On Wednesday three California women, with the help of the SEIU California State Council, filed a lawsuit claiming that California’s workers’ compensation system is gender biased. The plaintiffs say that they are seeking class-action status for the suit in order to enable other women who have been affected to come forward. Gender Based … [Read more...]
$70 million Verdict in Risperdal Case
A jury in Philadelphia handed down a $70 million verdict against Janssen Pharmaceuticals on Friday, finding that the company’s antipsychotic drug Risperdal had caused a Tennessee boy to grow breasts. The verdict in the fifth Risperdal related trial in Philadelphia, far surpassed previous awards which saw plaintiffs awarded $500,000 to $2.2 million … [Read more...]
Abortion Rights Advocates Prepare to Go on the Offensive
Ever since the historic abortion rights ruling in the case of Roe vs. Wade in 1973, the topic of abortion has been a hot button issue both in political and social circles. Over the years, many states have attempted to block, or at least reduce, abortion access, with varying degrees of success. But after a 2013 Texas law, which subjected abortion … [Read more...]
Appeals Court Rules that 2nd Amendment Does Not Guarantee Concealed Carry
One of the most contentious legal issues in the United States today, social rights notwithstanding, is the issue of the 2nd Amendment. The country has simply not been able to decide the full scope of the amendment which guarantees Americans the right to bear arms, largely because the it is not very specific in the way it is written. Every state is … [Read more...]
U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Death Penalty Case with Racial Overtones
It has long been said that the criminal justice system is disproportionately skewed against people of color such as blacks and Latinos. Despite the claim, and the ample statistics to back it up, it is rare that a particular case exemplifies just how biased and the system can be. In a case which the U.S. Supreme Court recently agreed to hear, a … [Read more...]
U.S. Supreme Court to Decide on Hearing Pharmacist Religious Rights Case
Of the many challenges to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, one of the most successful was initiated by arts and crafts giant Hobby Lobby. The company, which is owned and controlled by a relatively small group of individuals, argued that the provisions included in Obamacare which require it to provide … [Read more...]
Oregon High Court Upholds Damage Cap
In a major ruling the Oregon Supreme Court recently ruled that a statutory $3 million limit on damage claims against public entities does not violate the State’s Constitution. The case in question surrounded a $12 million jury verdict which was awarded against a public hospital. Tyson Horton, just eight months old at the time, nearly died as a … [Read more...]
Conservationists Hail Move to Limit U.S. Ivory Trade
For many years authorities around the world have pledged to help end the slaughter of African elephants and rhinoceroses by poachers looking to cash in on their valuable ivory tusks and horns. Now, in a move to increase the U.S. contribution to the effort, authorities in the United States are looking to practically ban the trade of African … [Read more...]
Iowa Supreme Court Rules against Life without Parole for Juvenile Offenders
One of the most important concepts in the U.S. Constitution, as it relates to criminal justice, is the prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment. Over the past two and a half centuries, concepts of just what constitutes cruel and unusual punishment have evolved. In the latest court decision on the subject, Iowa’s Supreme Court ruled that … [Read more...]
Obama Administration Vehemently Disputes Judge’s Orders
In an effort to change the legal status of millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States, in 2014 the Obama Administration took the unprecedented step of issuing an executive order which essentially legalized up to 5 million people. 26 states filed suit against the Administration and claimed that the action was unconstitutional. So began … [Read more...]
