Legal News

The Supreme Court Will Hear A Case With A Lot Of 'Buts' & 'Ifs' Over The Meaning Of 'And'

Published by Nikki Palmer on Wed, 09/27/2023 - 1:00am

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's hard to imagine a less contentious or more innocent word than "and."

But how to interpret that simple conjunction has prompted a complicated legal fight that lands in the Supreme Court on Oct. 2, the first day of its new term. What the justices decide could affect thousands of prison sentences each year.

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Dissecting Challenges To Employers' Diversity Programs

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/22/2023 - 5:00am

As higher education institutions, state and local governments, private employers, and federal contractors grapple with understanding the impacts of the Supreme Court’s decision in Students for Fair Admissions, it isn’t surprising that elected officials have markedly different views about the philosophy and effects of affirmative action and other race-conscious policies.

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Americans Do Talk About Peace − Just Not The Same Way People Do In Other Countries

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/22/2023 - 4:00am

Americans don’t talk much about peace. But it turns out they care about it a lot – they just don’t talk about it the way people who have experienced war or civil conflict do.

When public opinion polls in the U.S. ask people about peace, it’s either in the context of religion or world peace.

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Despite Salary Hikes, Staffing Issues Remain At Nebraska Prisons, Report Says

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/22/2023 - 3:00am

LINCOLN — Staffing issues remain at the state’s prison system despite hiring bonuses and a steep increase in pay, an annual report released Monday said.

While vacancies and turnover of corrections officers and corporals have improved since peaking in recent years, increases in the two categories drew concerns from a watchdog office appointed by the Nebraska Legislature due to problems in state prisons.

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A Constitutional Revolution Is Underway At The Supreme Court, As The Conservative Supermajority Rewrites Basic Understandings Of The Roots Of US Law

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/15/2023 - 5:00am

In a 2006 episode of the television show “Boston Legal,” conservative lawyer Denny Crane asserted that he had a constitutional right to carry a concealed firearm: “And the Supreme Court is going to say so, just as soon as they overturn Roe v. Wade.”

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‘It Ended Up Being Racist’: Teacher Describes Resignation From Crete Public Schools

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/15/2023 - 4:00am

CRETE, Neb. — A letter written by Alexander Hamilton in 1779 urging Congress to allow slaves to become soldiers led this spring to the resignation of Crete High School’s only Native American instructor and discussions of racism.

Nikki Menard, who taught honors English, led the Hamilton-focused lesson Jan. 16 by walking her junior class through how to use primary resources. It was Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

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Sexual Assault Survivors Can Now Track Their Rape Kits In Most States

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/15/2023 - 3:00am

It can take hours for a sexual assault victim to undergo the multiple swabs, hair samples, blood and urine collections, and other invasive procedures of a sexual assault examination. And then it can take months, sometimes years, for investigators to process that evidence kit.

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Recent SCOTUS Decision Suggests You Can Be Sued In Any State

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/08/2023 - 5:00am

A recent (and surprising) ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court may allow businesses to be sued in states where they have little connection. The Court ruled 5-4 to uphold a Pennsylvania law that requires a corporation to consent to the jurisdiction of Pennsylvania courts over them as a condition of registering to do business there.

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How Did Abuse Get Baked Into The Restaurant Industry?

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/08/2023 - 4:00am

When the The New York Times and The Boston Globe recently published exposés in which employees of award-winning chef Barbara Lynch described their abusive work environments, we weren’t surprised.

Anyone who has spent years working in restaurants probably wouldn’t be surprised, either.

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State Agency To Probe Why 911 Network Backup Systems Failed To Work

Published by Nikki Palmer on Fri, 09/08/2023 - 3:00am

LINCOLN — A state agency is digging into why backup procedures failed to work after emergency 911 networks across Nebraska went down last week.

David Sankey, the 911 director for the Nebraska Public Service Commission, said Tuesday he has questions for both Omaha-based Lumen and Lincoln-based Windstream about why required “redundancy” in their 911 systems failed.