States are taking a closer look at boards and commissions regulating everything from dentists to dietitians after the U.S. Supreme Court said some panels could be violating antitrust laws. The concern is that boards made up of practicing professionals could be ...
Read More »Supreme Court revisits Texas affirmative action in new case
Basketball coaches, leading military officers and many of the country’s biggest businesses agree that the Supreme Court should preserve the use of race as a factor in college admissions. But they may be in a fight they cannot win, as the ...
Read More »Meaning of ‘one person, one vote’ at stake at Supreme Court
Texas was the big winner in the 2010 census when it picked up four congressional seats, due mainly to growth in its Hispanic population. A Supreme Court case being argued Tuesday threatens to diminish Latinos’ clout and benefit white, rural voters. ...
Read More »Officials say influential health survey needs to slim down
When the government launched what would become most influential survey to monitor the nation’s public health, there were just 75 questions — and 95 percent of those asked agreed to sit for it. But that was nearly 60 years ago, ...
Read More »Ex-CEO conviction historic, but short of prosecutors’ hopes
Surrounded by TV cameras outside a federal courthouse, former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship stood quietly and let his attorney do the talking Thursday after being convicted of conspiracy, a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison. If ...
Read More »Arkansas judge strikes secrecy portion of execution law
An Arkansas judge has struck down a portion of the state’s law that keeps secret details about the drugs used in executions, saying Thursday that drug suppliers do not have a constitutional right to be free from criticism. Pulaski County ...
Read More »Appeals court: Fantasizing about violence is not a crime
A former New York City police officer committed no crime when he fantasized online about committing horrific acts of sexual violence against his wife and others, including bizarre exchanges about kidnapping and eating women, a divided federal appeals court said Thursday. ...
Read More »Texas sues feds to block resettlement of 6 Syrian refugees
Texas on Wednesday sued the U.S. government in an effort to block six Syrian refugees from resettling in Dallas this week. The lawsuit comes after the nonprofit International Rescue Committee said it would place Syrian refugees in Texas over the ...
Read More »2014 US health spending grew at fastest rate of Obama years
U.S. health care spending last year grew at the fastest pace since President Barack Obama took office, driven by expanded coverage under his namesake law and by zooming prescription drug costs, the government said Wednesday. After five years of historically ...
Read More »Supreme Court blocks Native Hawaiian election vote count
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday blocked votes from being counted in a unique election that’s considered a major step toward self-governance for Native Hawaiians. The high court granted an injunction requested by a group of Native Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians challenging ...
Read More »Study finds problems in detecting fraud among asylum seekers
The Obama administration is having trouble detecting fraud in asylum requests from immigrants seeking to stay in the United States for their protection, according to a government study. The Government Accountability Office looked at asylum requests from immigrants who have ...
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