The US Court of Appeals for Fifth Circuit [official website] on Thursday ruled [order, PDF] that Texas can enforce a 2015 state law that criminalizes the harboring of illegal immigrants. Texas officials had claimed the law, known as House Bill 11 [materials], was primarily aimed at human traffickers and …

The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday ruled [opinion, PDF] that Fayetteville city ordinance 5781 broadening nondiscrimination laws to include sexual orientation or gender identity is invalid under § 14-1-403 of the Interstate Commerce Improvement Act (Act 137) [text, PDF]. This state statute prohibited cities from adopting or enforcing "an …

A judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of California [official website] on Wednesday granted [order, PDF] a preliminary injunction to IMDb [entertainment site], a popular website that posts information about all things Hollywood, blocking enforcement of law meant to combat age discrimination. The injunction temporarily prevents …

Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] on Tuesday released its Annual Report 2016/17 [report], a summary of an international human rights survey that discusses the role "rhetoric of fear, blame and hate" have played in rolling back human rights around the world. AI analyzed major political leaders that identify as anti-establishment, …

The Trump administration on Wednesday revoked [letter, PDF] the Obama-era guidelines [press release] regarding transgender students. The previous guidelines were a joint effort by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Education (DOE) [official websites] that required federally funded schools to treat gender identity as a student's sex …

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Wisconsin [advocacy website] filed suit [complaint, PDF] in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Wednesday alleging that the Milwaukee Police Department [official website] discriminates against black and Latino men in its stop-and-frisk program. The complaint states that the policies …

The US Supreme Court on Wednesday heard arguments [transcript] in Kindred Nursing Centers Limited Partnership v. Clark [SCOTUSblog backgrounder], wherein the court will once again be asked to decide whether binding arbitration agreements are permissible. The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled [opinion] that arbitration agreements signed by legal representatives of …

The US Supreme Court [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF]Wednesday Buck v. Davis [SCOTUSblog materials] in favor of a death row inmate seeking a new sentencing hearing. The inmate, Duane Buck, claims that his own lawyers stated during trial that he was more likely to cause future harm due to the …

The US Supreme Court [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF] in Life Technologies Corporation v. Promega Corporation [SCOTUSblog materials] on Wednesday that the supply of a single component in a multi-component patented invention for manufacture overseas does not violate Section 271(f)(1) of the Patent Act [text, PDF]. Section 271 [LII materials] …

The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit [official website] ruled [opinion, PDF] Tuesday that Maryland's assault weapons ban is constitutional. A lower court ruling last year found that Maryland's Firearm Safety Act [text, PDF], violated the Second Amendment [text]. Based on the US Supreme Court decision in District …

A lawsuit [complaint, PDF] was filed against Delaware Governor John Carney [official website] on Tuesday arguing that a provision in the state's constitution [text, PDF] requiring a political balance of judges in the state's courts is unconstitutional. In the complaint, attorney James Adams alleges that the provision, which mandates that …

The US Supreme Court [official website] heard oral arguments Tuesday on the cross-border shooting of a Mexican citizen by a US Border Patrol Agent. In Hernandez v. Mesa [transcript, PDF], the court is considering the extraterritorial application of the Fourth Amendment [text]. The court is also considering the application of …

A judge for the US District Court for the Western District of Texas [official website] issued a preliminary injunction [text, PDF] on Tuesday to halt Texas' plan to cut Medicaid [official website] funding for Planned Parenthood [advocacy website]. The injunction prevents the state from cutting funding until a trial is …

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe [official website] vetoed legislation [press release] Tuesday that would have defunded Planned Parenthood [advocacy website] and other women's health providers. HB 2264 [official summary] sought to remove funding from any provider that performed any abortion or abortion related services from receiving any federal funding including medicare …

US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John Kelly [official websites] officially issued [press release] on Monday two memoranda to the department directing its workforce to implement two executive orders on the enforcement of immigration laws. The first memorandum [text, PDF] implements President Donald Trump's Border Security and Immigration …

The US Supreme Court [official website] on Tuesday declined to review [docket, PDF] a lethal injection case from Alabama, over the dissent of Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer. The appeal was filed by inmate Tommy Arthur, who was challenging the method of his execution [AP report], claiming that …

The US Supreme Court [official website] granted certiorari [docket] on Tuesday to determine whether a guilty plea waives a defendant's right to challenge the constitutionality of the statute under which he was convicted. The case, Class v. US [docket; cert. petition, PDF], concerns a guilty plea made by Rodney …

The Florida Supreme Court [official website] ruled [order, PDF; opinion, PDF] Monday that prosecutors can seek the death penalty during an ongoing case despite constitutional concerns with Florida's death penalty law. Last October the state's Supreme Court ruled [JURIST report] that the state's new death penalty law was unconstitutional. The …

An Iowa union filed a lawsuit [materials] Monday challenging a new Iowa law [House File 291, PDF] that eliminates most collective bargaining rights for public workers. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Iowa Council 61 [union website] argues that the law violates language in the Iowa Constitution …

The New Zealand High Court [official website] ruled [judgment] on Monday that Kim Dotcom [website], the founder of content-sharing site Megaupload.com, is eligible for extradition to the US on fraud offenses. Dotcom and his alleged co-conspirators are facing numerous charges after US authorities seized Megaupload.com in 2012 [USA Today …