deal would hurt competition among book sellers.

☆ Stephen King makes for unlikely antitrust hero
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Jennifer Saba | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A U.S. judge blocked Penguin Random House’s $2.2 billion acquisition of rival Simon & Schuster on Monday after the Department of Justice argued it would unfairly limit pay for top authors such as Stephen King. Adding Simon & Schuster would give it 70% of the literary nonfiction market, according to NPD Book Scan. The Department of Justice drew a line in its challenge to Penguin, distinguishing highly paid writers from the rest. Follow @jennifersaba on TwitterloadingCONTEXT NEWSA U.S. judge on Oct. 31 ruled that a planned $2.2 billion merger of Penguin Random House and rival Simon & Schuster cannot go forward. German media group Bertelsmann, the owner of Penguin, agreed to buy Simon & Schuster from Paramount Global in 2020.

☆ Judge blocks Penguin Random House’s purchase of Simon & Schuster
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Cnn Business Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN Business —A federal judge blocked Penguin Random House from buying Simon & Schuster, arguing that the combination of the two book business giants would illegally reduce competition. The ruling, most of which remained confidential, comes nearly a year after the Justice Department sued to block the deal. US District Court Judge Florence Pan agreed with the Biden administration that the deal should not be allowed to go forward. Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster are two members of the “Big Five,” the industry’s term for the five biggest publishers in the United States. Simon & Schuster’s parent, Paramount, and Penguin Random House, a subsidiary of German media giant Bertelsmann, announced the $2.175 billion deal in November 2020.

☆ Arizona agrees not to enforce near-total abortion ban until next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

PHOENIX — Arizona’s attorney general has agreed not to enforce a near total ban on abortions at least until next year, a move that Planned Parenthood Arizona credited Thursday with allowing the group to restart abortion care across the state. A lower court had allowed enforcement of that law on Sept. 23, halting all abortions statewide. On Thursday, Planned Parenthood said services would resume statewide, including at clinics in metro Phoenix and in Flagstaff. Brnovich sought to place that lawsuit on hold until the court of appeals rules on the Planned Parenthood case. Arizona women seeking abortions have been whipsawed by the state’s competing laws since the high court’s decision.

Oct 20 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday barred the state of New York, at least for now, from enforcing the part of a closely-watched gun law that bans firearms from churches or other places of worship. read moreNew York legislators quickly passed new rules on gun ownership which Sinatra, in his ruling, called "even more restrictive" than the law struck down by the Supreme Court. "The nation's history does not countenance such an incursion into the right to keep and bear arms across all places of worship across the state," Sinatra wrote. The judge added that, based on the Supreme Court's ruling earlier this year the plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of their lawsuit. The New York Attorney General's Office could not be reached for comment on Thursday evening.

☆ 'Changed my life': Trans teen testifies against nation's first ban on gender-affirming care
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

The Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act bars minors in the state from receiving certain gender-affirming medical care, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries. Carolyn Kaster / APThe American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit in May on behalf of four trangsgender youths and their parents, as well as two physicians who provide gender-affirming care. ‘Changed my life for the better’The parents of four transgender young people represented in the suit spoke to how gender-affirming care has improved their children’s lives. Donnie Saxton of Vilonia, Arkansas, said his 17-year-old son, Parker, became “a new person” after coming out as trans and receiving gender-affirming medical care, according to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Three other states — Alabama, Arizona and Tennessee — have also passed measures restricting gender-affirming care for minors.

☆ Biden uses controversial Trump policy to deal with influx of Venezuelan migrants at the border even as his Justice Department fights against the policy in court: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-16 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

President Biden is using a Trump-era rule to curb Venezuelans from entering the US at the southern border. Title 42 was invoked in 2020 under Trump to send migrants back to Mexico, citing the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden's Justice Department, however, has been fighting the policy in court. According to the AP, Mexico has said it would only take in one Venezuelan migrant for each Venezuelan allowed to enter the US on humanitarian parole. Under the current policy, Venezuelan migrants who walk or swim across the border will be expelled and those who illegally enter Mexico or Panama won't be able to enter the US, DHS said.

☆ Judge blocks officials from searching murdered journalist's electronic devices
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailJudge blocks officials from searching murdered journalist's electronic devicesDanny Cevallos, NBC News legal analyst, joins "The News with Shepard Smith" to discuss a recent decision from a judge to block officials from searching the electronic devices of a murdered Las Vegas investigative journalist.

☆ Ohio judge blocks the state's six-week abortion ban indefinitely
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-08 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An Ohio judge blocked the state's six-week abortion ban, according to The Cincinnati Enquirer. Ohio Republican state Attorney General David Yost is expected to appeal the decision. Protesters rally at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus in support of abortion after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022. Ohio Republican state Attorney General David Yost, who is supportive of the six-week ban, is expected to appeal the decision. After the United States Supreme Court earlier this year overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that legalized abortion in the United States and afforded a constitutional right to the procedure, the issue is now in the hands of individual states.

☆ Montana accepting transgender birth certificate changes
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

(AP) — The state health department has restored the ability for transgender people to apply to correct the gender marker on their Montana birth certificate after a judge blocked enforcement of a law that would have required them to have surgery first. The gender designation forms are available on the department’s website. Montana is required to process the applications after District Judge Michel Moses issued a temporary injunction against enforcing a state law that would have required transgender residents to have undergone a surgical procedure before changing the sex on their birth certificate. However, the state did not begin accepting applications and instead passed a rule saying that nobody could change the sex on their birth record unless there was a clerical error. No applications requesting a gender designation change had been returned to the state Vital Records department as of mid-day Thursday, Ebelt said.

☆ Judge blocks Indiana abortion ban week after it took effect
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana judge on Thursday blocked the state’s abortion ban from being enforced, putting the new law on hold as abortion clinic operators argue that it violates the state constitution. Owen County Judge Kelsey Hanlon issued a preliminary injunction against the ban that took effect one week ago. The ban, which includes limited exceptions, replaced Indiana laws that generally prohibited abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy and tightly restricted them after the 13th week. The Indiana abortion ban includes exceptions allowing abortions in cases of rape and incest, before 10 weeks post-fertilization; to protect the life and physical health of the mother; and if a fetus is diagnosed with a lethal anomaly. The new law also prohibited abortion clinics from providing any abortion care, leaving such services solely to hospitals or outpatient surgical centers owned by hospitals.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterA sign is pictured at the entrance to a Planned Parenthood building in New York August 31, 2015. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File PhotoSept 22 (Reuters) - An Indiana judge on Thursday blocked the state from enforcing its new ban on most abortions while Planned Parenthood and other healthcare providers challenge it in court. Owen County Judge Kelsey Hanlon ruled that Planned Parenthood and the other providers had shown a "reasonable likelihood" that the ban's "significant restriction of personal autonomy" violates the Indiana constitution. Spokespeople for Planned Parenthood and for Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita did not immediately comment. read moreThe law prohibits all abortions after conception, with limited exceptions for rape, incest, lethal fetal abnormalities or a serious health risk to the mother.

☆ Montana defies order on transgender birth certificates
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

— Just hours after a Montana judge blocked health officials from enforcing a state rule that would prevent transgender people from changing the gender on their birth certificate, the Republican-run state on Thursday said it would defy the order. District Court Judge Michael Moses chided attorneys for the state during a hearing in Billings for circumventing his April order that temporarily blocked a 2021 Montana law that made it harder to change birth certificates. Moses said there was no question that state officials violated his earlier order by creating the new rule. ACLU attorney Malita Picasso expressed dismay with the agency’s stance and said officials should immediately start processing requests for birth certificate changes. State officials denied that the new rule preventing birth certificate changes was adopted in bad faith.

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