Month: June 2020

Federal Judge Orders DeVos To Cancel Student Loans For Some Students

June 27, 2020

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey applied for “borrower defense” on behalf of 7,200 former Corinithian College students as a group application. Borrower defense is the provision that helps defrauded students by giving the Secretary of Education the authority to discharge debt when schools lie and cheat their students.  DeVos refused to forgive the debt and … More Federal Judge Orders DeVos To Cancel Student Loans For Some Students

Appeals court: Trump wrongly diverted $2.5B for border wall | The Seattle Times

June 26, 2020

In two opinions, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a coalition of border states and environmental groups that contended the money transfer was unlawful and that building the wall would pose environmental threats. The rulings were the latest twist in the legal battle that has largely gone Trump’s way. Last July, the … More Appeals court: Trump wrongly diverted $2.5B for border wall | The Seattle Times

Agrochemical giant Monsanto has agreed to pay Washington state $95 million to settle a lawsuit

June 26, 2020

Numerous cities, including Seattle, Tacoma, Spokane and Portland, Oregon, have sued Monsanto over PCB cleanup costs, and in 2016 Ferguson made Washington the first state to sue Monsanto over PCB contamination in rivers, lakes and bays. Others including Oregon and Ohio have since sued. The cases allege that Monsanto knew for decades about the dangers … More Agrochemical giant Monsanto has agreed to pay Washington state $95 million to settle a lawsuit

Trump Administration Price-Transparency Rule Covering Hospitals Upheld – WSJ

June 23, 2020

The American Hospital Association lost its legal bid to stop the Trump administration from requiring hospitals to disclose secret rates they negotiate with insurance companies, a victory for one of President Trump’s central health-policy initiatives. The ruling Tuesday from Judge Carl Nichols with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia was a summary … More Trump Administration Price-Transparency Rule Covering Hospitals Upheld – WSJ

Colorado Passes Landmark Law Against Qualified Immunity, Creates New Way To Protect Civil Rights

June 21, 2020

Among the new law’s many reforms, which include banning chokeholds and the use of deadly force for nonviolent offenses, the Enhance Law Enforcement Integrity Act (SB20-217) allows plaintiffs to bypass “qualified immunity,” one of the biggest barriers to holding government agents accountable in court. Ever since Congress enacted the Civil Rights Act of 1871 to … More Colorado Passes Landmark Law Against Qualified Immunity, Creates New Way To Protect Civil Rights

Big Oil loses appeal, climate suits go to California courts

June 14, 2020

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected arguments by energy companies and ruled state courts are the proper forum for lawsuits alleging producers promoted petroleum as environmentally responsible when they knew it was contributing to drought, wildfires, and sea level rise associated with global warming. The lawsuits claim Chevron, Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, BP, Royal … More Big Oil loses appeal, climate suits go to California courts

Criminal Justice Divides the ‘Conservative’ Judiciary – Reason.com

June 13, 2020

Pundits often speak of the judiciary in terms of liberal or conservative judges issuing liberal or conservative opinions. The reality is far more complicated. “Even the government admits that this language, read in the way nearly everyone (including the government) has long understood it, provides no reliable way to determine which offenses qualify as crimes … More Criminal Justice Divides the ‘Conservative’ Judiciary – Reason.com

California sues Betsy DeVos Over Student Loan Forgiveness

June 4, 2020

“College graduates who put in a decade of hard work and made timely payments on their student loans earned their TEPSLF loan forgiveness,” Becerra said. “But Education Secretary Betsy DeVos chose to ignore all of that. Today’s lawsuit reminds Secretary DeVos that she is not above the law. She is accountable to these college graduates … More California sues Betsy DeVos Over Student Loan Forgiveness

What Is the Insurrection Act and How Could Trump Use It? – Bloomberg

June 4, 2020

1. What does the law say? The 1878 federal law known as the Posse Comitatus Act, along with amendments and supporting regulations, generally bars the use of the active-duty U.S. military — the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines — from carrying out domestic law enforcement. The law doesn’t apply to state-based National Guard units, … More What Is the Insurrection Act and How Could Trump Use It? – Bloomberg

The Supreme Court, Too, Is on the Brink The polarization roiling the country has the Supreme Court in its grip.

June 4, 2020

So why did the court’s order, issued as midnight approached on Friday night, fill me with dread rather than relief? It was because in a ruling that should have been unanimous, the vote was 5 to 4. And it was because of who the four dissenters were: the four most conservative justices, two of them … More The Supreme Court, Too, Is on the Brink The polarization roiling the country has the Supreme Court in its grip.