Supreme Court rejects apartheid victims' appeal
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from victims of apartheid in South Africa who wanted to sue IBM Corp. and Ford Motor Co. in American courts.
The justices did not comment on their order Monday that left in place lower court rulings dismissing lawsuits filed 14 years ago against Armonk, New York-based IBM and Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford.
The high court had earlier limited circumstances in which foreigners could seek to hold companies accountable in U.S. courts for their participation in or complicity with human rights abuses abroad.
The federal appeals court in New York said IBM and Ford could not be held liable for the actions of their South African subsidiaries during the apartheid regime.
The case is Ntsebeza v. Ford Motor Co., 15-1020.
High Court leaves assault weapons bans in place
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has rejected challenges to assault weapons bans in Connecticut and New York, in the aftermath of the shooting attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that left 50 people dead.
The justices on Monday left in place a lower court ruling that upheld laws that were passed in response to another mass shooting involving a semi-automatic weapon, the elementary school attack in Newtown, Connecticut.
The Supreme Court has repeatedly turned away challenges to gun restrictions since two landmark decisions that spelled out the right to a handgun to defend one's own home.
In December, less than a month after a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, Justices Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia dissented when the court refused to hear an appeal to overturn a Chicago suburb's ban on assault weapons. Scalia died in February.
Seven states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws banning assault weapons. The others are California, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. In addition, Minnesota and Virginia regulate assault weapons, the center said.
Connecticut and New York enacted bans on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines in response to the December 2012 massacre of 20 children and six educators at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. The gunman, Adam Lanza, shot and killed his mother before driving to the school where he gunned down the victims with a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle. Lanza then killed himself.
In Orlando, gunman Omar Mateen used a Sig Sauer MCX semi-automatic rifle and a pistol during the attack at Pulse nightclub. Mateen was killed in a shootout with police after killing 49 others.
Supreme Court rejects appeal from Illinois smokers
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Illinois smokers who sought reinstatement of a $10.1 billion class-action judgment in a long-running lawsuit against Philip Morris.
The justices did not comment Monday in leaving in place an Illinois Supreme Court ruling in favor of the cigarette maker.
The smokers objected to the participation of Justice Lloyd Karmeier, who they said benefited from tobacco money in his retention election.
Government can prosecute drug robbery
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court says the government can prosecute a robbery of drug dealers under federal law without having to show that the drugs were intended for interstate commerce.
The justices on Monday ruled 7-1 to uphold the conviction of David Taylor, a Virginia gang member who robbed two houses in an effort to steal marijuana from dealers.
He was prosecuted under the federal Hobbs Act, which prohibits attempted robbery that affects interstate commerce. Taylor said that the law did not apply because the marijuana was grown only in Virginia.
The Obama administration argued that Congress has authority over all domestic trade in marijuana, including production and distribution that takes places solely in one state.
Lower courts sided with prosecutors.
Supreme court upholds process for challenging invalid patents
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has upheld the process for challenging invalid patents, making it easier for companies to fight so-called patent trolls.
The justices ruled 6-2 Monday to uphold the legal standard used to invalidate patents by a new appeals board at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Congress created the board in 2011 over concerns federal officials were issuing too many patents and fueling the rise of patent trolls - companies that buy up patents and force businesses to pay license fees or face costly litigation.
The high court ruled against Cuozzo Speed Technologies LLC, a New Jersey company that had its patent for speedometer displays in cars declared invalid. Cuozzo said the board was using an overly broad legal standard. The Supreme Court disagreed.
Published: Tue, Jun 21, 2016
