Mark Sherman

December 07, 2012 | Law.com

The Supreme Court will take up California's ban on same-sex marriage, a case that could give the justices the chance to rule on whether gay Americans have the same constitutional right to marry as heterosexuals. The court also will decide whether Congress can deprive legally married gay couples of federal benefits otherwise available to married people.

By Mark Sherman

1 minute read

July 15, 2009 | Daily Report Online

WASHINGTON AP - Sonia Sotomayor said she's nobody's clone. She's spent a good part of her confirmation hearings showing it - and perhaps offering a preview of how she would carry herself on the Supreme Court.There were large stretches in nearly seven hours of questioning Tuesday in which Sotomayor lapsed into the sort of painfully parsed answers that seem to afflict all Supreme Court nominees.

By MARK SHERMAN

4 minute read

September 27, 2006 | Law.com

The Supreme Court agreed Tuesday to decide whether public employee unions must get special permission before spending some workers' dues on political causes.

By Mark Sherman

3 minute read

May 12, 2008 | Daily Report Online

WASHINGTON AP - The Supreme Court said Monday that it can't intervene in an important dispute over the rights of apartheid victims to sue U.S. corporations in U.S. courts because four of the nine justices had to sit out the case over apparent conflicts.The result is that a lawsuit accusing some prominent companies of violating international law by assisting South Africa's former apartheid government will go forward.

By MARK SHERMAN

3 minute read

June 20, 2011 | Daily Report Online

By Mark Sherman

3 minute read

February 20, 2007 | Daily Report Online

WASHINGTON AP - The Supreme Court threw out a $79.5 million punitive damages award to a smoker's widow Tuesday, a boon to businesses seeking stricter limits on big-dollar jury verdicts.The 5-4 ruling was a victory for Altria Group Inc.'s Philip Morris USA, which contested an Oregon Supreme Court decision upholding the verdict.

By Mark Sherman

3 minute read

November 27, 2007 | Daily Report Online

WASHINGTON AP - Delaware and New Jersey squared off in the SupremeCourt Tuesday over which state gets to decide whether a liquefied natural gas terminal gets built on the Delaware River.The dispute centers on a proposed LNG terminal that energy giant BP wants to build on the Jersey side of the river. New Jersey officials approved the project, which could bring more than 1,300 construction jobs.

By Mark Sherman

3 minute read

January 21, 2010 | Daily Report Online

WASHINGTON AP - A major U.S. Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance Tuesday could alter drastically who gives and gets hundreds of millions of dollars ahead of the November congressional elections.The top U.S. court threw out a 63-year-old law designed to restrain the influence of big business and unions, ruling that corporations may spend as freely as they like to support or oppose candidates for president and Congress.

By MARK SHERMAN

3 minute read

October 25, 2007 | Daily Report Online

WASHINGTON AP - A plumber and a millionaire squared off in Mississippi over a woman. The woman chose the rich guy. The plumber sued the millionaire and won more than $750,000.Now Jerry Fitch Sr., a businessman from Holly Springs, Miss., wants the SupremeCourt to step in and limit what a spurned spouse can collect through a lawsuit that claims "alienation of affection.

By Mark Sherman

3 minute read

August 12, 2008 | Daily Report Online

NEW YORK AP _ Former Justice Department officials will not face prosecution for letting improper political considerations drive hirings of prosecutors, immigration judges and other career government lawyers, Attorney General Michael Mukasey said Tuesday.Mukasey used his sharpest words yet to criticize the senior leaders who took part in or failed to stop illegal hiring practices during the tenure of his predecessor, Alberto Gonzales.

By MARK SHERMAN

3 minute read