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Court hears arguments in new global warming case
Court Watch News |
2011/04/19 08:49
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The Obama administration and leading power companies are going before the Supreme Court in an effort to block a global warming lawsuit aimed at forcing cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
The justices are hearing arguments Tuesday in the court's second climate change case in four years. A half-dozen states, New York City and three land trusts sued four private utilities and the Tennessee Valley Authority over emissions of carbon dioxide from plants in 20 states. The lawsuit says carbon dioxide, which is produced when coal, gasoline and other fossil fuels burn, is one of the chief causes of global warming.
The administration and the companies say federal courts should not set environmental policy. The administration says the Environmental Protection Agency is developing regulations that would accomplish what the states are seeking. |
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Court hears arguments in Microsoft patent case
Headline Court News |
2011/04/19 08:49
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The Supreme Court on Monday heard arguments from Microsoft Corp. asking it to overturn a $290 million patent infringement judgment against the world's largest software maker, a ruling that could have a profound effect on how corporations protect and profit from their future inventions.
An eight-justice court on Monday heard arguments from the Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft, which wants the multimillion dollar judgment against it erased because it claims a judge used the wrong standard.
Business groups are closely watching this case. The U.S. government made more than $64 billion off of international licensing and royalties from patents in 2009, with an expected growth rate of 15 percent a year. A ruling for Microsoft could make companies less likely to invest in new inventions, but a ruling for i4i, the company which brought the lawsuit against Microsoft, could make it harder for large corporations to fight off such challenges.
The cost of fighting off a patent lawsuit could be as much as $4 million per defendant, companies say. |
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High court takes no action on Va. health care case
Industry News |
2011/04/19 08:48
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The Supreme Court has taken no action on Virginia's call for speedy review of the health care law.
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is asking the court to resolve questions about the law quickly, without the usual consideration by federal appellate judges and over the objection of the Obama administration.
The case was among those that were scheduled to be discussed in the justices' private conference on Friday, but there was no announcement about the case when the court convened on Monday.
The silence could mean, among other things, that one justice asked for more time to think about the case or to write a short opinion that would accompany an order.
The justices meet again on Friday to discuss pending cases. |
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Media ask court to unseal gay marriage trial tapes
Headline Topics |
2011/04/19 04:49
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Media organizations are joining lawyers for two-same-sex couples in urging a federal appeals court to release videotapes of a lower court trial on California's gay marriage ban.
The 13 organizations, which include The Associated Press, argued in a motion filed Monday with the 9th U.S. Court of Appeals that the videos are court records that the First Amendment requires to be open to the public.
Sponsors of voter-approved Proposition 8 asked the 9th Circuit last week to keep the tapes sealed and to order the trial's presiding judge to return his personal copies.
The move came after now-retired Judge Vaughn Walker, who declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional, used a brief segment of the video in several public talks. |
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Community Health makes all-cash bid for Tenet
Headline Topics |
2011/04/18 08:48
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Hospital operator Community Health Systems Inc. on Monday revised its $3 billion offer for rival Tenet Healthcare Corp. to an all-cash bid.
Community Health is now offering $6 per share in cash. In December, it had gone public with a bid of $5 per share in cash and $1 per share in stock. At the time, the offer was a premium of about 40 percent to the Dallas company's shares.
But Tenet's board rejected that offer, and adopted a poison pill measure to fend off the bid.
Tenet's shares have recently been trading above $6.
But the company said Monday it will review the revised offer and make a recommendation. It said shareholders should take no action for now.
Tenet shares fell 26 cents, or 3.9 percent, to $6.40 in afternoon trading while Community Health shares dropped $1.74, or 5.5 percent, to $30.16 after falling as much as 14.3 percent earlier in the session.
Community Health Systems runs 130 hospitals in 29 states, and focuses on fast-growing and non-urban markets. Tenet runs 50 hospitals spread across 11 states, and most of its facilities are in urban and suburban communities. |
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Former justice Streit joins Des Moines law firm
Legal Business |
2011/04/09 08:50
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div class=entrydiv class=articlepFormer Iowa Supreme Court Justice Michael Streit has joined a Des Moines law firm. /ppAhlers amp; Cooney, P.C., announced Monday that Streit will join the firm's litigation, dispute resolution and investigations practice area. /ppStreit was one of three Iowa Supreme Court justices ousted last fall over the court's 2009 decision legalizing same sex marriage in Iowa. /ppHe was appointed to the Iowa Court of Appeals in 1996 and to the Iowa Supreme Court in 2001. /ppA Sheldon native, Streit received his bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa in 1972. He graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1975. /ppHe worked in private practice in Chariton and served as an assistant Lucas County attorney and county attorney until he was appointed district court judge in 1983./p/div
/div |
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Patrick to nominate justice to Mass. high court
Headline Topics |
2011/04/06 08:51
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div class=entrydiv class=articlepGov. Deval Patrick is set to make his latest pick to the state’s highest court./ppThe governor has scheduled a Monday afternoon news conference at the Statehouse to nominate an associate justice to the Supreme Judicial Court. If confirmed, the person chosen would succeed Judith Cowin, who in January announced plans to retire after 11 years on the high court./ppThis will be the fourth associate justice that Patrick has selected to the SJC, meaning that he will now have personally selected a majority of the justices on the seven-member court, the oldest continuously serving court in the Western Hemisphere./ppPatrick also elevated Roderick Ireland to chief justice of the SJC following the retirement last year of Margaret Marshall.
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