#uslaw

Update. "Supreme Court ruling blocks thousands of lawsuits against the maker of #Roundup weedkiller." https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-roundup-monsanto-a7f054d80919f98bdfc5190013a8f6f1 The court ruled for #Monsanto because the #EPA said Roundup (#glyphosate) was harmless, not because the 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 said it was harmless. There's good evidence that that the EPA decision was flawed, if not cynical. It relied on studies written mostly by Monsanto staffers and the lead article has been retracted. Here's the #SCOTUS decision itself. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/24-1068_n7ip.pdf The upside: The #RepublicanSchism will deepen. Some #MAGA voters side with the Trump EPA friendliness to corporate polluters. Others (including #RFKJr when he could speak freely) side with #MAHA opposition to glyphosate. The downside: More people will die from this poison. #GoldStandardScience #Medicine #Misconduct #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

Update. "The #EPA allowed pesticide giant #Bayer to pick from a menu of regulation options for the controversial and destructive weedkiller #dicamba, newly released internal agency documents show." https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/20/epa-bayer-regulation-pesticide-dicamba #Medicine #USLaw #Trump #USPol #USPolitics

RE: https://mstdn.social/@OregonLive/117014810805899348 Her and Donald Trump....avoid paying what the Court has ordered them to multiple times. #KimDavis #Trump #USLaw

Update. Yesterday #UPenn filed a 163-page brief in federal court condemning the #Trump admin demand for a list of #Jews at the institution as “extraordinary and unconstitutional". https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/20/us/university-of-pennsylvania-trump-jewish-staff.html "The #EEOC insists that Penn produce this information without the consent — and indeed, over the objections — of the employees impacted while entirely disregarding the frightening and well-documented history of governmental entities that undertook efforts to identify and assemble information regarding persons of Jewish ancestry. The government’s demand implicates Penn’s substantial interest in protecting its employees’ privacy, safety and First Amendment rights." #Academia #AcademicMastodon #Antisemitism #Universities #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

Update. "Federal Judge Approves Trump Effort to Obtain List of Jews From Penn." https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/us/politics/trump-jews-penn-list-judge.html Penn will appeal the ruling. “We continue to believe that requiring Penn to create lists of Jewish faculty and staff, and to provide personal contact information, raises serious privacy and First Amendment concerns.” #Academia #AcademicMastodon #Antisemitism #Universities #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

Update. Finally. "Federal agency drops subpoena seeking list of Jews at Penn." https://www.thedp.com/article/2026/07/penn-eeoc-antisemitism-resolution-subpoena-trump #Academia #Antisemitism #EEOC #Trump #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

RE: https://flipboard.com/@politico/politics-u9ikh4qkz/-/a-6mNAdywHRweZ7SOfQzyvMg%3Aa%3A3195449-%2F0 lol, didn't think that one through, did he? #Trump #BBC #USLaw

A federal district court just ruled that training #AI tools on copyrighted texts is fair use. https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/20/anthropics-landmark-1-5b-copyright-settlement-is-approved/ #Anthropic is in the clear for training #Claude on millions of books without permission or payment. However, it's liable for obtaining many of those books illegally, and its settlement of those claims (about $3k/title) was approved by the court. So far this decision only applies in the Northern District of California. But it breaks the ice and will (as lawyers say) be "persuasive but not binding" in other districts. #Books #Copyright #FairUse #USLaw

It's just one big L after another for the Peado in the White House... #USLaw #LincolnMemorialReflectingPool #Trump #WhiteHouse #DavidHearn

I can't wait for this horrible company to collapse in on itself, nobody will shed a tear for it. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/14/meta-ai-mass-layoffs-lawsuit #Meta #Employment #AI #Technology #MarkZuckerberg #TechBros #USLaw

Update. I should have noted Justice Thomas said this in his dissent. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-365_4hdj.pdf Thomas: "The Citizenship Clause 'added greatly to the dignity and glory of American citizenship.'…Today’s opinion devalues that citizenship." #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

"Professor fired over #CharlieKirk post could receive $1.9M in settlement." https://thehill.com/homenews/education/5948386-professor-fired-over-charlie-kirk-post-could-receive-1-9m-in-settlement This is just the latest in a series. Universities that disciplined professors for criticizing Charlie Kirk knew or should have known that they were violating those professors' free-speech rights. But they did it to align themselves with the Trump admin, even on the wrong side of the law. Consider these settlements and damage awards to be a cowardice tax. #Academia #AcademicFreedom #Censorship #FirstAmendment #Trump #Universities #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

The Birthright Decision Was Surprisingly Close, Some Legal Scholars Say https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/01/us/politics/birthright-supreme-court-decision.html #Politics #SupremeCourt #USLaw

"US Supreme Court just blew up EU-US Data Transfers." https://noyb.eu/en/us-supreme-court-just-blew-eu-us-data-transfers This is big but confusing. Here's my take: US tech companies that want to sign up #EU users must promise (through a formal process administered by the US Commerce Dept) to comply with #GDPR #privacy protections, and submit to the oversight of an "independent" US agency -- until now the #FTC -- with the power to enforce those promises. With no independent FTC, and no alternative independent agency standing by, US companies may have to stop accepting personal info from EU citizens. #SCOTUS #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

The Court Just Handed Trump a Dangerous New Power https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/29/opinion/supreme-court-firings-trump-ftc-fed.html #Politics #SupremeCourt #USLaw

I read the MOU between #Iran and the U.S.A. re the #TrumpWar. The rumours are true. Iran is going to get $300billions, and the U.S.A. is going to ensure that this is legal by removing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps's status under #USLaw as a foreign terrorist organization. FTO status was assigned in April 2019 by one #DonaldJTrump, and reaffirmed by Trump in February 2025. It's illegal to pay even $1 to a FTO under 18 USC § 2339B. https://law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2339B https://whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/national-security-presidential-memorandum-nspm-2/

Nearly a year ago, nine people from Spokane, Wash., were arrested for conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers after they participated in a protest at the city's ICE building. Six took plea deals. Today, three were found guilty, facing maximum sentences of six years in federal prison and/or $250,000 in fines. @RANGEMedia@flipboard.com, which has been extensively covering the trial, has more. https://flip.it/W6Hhkg #Spokane #Immigration #USLaw

The legal grounds the US cites for indicting #RaúlCastro could be used -- now or 30 years from now -- to indict #PeteHegseth for bombing fishing boats from #Venezuela, #Colombia, #Trinidad and #Tobago. #Cuba #USLaw #USPol #USPolitics

A Virginia judge has blocked redistricting of the state, voted for in a referendum yesterday, that could net Democrats four extra House seats. State Attorney General Jay Jones says he will fight the order. Here's CNBC. https://flip.it/VF2Cp6 #USNews #USLaw #Virginia #USPolitics #TrumpAdministration

@bytebro@mastodonapp.uk One U.S.A. state has passed the law, and there are about 8 months to go before the law comes into effect, with the chance of fixing its problems being slim to none given the way that legislatures work and the time left. But there are at least 4 others (Louisiana, Colorado, New York, Illinois) where it's still pending in the legislature and people have a chance of fixing the problems before things become law there. Some people are trying. They have a hard task ahead, because it's actually quite hard to find a legal framework that does not have unintended consequences. I've tried. California legislators (and Texas, Utah, and Louisiana before them with version 1.0 of this, we being now on version 2.0) simply didn't think outwith the smart 'phone and Microsoft Windows worlds at all. Colorado legislators at least know that those are not the entire world, now. #AgeVerification #USLaw #ColoradoLaw #IllionoisLaw #CaliforniaLaw #NewYorkLaw #LouisianaLaw #AppStoreAccountability