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
