Supreme Court Notebook

 Court revives victim lawsuit in mistaken police shooting 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has reinstated the lawsuit filed by a former major league baseball player’s son who was shot on the porch of his family home by a Houston-area police officer.

The justices on Monday ordered a lower court to reconsider the case of Robert Tolan, son of former major leaguer Bobby Tolan. The son was shot in the chest after police mistakenly believed he was armed and had stolen a vehicle.
 
A jury acquitted Bellaire police Sgt. Jeffrey Cotton of criminal charges in the shooting, which happened on New Year’s Eve in 2008. A federal appeals court dismissed Tolan’s civil lawsuit claiming that Cotton used excessive force.
The high court said the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals acted too hastily.
 

Court rejects challenge to city’s immigration law 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected a challenge to a Nebraska city ordinance that bans renting homes to immigrants living in the country illegally.
 
The justices on Monday let stand an appeals court ruling that found the ordinance doesn’t discriminate against Latinos or interfere with federal immigration laws.

The case challenged a 2010 ordinance approved by Fremont, Nebraska, voters requiring potential renters to pay a $5 fee for an occupancy license and show proof of being in the country legally.

Earlier this year, the justices declined attempts by two other towns — in Pennsylvania and Texas — to revive similar laws that had been struck down by lower courts. The high court has held since 2012 that immigration issues are largely a matter for federal agencies, not local governments, to regulate.
 

High court refuses to hear case on gun rights in public 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has turned away another case over whether Americans have a constitutional right to be armed in public.
 
The justices on Monday let stand a lower court ruling upholding a New Jersey requirement for gun owners to show an urgent need to carry a handgun outside their home for self-defense. Both a police official and a judge must approve the permits.

The New Jersey law was challenged by four individuals and two gun groups, and had the backing of 19 states.

The justices turned away similar questions on at least two earlier occasions.

The court’s 2008 decision in District of Columbia v. Heller focused mainly on the right to defend one’s own home, but left for another day how broadly the Second Amendment may protect gun rights elsewhere.