Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling against race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina deemed unconstitutional, the American Bar Association (ABA) has responded regarding their approach to diversity within the profession. Mary L. Smith, who noted history by becoming the ABA’s first Native American female president on August 8, issued a…
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s summer recess, the office of U.S. Solicitor General has surprisingly remained active. Considered a traditionally quiet period for the Solicitor General’s office as the Justices embark on speeches, teaching roles, and vacations, this time has witnessed a whirlwind of activities under the leadership of U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar. In…
Legal scholars Baude and Paulsen have stirred quite a debate with their argument that former President Donald Trump is ineligible to hold the presidency again according to Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment. This incisive interpretation of constitutional law, seen through an originalist lens, has struck a chord with thinkers from both ends of the…
Texas District Court Judge Maria Cantú Hexsel temporarily blocked SB 14, a recently passed legislation which prohibits gender-affirming care for minors and imposes restrictions on children already on gender-affirming prescription drugs. The injunction was issued before the law could have taken effect on Friday in Travis County, Texas. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of…
Leading abortion providers, alongside Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, two physicians, and Greenville Women’s Clinic have filed a petition imploring the Supreme Court of South Carolina to reassess its decision to support a rigorous state law that prohibits abortions past six weeks of gestation. This plea was filed following a day after the court reached a…
Montana Attorney General, Austin Knudsen, is mounting a defensive campaign in support of a recently enacted Montana statute. This new state law places significant restrictions on TikTok, the popular social media platform, irrespective of its wide recognition for its entertaining short-form videos cherished across the globe. The law specifically obstructs TikTok’s operation within the state,…
The European Union (EU) has called for more inclusive democratic procedures in the Central African Republic (CAR) in the wake of a contentious constitutional referendum that led to the extension of presidential term limits. The EU’s foreign affairs spokesman, Peter Stano, took note of the referendum’s results, expressed concern about the ongoing political polarization in…
The volatility and subjectivity inherent in human decision-making open a wide-ranging discussion about the potential incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into legal and financial sectors. At the end of the day, a trial is essentially a data-processing operation. Lawyers on both sides focus on presenting information favorably to their clients, at the same time excluding…
Amid a landscape of high-profile legal hearings, a seemingly improprietous trend appears to be emerging among conservative court justices, raising eyebrows within the legal fraternity. The issue at hand – Justices, not limited to those within the Supreme Court, receiving complimentary vacation packages. This alarming practice begs the question – what sacrifices to objectivity and…
In a recent turn of events, Ron DeSantis’s oversight of the Disney Tax District has run into questionable territory. After recruiting a new government for the Reedy Creek Improvement District, DeSantis seemed confident his actions would hinder Florida’s largest private employer’s ability to maintain roads and services around the Disney world parks. However, events may…
Last week a local newspaper in Kansas, The Marion Record, was raided by local police, leading to a significant outcry from civil rights advocates, journalists, and legal professionals across the country. In a turn of events that should alarm anyone concerned with the balance of power between the press and law enforcement, the Marion County…
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has reportedly asked Disney to drop its ongoing lawsuit against him, claiming that he’s “basically moved on” from the dispute. This plea follows numerous unsuccessful attempts by his legal team to counter the legal onslaught from the multinational entertainment conglomerate. Above the Law discussed the legal back-and-forths between the governor and…
Two conservative law professors, William Baude of the University of Chicago and Michael Stokes Paulsen of the University of St. Thomas, have explored the legal implications surrounding Donald Tump’s eligibility to run for an elected office. This inquiry focuses particularly on the implications arising from the events of January 6th, the day known for the…
In a significant recent case, the American Alliance for Equal Rights (AAER) has filed a lawsuit against Fearless Fund Management LLC, a black women-run company. The crux of the litigation is claims of racial discrimination and violations of Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866. This lawsuit, filed in federal court in Atlanta…
In a landmark decision pronounced on June 29, 2023, the United States Supreme Court has ruled on the legality of race conscious admission decisions practiced by Harvard University and the University of North Carolina (JDSupra). The judgment, delivered by a majority of 6-3, held that the admissions programs carried out by these institutions, wherein decisions…
In a recent special election held on August 8, 2023, Ohio signaled its stance on controversial reproductive law. The state’s voters decided against Issue 1 at the ballot box, a proposed adjustment to existing voting requirements for constitutional amendments. Issue 1 would have necessitated a 60% majority vote for the passage of a constitutional amendment,…
Following recent developments in the New York litigation landscape, the source-of-income antidiscrimination statute in the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL) has been declared unconstitutional. Lend focus to the ruling presided over by New York State Supreme Court Judge Mark G. Masler in Cortland County, in which the contentious ruling was passed. The case…
Last Saturday, a shocking development in Pakistan’s political scene unfolded when former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman, Imran Khan, was found guilty in a corruption case. He was arrested following accusations of selling state gifts worth over 154 million PKR, a sentence handed down by a trial court in Islamabad that potentially puts…
Two teachers’ unions along with six professors in Idaho have filed a lawsuit, challenging the constitutionality of the No Public Funds for Abortion Act (NPFAA), an Idaho law that prohibits the use of public funds to provide, promote, or counsel in favor of abortion. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District…
In a recent litigation development in Oregon, two attorneys were denied a preliminary victory in their lawsuit against the Oregon State Bar. The litigation was focused on the bar’s compulsory membership requirements. The case was resolved by a federal judge who decided to deny the attorneys’ early win. The verdict has heightened the stakes of…
In financing transactions, lenders standardly request legal opinions from counsel in every jurisdiction where a transaction entity is set up or where transaction documents are governed. The following text attempts to provide a practical overview of some frequently asked questions by external and in-house legal counsel with regard to legal opinions in Jersey, Guernsey, Cayman…
Ohio voters have strongly rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that aimed to curb direct democracy in the state by making it more challenging to put issues on the ballot and increasing the threshold to modify the state constitution. With 90% of the votes counted, the initiative was opposed by nearly 57% of voters. An important…
Abortion rights advocates in Arizona have recently taken substantial steps forward, filing the initial paperwork to propose an amendment to the state’s constitution. If successful, this amendment, called the Arizona Abortion Access Act, would affirm the right to an abortion in Arizona and will be set to appear on the 2024 ballot. The group behind…
Cellspin, the patent owner, is persistently urging the Federal Circuit to retroactively disqualify a California federal judge from an intellectual property dispute involving Fitbit LLC, a unit of Google. Moreover, the company makes an argument that the outcome of the case may have extensive implications for the United States’ judicial system. In various legal scenarios,…
US District Judge Michael Newman on Monday dismissed a lawsuit challenging the gender-inclusive bathroom policy of an Ohio school district. The suit, which was filed by a group of parents and students from the Bethel Local School District, contended that the school’s policy was in violation of their US Constitutional rights. However, Judge Newman rejected…