Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Supreme Court Adds Check on Patent Tribunal Judges, Giving Director Review Power
Jun 22 2021 // The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday allowed a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office tribunal that has gained a reputation for canceling patents to continue operating, but reined in the power of its in-house judges. The justices,...
Florida Supreme Court Ruling Pulls Marijuana Proposal From 2022 Ballot
Jun 21 2021 // A proposed constitutional amendment to allow recreational marijuana use in Florida won’t be on the 2022 ballot after the state Supreme Court ruled last week that the ballot language was misleading. The court, in a...
U.S. Suit Against Aon-Willis Merger Assigned to Bush Nominee Judge Walton
Jun 18 2021 // Senior Judge Reggie Walton, who joined the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 2001, will hear the Justice Department’s lawsuit aimed at stopping insurance broker Aon’s $30 billion acquisition...
Judge OKs $15M Settlement in Arizona Over Rape of Incapacitated Woman
Jun 17 2021 // A judge has approved a $15 million settlement against a doctor in a lawsuit by the parents of an incapacitated woman who was sexually assaulted and later gave birth at a Phoenix, Ariz. long-term care center, marking the...
Judge Tosses Suit Seeking End to Delaware River Drilling Ban
Jun 14 2021 // A federal judge on Friday threw out a lawsuit by Republican state lawmakers in Pennsylvania that sought to overturn a ban on gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing in the Delaware River basin, ruling they lacked standing to...
Judge Dismisses Texas Hospital Workers’ Suit Challenging Covid Vaccine Mandate
Jun 13 2021 // A U.S. federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by 117 workers at a Texas hospital over its requirement that they be vaccinated against COVID-19. U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes upheld Houston Methodist...
Judge Rules in Utility’s Favor in Suit over Deadly Indiana Explosion
Jun 11 2021 // A judge has ruled in favor of a utility in a lawsuit filed over a 2017 natural gas explosion in southwestern Indiana that killed two women and injured three other people. A Vanderburgh County judge granted...
Brazil Judge Orders Vale to Pay Damages to Families of Victims of 2019 Mining Disaster
Jun 11 2021 // BRASILIA – A regional labor judge has ordered Brazilian miner Vale SA to pay 1 million reais ($197,240) in compensation to each of the families of 131 employees killed in the collapse of a mining dam in 2019. The...
Judge Tosses Racial Bias Suit by Black Franchisees Against McDonald’s
Jun 10 2021 // A federal judge in northern Illinois has dismissed a racial discrimination lawsuit brought by African-American McDonald’s franchisees accusing McDonald’s of steering them to underperforming stores. U.S District...
Louisiana Lawmakers Balk at Paying Settlement From 1983 Flood
Jun 8 2021 // Louisiana has for years owed millions of dollars to residents whose homes flooded because of interstate construction work, but lawmakers continue to balk at making the payment, even after a proposed settlement deal...
Judge Dismissed Utah Jazz Fan’s Suit Over Taunting Incident
Jun 4 2021 // A lawsuit against the Utah Jazz by a fan who was banned for life from the team’s arena over what were called racial taunts directed at point guard Russell Westbrook was dismissed by a judge, according to court...
North Carolina Lawmakers Advance $220M Disaster Mitigation Bill
Jun 3 2021 // Legislation that would spend $220 million in part to shore up highways, rivers and coastal areas prone to flooding so that North Carolina can better withstand the next big storm cleared a House committee on Tuesday. Some...
Insuring Cyber: Lacewell on How New York Became a Leader in Cyber Regulation
Jun 3 2021 // New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) Superintendent Linda Lacewell spoke with Elizabeth Blosfield during the most recent episode of the Insuring Cyber Podcast about how she has always seen New York as a...
Montana Judge Rules Polluter Law Can Be Used Against Mining Company
Jun 2 2021 // A Montana judge has sided with state environmental regulators who are using a law that provides protection from repeat polluters against an Idaho-based mining company and its chief executive. State District Court Judge...
Judge OKs Class Action Status for Suit by Women Employees Suing Google
Jun 1 2021 // Alphabet Inc.’s Google failed to persuade a judge to block class-action status for a gender-pay disparity lawsuit brought on behalf of almost 11,000 women. A San Francisco state judge certified the class action...
Robinhood Cannot Block Massachusetts Securities Regulators’ Case, Judge Rules
May 28 2021 // A Massachusetts judge on Thursday rejected Robinhood’s bid to block state regulators from moving forward with their enforcement action alleging that the online brokerage encourages inexperienced investors to place...
Tighter Towing Regulations Approved for Chicago
May 27 2021 // Changes to the city ordinance requiring additional licensing to improve towing safety have been passed by the Chicago City Council, the National Insurance Crime Bureau reported. The NICB supported an amendment to city...
Pennsylvania Lawmakers Now Hold Fate of Regulations Waived Amid Pandemic
May 27 2021 // With voters shifting major new responsibilities to them, Pennsylvania’s state lawmakers are now tasked with deciding whether hundreds of state government regulations waived during the COVID-19 pandemic should be...
Judge Rejects Bayer’s $2 Billion Proposal to End Roundup Litigation
May 26 2021 // A U.S. judge rejected Bayer’s $2 billion class action proposal aimed at resolving future lawsuits alleging its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, saying in a Wednesday order that parts of the plan were “clearly...
Maine Lawmaker Sued Over Trees Cut Down on Neighbors’ Land
May 26 2021 // A state lawmaker from Maine is facing a lawsuit from neighbors who say she and her husband cut down thousands of trees from their property to build a barn and horse paddock. Sasha and Christopher Malone filed the lawsuit...
