court

The Dutch government is developing an alternative software ecosystem based on NixOS after US sanctions related to the International Criminal Court made Microsoft products unavailable to it. Trial programs are already running, with a first release expected at the end of 2027. Commenters are debating the move as a striking example of geopolitics pushing a US ally toward open-source alternatives.

US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has withdrawn from a major climate-change case just days before it was due to be heard. The move leaves the court shorthanded on a contested environmental matter and will fuel questions about the reasons for the recusal and its possible impact on the outcome.

US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has removed himself from a major climate change case before the court, according to US media reports. The recusal means the case will be decided by the remaining eight justices, potentially affecting its outcome. The reason for his stepping aside has not been detailed in the initial reports.

The US Supreme Court has ruled that the Trump administration can continue deporting migrants to third countries while the justices consider the legal challenges to the policy. The decision is temporary, pending a fuller review of whether such removals comply with US law and due process requirements.

California has adopted new laws that make incremental adjustments to its mental health court system, while proposals for more sweeping structural changes failed to pass. The legislation refines how the court, which diverts people with serious mental illness away from jail and into treatment, operates, but leaves its broader framework intact after larger reform efforts were rejected.

Danish media and the public are asking about the whereabouts of Princess Marie of Denmark after she was conspicuously absent from recent public appearances. The Danish royal court has declined to comment on the matter, fueling speculation and disappointment among Danes who expected to see her at official engagements.

In Spain, the PSC has put forward a former minister under José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and PSOE member to fill a seat on the Constitutional Court. The proposal, reported by La Razón, is drawing attention as part of the broader political bargaining over renewing the country's top constitutional tribunal, with parties jostling over appointments.

An Oklahoma judge has found that a gas company illegally increased customers' bills during the February 2021 winter storm that battered the state. The ruling addresses charges Oklahomans faced during the severe cold snap that strained energy supplies. Details of the company involved and any penalties or restitution have not been detailed in the available coverage.

The US Supreme Court is dealing with a case on third-country removals, which concerns whether the government can deport migrants to countries other than their own. The issue touches on due process rights and the scope of executive immigration power, and has drawn strong reactions from both supporters of tighter enforcement and immigration advocates.

Major oil companies are once again asking the US Supreme Court to intervene in state and local climate lawsuits seeking damages for climate-related harms. The industry wants the justices to block or limit these cases, arguing they should be decided federally rather than in state courts, as litigation over corporate responsibility for climate change intensifies across the United States.

The US supreme court has allowed the Trump administration to resume deporting migrants to third countries, with its conservative majority temporarily lifting a lower-court decision that had blocked the practice. The court's three liberal justices dissented from the ruling, which clears the way for removals to countries other than a migrant's homeland while litigation continues.

A second federal court has struck down New York's Climate Change Superfund Act, the state law requiring large fossil fuel companies to pay billions for past climate damages. The ruling is a fresh legal blow to the statute, which had already faced a first federal court defeat and challenges from industry and the federal government. Observers say the decisions cast serious doubt on the law's future and on similar climate cost-recovery measures in other states.

Several US states are pursuing lawsuits seeking to hold major oil companies financially responsible for damages caused by climate change, and courts are now moving to decide whether those cases can proceed. The legal battles could determine whether fossil fuel firms pay billions for wildfires, flooding and other climate-related harm, making this a pivotal moment in climate accountability litigation.

A federal appeals court has found that Seattle's diversity, equity and inclusion initiative may have created a hostile work environment, according to a Ninth Circuit finding. The ruling, reported by HR Dive and other outlets, is drawing attention as courts scrutinize workplace DEI programs and their potential legal liability for employers.

Colorado has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security seeking to stop the construction of a new immigration detention facility in the state. State officials argue the project raises serious environmental concerns and are asking a court to block it from moving forward. The case adds to ongoing legal clashes between Democratic-led states and the federal government over immigration enforcement.

A federal judge appointed by Barack Obama has ruled that a white city of Seattle employee may proceed with a legal challenge to the city's diversity, equity and inclusion workplace policies. The decision allows the discrimination claim to move forward, and it is drawing attention because a Democratic-appointed judge is enabling a test of DEI programs that conservatives have targeted and employers nationwide are watching closely.

The Newell court case in Amherst is raising a zoning question with wide implications for housing: whether a converted attic can legally be counted as an accessory dwelling unit. The case is being followed locally as cities and towns across Massachusetts look to ADUs as a tool for adding housing and clarify what existing structures qualify.

Mobile game company Playstudios has agreed to pay $3 million to settle a lawsuit over virtual chips sold in its social casino games. The case centered on whether players who bought virtual chips for playmoney casino-style games were effectively wagering real money. The settlement resolves claims without an admission of wrongdoing, and comes as US regulators and courts increasingly scrutinize social casino products that sell virtual currency.

Fortune reports that large companies increasingly court retail investors ahead of their initial public offerings, a shift from the old practice of reserving shares almost exclusively for institutional buyers. Companies are treating individual investors as a meaningful constituency, allocating them IPO allocations and outreach that would once have gone only to funds and banks.

A judge has ordered New York to abandon the current rollout of its second-home tax and begin the process anew. The ruling stems from a lawsuit challenging how the tax, aimed at owners of additional residences, was being implemented. The decision is drawing attention in real estate and political circles, as it forces state officials back to the drawing board on a measure with significant implications for wealthy property owners and city revenue.