April 19, 2007

Table of Contents

THE PUBLIC INTEREST: LEGAL NEWS

• U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Partial-Birth Abortion Ban
* Read Wednesday's U.S. Supreme Court Decision
• Judge: N.O. Suspects Still Lack Counsel
• Schools Look at Safety After Massacre
• Magnetic Toy Sets Recalled
• FDA Issues "Urgent" Warning on Olives
• IRS Extends Deadline for Filers Affected by TurboTax Problems
• Second Tainted Pet Food Ingredient Found
• Legal Commentary: Contraceptive Exclusions in Health Coverage
• Gay Rights Bills Pass Oregon House
• UM Sued Over Stadium Wheelchair Seating

PUBLIC ACCESS: RESOURCE CENTER

• After an Accident or Injury: First Steps
• Civil Rights Enforcement and Lawsuits

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THE PUBLIC INTEREST: LEGAL NEWS

U.S. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS PARTIAL-BIRTH ABORTION BAN
(FindLaw for the Public) - On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal ban on "partial-birth abortion" procedures in the U.S. In Gonzales v. Carhart (a 5 to 4 decision), the Court held that the "Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act", passed in 2003, does not impose an undue burden on a woman's right to abortion. Read more...

Related Resources
Read Wednesday's U.S. Supreme Court Decision
Abortion Ruling Will Impact States (AP)
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003
U.S. Supreme Court Center

JUDGE: N.O. SUSPECTS STILL LACK COUNSEL
(AP) - An irate judge halted the prosecution of 42 criminal defendants Wednesday, saying the city's underfunded public defender's office isn't providing adequate representation. State Judge Arthur Hunter also ordered 16 of the defendants released from jail even though they have not made bail. However, he acknowledged that a state appeals court would not allow that to happen immediately. Read more...

Related Resources
The Right to Counsel

SCHOOLS LOOK AT SAFETY AFTER MASSACRE
(AP) - Cell phone text messages. Loudspeakers on towers. Cameras that detect suspicious activity. After the Virginia Tech massacre, colleges and universities are considering these and other measures to alert thousands of students across their campuses of emergencies. The University of Washington in Seattle is weighing whether to use warning sirens. Clemson University in South Carolina recently installed a similar system for weather-related emergencies and now may expand its use. "You're going to see a nationwide re-evaluation of how to respond to incidents like this," said Jeff Newton, police chief at the University of Toledo. Read more...

Related Resources
U.S. Gun Laws Draw Heat After Massacre (AP)

MAGNETIC TOY SETS RECALLED
(FindLaw's Common Law Blog) - More than 4 million units of Magnetix Magnetic Building Sets are being recalled by manufacturer Mega Brands America, Inc. These magnetic toy sets were initially recalled in March 2006, but increasing reports of serious injuries have prompted expansion of the recall. Read more...

Related Resources
Defective and Dangerous Products

FDA ISSUES "URGENT" WARNING ON OLIVES
(FindLaw's Common Law Blog) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is "urgently warning" consumers about health risks posed by potentially contaminated olives produced by Charlie Brown di Rutigliano & Figli S.r.l, of Bari, Italy. The olives may be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium which can cause botulism, a potentially fatal illness. Read more...

Related Resources
Accidents & Injuries: Food Poisoning

IRS EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR FILERS AFFECTED BY TURBOTAX PROBLEMS
(IRS) - Taxpayers who were unable to e-file their tax returns Tuesday using Intuit Inc. software products have until midnight on Thursday, April 19, to file their returns, the Internal Revenue Service announced Wednesday. Potentially up to several hundred thousand last-minute tax filers were affected by company server problems on Tuesday evening, and they or their accountants may have been unable to electronically file returns. Intuit confirmed Wednesday that those problems had been resolved, and it was successfully accepting e-file returns on Wednesday. Read more...

Related Resources
IRS Gives Northeast Storm Victims Until April 26 to File Tax Returns (IRS)
Filing Your Federal Taxes

SECOND TAINTED PET FOOD INGREDIENT FOUND
(AP) - An industrial chemical that led to a nationwide recall of more than 100 brands of cat and dog foods has been found to contaminate a second pet food ingredient, expanding the recall further. The chemical, melamine, is believed to have contaminated rice protein concentrate used to make a variety of Natural Balance Pet Foods products for both dogs and cats, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. Previously, the chemical was found to contaminate another ingredient, wheat gluten, used by at least six other pet food and treat manufacturers. Read more...

Related Resources
More on the Menu Pet Foods Recall

LEGAL COMMENTARY: CONTRACEPTIVE EXCLUSIONS IN HEALTH COVERAGE
(FindLaw's Writ) FindLaw columnist and Rutgers law professor Sherry Colb takes strong issue with a recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit -- holding that employers do not violate Title VII or the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), which amended it, when they deny coverage for oral (and other) contraceptives, yet allow it for other prescription drugs. Colb contends that, to truly enforce Title VII and the PDA, the courts must recognize that men and women are differently situated when it comes to contraception and to childbearing -- a point with which even conservative former Chief Justice William Rehnquist concurred -- and analyze discrimination issues accordingly. Read more...

Related Resources
Employee Rights: Health Insurance

GAY RIGHTS BILLS PASS OREGON HOUSE
(AP) - Same-sex couples would receive the same benefits as married couples, and gays and lesbians would be protected against discrimination under bills approved Tuesday by the Oregon House. The Senate is expected to pass the two bills and Gov. Ted Kulongoski plans to sign both. The first bill would enable same-sex couples to enter into contractual relationships that grant them the same benefits offered to married couples under state law. The bill refers to the relationships as "domestic partnerships." Read more...

Related Resources
Same-Sex Couples and the Law

UM SUED OVER STADIUM WHEELCHAIR SEATING
(AP) - A disabled veterans group sued the University of Michigan on Tuesday, saying there aren't enough spaces for wheelchair users at Michigan Stadium, one of the largest football stadiums in the country. The federal lawsuit, filed by the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America, claims university officials are intentionally sidestepping the rules of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Read more...

Related Resources
Disability Discrimination

PUBLIC ACCESS: RESOURCE CENTER

AFTER AN ACCIDENT OR INJURY: FIRST STEPS
(FindLaw for the Public) - If you are involved in an accident or injury, the steps you take immediately after the incident are critical to the success of any legal claim you may decide to pursue. From preserving evidence to contacting a lawyer, FindLaw for the Public's Personal Injury Center offers helpful tips and information on what to do immediately following an accident or injury. Read more...

Related Resources
Personal Injury: Get Help Now


CIVIL RIGHTS ENFORCEMENT AND LAWSUITS
(FindLaw for the Public) - If you believe that your civil rights have been violated, your first concern is likely what steps you need to take to make sure that your rights are enforced. The "Civil Rights Enforcement and Lawsuits" topic in FindLaw for the Public's Civil Rights Center has information and resources that explain your options -- from filing a private lawsuit to getting a federal or state government agency's help with enforcing your civil rights. Read more...

Related Resources
Civil Rights: Government Resources
Civil Rights Organizations (Non-Government)


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