Federal Defendants Axed From Tennessee Landlocked Property Dispute
The United States and NRCS win dismissal from a suit over access to a hunting parcel near Locust Grove Road in Dyer County.
Constitutional Law
Federal Judge Grants Qualified Immunity to Deputies in Excessive Force Case Over Handcuffed Suspect's Resistance
U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal granted summary judgment to two Harris County deputies in a civil rights lawsuit, ruling that body-worn camera footage showed the officers used only the force necessary to overcome the plaintiff’s active resistance while...
U.S. District Court Rules Intervenor-Defendants Lack Standing to Challenge VRA Remedial Map
U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik ruled Thursday that intervenor-defendants in a Washington Voting Rights Act case lack Article III standing to seek relief from a court-drawn remedial map, denying their motion to vacate the judgment.
Oakland School District Must Grant Equal Access to Religious Group Under Settlement
A federal judge approved a settlement requiring the Oakland Unified School District to grant Child Evangelism Fellowship NorCal equal access to school facilities under the First Amendment.
Bar Harbor’s Cruise Passenger Cap Upheld in Summer, Struck Down in Shoulder Months
A federal judge in Maine partially invalidated the town’s 1,000-passenger daily cap on cruise ship disembarkations, ruling the limit is constitutional during the congested summer months but excessive during the quieter shoulder season.
Virginia Supreme Court Blocks Redistricting Amendment; GOP Asks U.S. High Court to Uphold Ruling
Virginia’s Republican legislators asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to uphold the state Supreme Court’s decision invalidating a constitutional amendment that would have allowed the General Assembly to draw a new congressional map for the 2026 elections.
Colorado Court of Appeals Finds No State Right to Shelter, Upholds Boulder Camping Ban
A Colorado appellate division ruled that the state constitution does not guarantee a right to shelter on public property, affirming Boulder’s ban on camping and tents because the protections against cruel and unusual punishment mirror the federal Eighth Ame...
Federal Court Allows Excessive Force Claim to Proceed Against Kansas Deputy
A federal judge in Kansas allowed a woman’s excessive force lawsuit to proceed against a sheriff’s deputy, ruling that her complaint plausibly alleged the deputy used unreasonable force against a nonviolent misdemeanant who posed no threat.
SCOTUS May Decide If California Can Force Religious Preschools to Promote Other Faiths
The Supreme Court may issue a decision Thursday in Foothills Christian Ministries v. Johnson on whether a California law requiring licensed childcare centers to post signs and distribute handouts informing parents that children are free to attend r...
Federal Judge Upholds Vermont Education Law, Denying Christian School's Tuition Claim
A federal judge denied a preliminary injunction sought by Mid Vermont Christian School, ruling that a state education law reducing tuition payments to independent schools is neutral and not motivated by religious animus.
Supreme Court Clears Way for Alabama to Use Congressional Map Blocked as Racially Discriminatory
The Supreme Court cleared the way for Alabama to use its 2023 congressional map, vacating a lower court order that had blocked the map as racially discriminatory and sending the case back for reconsideration in light of Louisiana v. Callais.
Supreme Court Raises Burden for Voting Rights Act Plaintiffs, Requiring Illustrative Maps to Match State Partisan Goals
The Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais has significantly raised the burden for plaintiffs challenging redistricting maps under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, requiring illustrative maps to meet not only traditional districting cr...
Virginia Seeks Supreme Court Override of State Ruling Blocking Partisan Congressional Map
Virginia is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to override a state court decision that struck down a congressional map, arguing the ruling violated federal law and threatened the 2026 elections.
Cook County Liable Under Monell for Failing to Compensate Homeowners in Tax Sales
A federal judge held Cook County liable under Monell for deliberately ignoring the obvious risk that its property tax sale system would strip homeowners of equity without compensation, violating the Fifth and Eighth Amendments.
Illinois Ballot Access Rules Survive Challenge From Independent Congressional Hopeful
Randy Flowers, an independent candidate for Congress in Illinois’s 17th District, cannot bypass the state’s signature requirements to appear on the general election ballot.
Judge Pauses $11.5 Million TRIA Turnover in Jeremy Levin Case Over Due Process
A federal judge deferred ruling on a motion to seize $11.5 million in blocked Iranian assets in the Jeremy Levin terrorism case, holding that due process requires notice to the front companies before execution.
Cook County Liable for Failing to Compensate Homeowners for Lost Equity in Tax Sales
A federal judge ruled that Cook County is liable under Section 1983 for its deliberate indifference to constitutional violations in its property tax sale system, finding the county knew its policy of withholding excess equity from homeowners was unlawful bu...
Oregon Counties Can't Hide Behind State Law to Keep Tax-Foreclosure Windfalls, Judge Rules
A federal judge ruled that Oregon counties face takings claims for keeping surplus proceeds from tax-foreclosure sales without compensating former property owners, rejecting the counties' argument that state law left them no choice.
Alabama Asks Supreme Court to Revive Redistricting Map Struck for Diluting Black Votes
Days after the justices vacated Louisiana's congressional map, Alabama is pressing the court to let it sidestep a two-majority-Black-district order before its primary.
DOJ Sues New Mexico and Albuquerque, Seeks Immediate Block on Sanctuary Laws
The federal government contends the state's "Immigrant Safety Act" and a city ordinance requiring businesses to notify immigrants of nearby enforcement activity violate the Supremacy Clause and obstruct federal immigration law.