How do president and congress influence the supreme court

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s long-litigated photo voter identification law was appraised at the state Supreme Court on Monday. Justices heard arguments on whether it was reasonable for trial judges to throw out the law that they determined was tainted by racial bias and designed to help Republicans retain their grip on the legislature. The voter ID law approved by the General Assembly in December 2018, but it has never been enforced, as the requirement has been blocked by both federal or state courts over time. That remains the case for next month’s midterms. An attorney for the Republican legislative leaders said a majority of trial judges conducting a trial on the law last year got both facts and conclusions wrong when they struck down the law. Those judges failed to take into account the bipartisan nature of its passage and rule changes that would eliminate any disadvantage that Black voters would have in carrying a photo ID, lawyer Pete Patterson said. People … [Read more...] about NC Supreme Court weighs if voter ID tainted by racial bias

(BPT) - At a time when consumer interest in sustainability is changing how many companies make, source and distribute products, concern for the humane treatment of farmed animals is focusing shoppers' attention on where their food comes from. In response to consumer demand, a new California law, Proposition 12 or The Farm Animal Confinement Initiative , aims to regulate better living conditions at farms producing eggs, veal and pork. While legal battles over the law are ongoing, many pork producers nationwide are preparing to comply. Because the California law impacts any farmers supplying products to that state, the law, if upheld by the Supreme Court, will have far-reaching effects. For pork production, the law will determine how much space pregnant sows are provided. While many unfamiliar with pig farming may imagine a large outdoor pen with animals milling freely about, today’s pork production is a far different picture: To maximize efficiency, most farms keep pigs in small, … [Read more...] about How consumer and farmer attitudes are making a positive impact on pig farming

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A Montana judge struck down as unconstitutional three laws that restricted voting in the state, saying there was no evidence of the widespread voter fraud that the 2021 Republican-sponsored laws ostensibly were targeting. The laws ended same-day voter registration, imposed new identification requirements on students and restricted third-party ballot collections. The restrictions were put on hold in April under a temporary injunction later upheld by the Montana Supreme Court. Election officials declined to say if they would appeal the latest ruling to the state high court. And with the election just over a month away, it's uncertain if justices would render a decision before Nov. 8. Native American tribes that sued over the laws argued the student ID and ballot collection measures would hurt voters on remote reservations, where many people live far from polling places and are dealing with poverty and other challenges. Montana Secretary of State Christi … [Read more...] about Montana judge knocks down Republicans’ tighter voting laws

HARTFORD — State Rep. Harry Arora of Greenwich, the Republican candidate for state treasurer who failed to win a cross endorsement from the Independent Party of Connecticut, cannot force the secretary of the state to remove the minor party nominee from state election ballots, a judge ruled on Monday. Superior Court Judge John Farley, in an announcement from the bench after a morning-long hearing, said that while Arora's attorney Proloy Das made some good arguments and exposed weaknesses in state election law, the fact that Arora filed the court challenge after Jennifer Baldwin of Guilford won the Independent Party nomination in August, worked against Arora. "The court finds in favor of the defendants," Farley said, stressing that Arora's court challenge "could have been timely," but was delayed until mid-September. Farley said that when Arora actively pursued the Independent Party nomination, he waived the right to pursue the deletion of the minor party from the ballot. It … [Read more...] about Republican Harry Arora loses challenge to Independent Party candidate for state treasurer

HARTFORD — The third-ranking majority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives told state Democrats on Sunday night that the current Congress has accomplished some of the most important legislation in seven decades, thanks to Connecticut's congressional delegation. But in a 32-minute cheerleading speech before 600 people in the Connecticut Convention Center, House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn of South Carolina stressed the importance of next month's election at a time when democracy is being threatened and Republicans have plans to defund major social-spending programs including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. "You go through the production of this Congress and you go back and look at every previous Congress, you will go back to 1965 before you see a Congress that has been productive as this Congress," Clyburn said. "You look at Franklin Roosevelt, well, you say he gave us the New Deal. Yep. Harry Truman gave us the Fair Deal. Yep. Lyndon Johnson gave us the Great … [Read more...] about U.S. House leader praises CT delegation, stresses importance of next month’s election

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 WASHINGTON (AP) — Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, has advocated in Washington for privacy protection for 25 years, warning about threats to online privacy. The Associated Press spoke recently with Chester about growing public concern and official action. Q: The Federal Trade Commission is considering crafting rules to police what it sees as harmful commercial surveillance. In Congress, privacy legislation has moved closer to passage. Do these developments reflect evolving public sentiment? A: There’s a growing public backlash over the use of our personal information by companies such as Google, Amazon, Meta and TikTok. People are aware that nearly every company they deal with collects data from and about them. That lucrative information provides the companies’ immense revenues. Q: What's behind the greater awareness and concern? A: … [Read more...] about Insider Q&A: Privacy advocate sees growing public alarm

If the FIA and Liberty set out to ‘make everybody a little unhappy’ with their package of Technical, Sporting and Financial Regulations for the 2021 F1 season , they certainly seem to have succeeded. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free For while the team bosses spoken to by RaceFans after Wednesday’s F1 summit in Paris expressed relief that – as one of their number put it – “at last we have a definitive direction of travel”, another remarked they had “reservations about the exact route ahead”. A delay to 2022 was suggested by a minority of teams, but fell on deaf ears, not least because of the commercial and political implications. For starters, a delay would hit Liberty right in the NASDAQ share price through perceptions it had lost its way, while also complicating F1 chairman/CEO Chase Carey’s employment contract: he is said to be keen on stepping aside from his CEO role (but remaining chairman). Equally, FIA president Jean Todt’s third (and, he insists, … [Read more...] about Have the ‘big three’ teams finally accepted F1’s 2021 rules revolution? · RaceFans