All posts tagged "Nationalcourts"

CHICAGO — A couple from Lockport became the latest Illinoisans to be charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, federal court records show. Kelly Fontaine and Brian Dula face four counts of knowing and unlawful entry to a restricted building, disorderly conduct in restricted buildings, disorderly conduct in and around the U.S. Capitol and parading and picketing in and around the Capitol, according to a criminal complaint and arrest warrant dated Wednesday. The charges made Fontaine and Dula the 45th and 46th Illinois residents charged since the rampage that sent members of Cong......

The closest the U.S. Supreme Court has come to assessing whether rap lyrics can be used in prosecutions was in a case where it looked at whether they were a “true threat” that made someone believe they would be seriously harmed. In 2014, the nation’s highest court heard the case of Anthony Elonis, marking the first time the justices reviewed a true threats case involving lyrics. Elonis had been found guilty of posting on Facebook rap lyrics containing violent language and imagery concerning his ex-wife, coworkers and law enforcement. The U.S. Supreme Court reversed Elonis’ conviction and ruled......

MIAMI — The fight over which voting map should be used for this year’s city of Miami elections has officially reached the U.S. Supreme Court, and a recent filing suggests the case is getting a serious review. Community groups suing the city over allegations of racial gerrymandering have asked the highest court in the land to resolve an urgent issue: Which map the should the city use to hold elections in Districts 1, 2 and 4 on Nov. 7? The community groups asked for an emergency review from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who is assigned to deal with appeals of decisions made by the......

NEW YORK — Robert Hadden’s sentencing was adjourned Monday after a lengthy day of arguments, in which a judge indicated he was planning to sentence the disgraced ex-Columbia University gynecologist to 20 years. U.S. District Judge Richard Berman pushed back the proceeding due to outstanding objections from both sides, making Hadden’s sentencing a three-day affair. It started on June 28 when Berman invited victims to address the court. “The nature and circumstances factor overwhelmingly in my opinion supporting an upward variance of 20 years,” the judge said, noting Hadden hadn’t “remotely” add......

CHICAGO — Attorneys for gun rights supporters seeking to overturn Illinois’ sweeping gun ban faced tough questioning Thursday from a pair of federal appellate judges in Chicago. The half-dozen challenges being heard in a consolidated case before a three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals all hinge on whether the individual right to bear arms under the Second Amendment extends to the more than 100 types of guns that are subject to the state ban, including the popular AR-15 rifle, and to the high-capacity magazines that also are subject to the ban. For those challenging the law......

NEW YORK — A Manhattan judge on Tuesday signaled he would not rule in Donald Trump’s favor and let the Stormy Daniels hush money case proceed in federal court. After hearing lengthy arguments from lawyers for Trump and the prosecutors for District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Manhattan federal court Judge Alvin Hellerstein declined to issue a ruling but let the parties know how he felt. Hellerstein said it appeared to be “very clear” that the conduct Bragg has alleged against Trump did “not relate to anything” under Trump’s presidential duties, as Trump claims. The district attorney has accused Trump......