A Cook County Circuit Court judge has denied a petition seeking the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate potential criminal conduct by federal immigration officers during Operation Midway Blitz, a major immigration enforcement action that took place last year. Judge Erica Reddick, who presides over the criminal division of the Cook County Circuit Court,...
New York’s highest judicial body has ruled against a state-administered program that allowed parents to temporarily place their children with host families outside the traditional foster care framework. The Court of Appeals determined Thursday that the Office of Children and Family Services exceeded its authority when it established the Host Family Home program through administrative...
A Kentucky school district has reached a settlement agreement with Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, resolving claims related to the alleged harmful effects of social media on students. The Breathitt County Board of Education had been pursuing damages exceeding $60 million to address what it described as the negative impacts of addictive...
A federal magistrate judge heard extensive arguments Thursday as Google pursued a new trial in its protracted patent dispute with Sonos, challenging a 2023 jury verdict that awarded the speaker manufacturer more than $32.5 million in damages. The hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Kang in San Francisco stretched over two hours, with attorneys from...
A Phoenix police sergeant who was terminated from his position following an incident at a high school protest will not be reinstated to his job while his First Amendment lawsuit proceeds through the courts, a federal judge ruled Thursday. Sergeant Dusten Mullen had sought a preliminary injunction that would have temporarily restored him to his...
The state of Texas has launched a lawsuit against WhatsApp and its parent company Meta, alleging that the messaging platform has misrepresented the privacy protections it offers to users. Attorney General Ken Paxton filed the complaint in Harrison County District Court on Thursday, claiming that WhatsApp’s assertions about complete message encryption are false. The legal...
A federal district court has rejected the Department of Justice’s legal effort to obtain Wisconsin’s unredacted voter registration list, which includes sensitive personal identification numbers of registered voters. The ruling represents the latest development in a nationwide campaign involving similar lawsuits filed against dozens of states. The legal dispute originated in June 2025 when the...
The Brazilian government has significantly expanded the regulatory powers of its National Data Protection Authority through two presidential decrees signed on Wednesday and published Thursday, transforming how digital platforms operate within the country’s borders. The decrees, signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, establish comprehensive administrative rules that translate a landmark Supreme Court decision...
A three-judge panel from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned a lower court’s decision that would have required the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct new safety assessments on fluoride levels in drinking water. The appellate court determined that Senior U.S. District Judge Edward Chen exceeded his judicial authority when he delayed his ruling...
A former reality television personality is mounting an unexpected campaign for Los Angeles mayor while simultaneously pursuing legal action against the city he hopes to lead. Spencer Pratt, 42, who lost his home in the devastating Palisades wildfire last year, has emerged as a surprising contender in the mayoral race despite having no prior political...