Justice
Drug decriminalization stumbled in Oregon. Other states are taking note.
PORTLAND, Oregon — Just before Portland’s city council approved a ban on public drug use last week, Mayor Ted Wheeler described what he’d observed on his way to work that afternoon: “The last time I saw somebody consuming what I believe to be fentanyl publicly on our streets was less than five minutes ago, three […]
Kentucky can continue enforcing ban on minors’ transgender medical care, U.S. appeals court says
Kentucky’s ban on transgender medical care for minors will remain in force under a ruling issued Tuesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. The decision is a setback for seven anonymous Kentucky minors and their parents who had asked the appeals court to reinstate a preliminary injunction that briefly stopped enforcement […]
Women with serious pregnancy complications sue over state abortion bans
Women and physicians in Idaho and Tennessee have sued their home states after they say they were denied abortion care despite being diagnosed with serious, life-threatening medical conditions while pregnant. The lawsuits are led by the Center for Reproductive Rights, an advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C., which also helped a patient in Oklahoma file […]
Kentucky Supreme Court chief justice won’t run for re-election in 2024
Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Laurance VanMeter won’t run for reelection in 2024, opening up the field for a new justice to be elected next year to fill his vacancy. VanMeter, who represents the 5th Supreme Court District covering much of central Kentucky, has served in various roles in Kentucky’s judicial branch over nearly three […]
Sexual assault survivors can now track their rape kits in most states
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. But now, responding to demands from survivors and their advocates, more […]
‘Really important conversations’ sought by Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health
The Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health held a town hall at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington Sept. 6. This was the second in a series of town halls the commission will hold throughout the state this year. The next one will be Wednesday in Ashland. (For a full listing, see below.) “These […]
U.S. Justice Department asks Supreme Court to take up abortion pill case
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday asked the Supreme Court to decide whether the abortion pill should remain on the market after two lower courts issued differing opinions about its use. The case, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will likely be the second time the conservative-leaning Supreme […]
Federal court blocks Alabama’s congressional map, orders new lines drawn
A three-judge federal panel Tuesday ruled that a new Alabama congressional map failed to address Voting Rights Act violations and ordered a third party to draw new lines. In a 217-page opinion in the case, known as Allen v. Milligan, U.S. Circuit Judge Stanley Marcus and U.S. District Judges Anna Manasco and Terry Moorer sharply […]
Q&A: From coal to prisons in Eastern Kentucky and the struggle for a ‘just transition’
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News, a nonprofit, independent news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. It is republished with permission. Sign up for their newsletter here.? Every week, the expressions of love and support pour into Whitesburg, Kentucky’s Mountain Community Radio, WMMT, like messages in a bottle from friends and […]
U.S. appeals court hears opposing arguments on Kentucky trans minors’ health care
The Trevor Project, which aims to end suicide among LGBTQ+ youth, also has trained counselors available around the clock. Reach them at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help/, or by texting START to 678678.? A three-judge federal panel on Friday heard opposing arguments over Kentucky’s ban on gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, after first hearing […]
Trump pleads not guilty, waives arraignment in Georgia 2020 election interference case
Former President Donald Trump entered a not guilty plea on Thursday in Fulton County Superior Court on 13 felony counts that charge him with racketeering for attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.? In the court filing on Thursday, Trump also voluntarily waived his right to an arraignment hearing scheduled for Wednesday in […]
One for the books as Trump and rest of Fulton 19 enter Georgia justice system over 2020 election
This post was updated at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 25 to reflect that Sidney Powell filed a demand for a speedy trial. At the end of a historic week at the Fulton County jailhouse, the criminal case against former President Donald Trump and his 18 allies also accused of subverting Georgia’s 2020 presidential election is just […]