Six states are trying to bypass the EPA and force large electricity producers to reduce their carbon emissions, and today the Supreme Court heard their arguments that their lawsuit should be allowed to go forward. The states—Connecticut, New York, California, Iowa, Rhode Island, and Vermont, plus New York City—claim the…

When a federal court hears an appeal from a death-row inmate, the federal court is not allowed to consider new evidence, according to a Supreme Court decision handed down today. The case was an appeal from Scott Lynn Pinholster, who was convicted of beating and stabbing two men to death…

The Supreme Court said today that a group of Arizona taxpayers have no right to challenge a state tax credit that benefits religious schools. Under Arizona law, taxpayers can get a $500 credit for donations to “school tuition organizations” that provide scholarships to students attending private schools, including religious schools….

  Three women brought their case to the Supreme court today, arguing that Wal-Mart discriminated against them and potentially 1.5 million other women, paying them less and passing them over for promotions over a 10-year period. Wal-Mart has argued that the women’s situations are different enough that they should be…

The Supreme Court Justices left little doubt on Monday regarding how they will decide the latest case on campaign finance. The case is a challenge to Arizona’s public election financing system, which provides additional funding to candidates who participate in the program when their opponents, or third party interest groups,…

Corporations cannot shield documents against public disclosure by claiming a “personal privacy” right, according to the U.S. Supreme Court. AT&T had sued the FCC to prevent the it from releasing internal AT&T documents in response to a Freedom of Information Act Request from AT&T competitors. The FCC had obtained the…

A criminal prosecution of a woman for attempting to poison her neighbor may shape upcoming challenges to President Obama’s health care reform law.  The woman, Carol Bond, placed toxic chemicals stolen from her workplace on the doorknob, car door handles, and mailbox of Myrlinda Haynes after learning that Haynes was…

The Tea Party caucus is holding a seminar on the Constitution Monday with Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Caucus chair Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) said in a statement released last month that Scalia, a conservative, was chosen for the seminar based on his “’originalist’ approach to constitutional interpretation.” Monday’s event…

AT&T argued in the Supreme Court today that it has a personal privacy right that protects internal documents from public disclosure. The FCC has been asked by some of AT&T’s competitors to release case files relating to a 2004 investigation of AT&T for overcharging customers. The request from the competitors…

Today the Supreme Court said that the federal government is free to require background checks of all federal contractors. The checks include asking questions about past drug use and treatment, and asking references and former landlords open-ended questions about the contractor’s honesty and trustworthiness. The background checks were challenged by…