Georgia
Isaac Hayes estate settles lawsuit accusing Trump of using song without authorization
President Donald Trump has settled a lawsuit with the estate of renowned singer and songwriter Isaac Hayes that accused the president of using the hit record “Hold On, I’m Coming” in his campaign without permission, Hayes’ family said Monday.
Hayes’ estate filed the lawsuit in August 2024 alleging that the Trump campaign used the song in videos and campaign appearances 133 times in his 2020 and 2024 presidential bids. The lawsuit alleged that the use of the song by Trump, his campaign and several of his allies had infringed its copyright and that damages should be paid.
Hayes’ son Isaac Hayes III announced Monday on the social platform X that the family and estate had settled the lawsuit and “are satisfied with the outcome.” The statement didn’t specify what resolution the parties agreed upon.
Hayes, who died in 2008 at age 65, and David Porter co-wrote “Hold On, I’m Coming,” a 1966 hit for soul duo Sam and Dave.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash granted the Hayes estate a preliminary injunction in September 2024, compelling the Trump campaign to stop using the song in any appearances or videos. Lawyers for Trump said they had already stopped using the song before the ruling.
Sam Moore, of Sam and Dave, had performed “America the Beautiful” at a pre-inauguration concert for Trump and suggested in a sworn statement filed with the court in September that he was opposed to the action sought by Hayes’ estate.
A slew of artists — including Sabrina Carpenter, ABBA and Celine Dion — have objected to Trump using their songs during his events for years.
The White House referred questions to Trump’s personal legal counsel. An email to the lawyer, Ronald Coleman, was not immediately returned.
Lawyers for Trump and his campaign wrote in an earlier filing with the court that the Hayes estate and Isaac Hayes Enterprises failed to show that they own the copyright at issue and couldn’t show that they suffered any harm.
Coleman told reporters after a hearing in 2024 that the campaign had already agreed not to use the song going forward: “The campaign has no interest in annoying or hurting anyone, and if the Hayes family feels that it hurts or annoys them, that’s fine, we’re not going to force the issue.”
Alabama
Bediako appeals NCAA eligibility decision to state high court as season winds down
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Basketball center Charles Bediako is asking the Alabama Supreme Court to let him play the rest of the season for the Crimson Tide.
The recent NBA G-League player on Monday filed an appeal of Tuscaloosa Circuit Court Judge Daniel Pruet’s recent decision that ended Bediako’s temporary playing status with the University of Alabama. While Bediako appeals the decision to the state Supreme Court, his lawyers asked Pruet to grant interim relief and allow him to return to play.
Bediako spent two seasons (2021-23) at Alabama, averaging 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, and helped the Crimson Tide make the NCAA Tournament both years. He wasn’t selected in the 2023 NBA draft, but he played for the Motor City Cruise in the G League as recently as mid-January.
He returned to Alabama this season and filed a lawsuit against the NCAA after it denied Alabama’s request to allow him to return to collegiate competition. His lawyers argued that Bediako remains within his five-year college eligibility window. NCAA President Charlie Baker and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey have opposed Bediako’s reinstatement.
A judge, who later recused himself from the case, issued a temporary restraining order that allowed Bediako to play while the case moved forward. But Pruet on Feb. 9 ruled against Bediako, writing that the player “failed to demonstrate that he is entitled to the injunctive relief that he seeks.”
On Monday, Bediako’s lawyers asked the judge to issue an interim order while the appeal is pending requiring the NCAA to reinstate Bediako as a student-athlete immediately eligible to compete in NCAA competition. They noted that the end of the season and collegiate tournaments are rapidly approaching, and it is unlikely that the Supreme Court will rule on the appeal before the season concludes.
“Without interim injunctive relief, the whole purpose for Plaintiff’s appeal — the ability to play basketball for the University of Alabama for the remainder of play in 2026 — will be null,” lawyer David W. Holt wrote.
Alabama’s regular season ends on March 7. The SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament takes place in mid-March, and the NCAA Tournament will be held from March 17 through April 6.
Texas
Camp Mystic parents sue state, accusing officials of not enforcing evacuation plan requirement
Texas health officials failed to follow state law when they licensed Camp Mystic without making sure it had an evacuation plan, parents of nine children and counselors who died in the July 4 flood allege in a new federal lawsuit.
Camp Mystic’s emergency instructions directed kids to stay in their cabins during floods, even though Texas rules require youth camps to have evacuation plans for disasters, the lawsuit states.
“Young campers and counselors were killed because the camp had no plan,” the lawsuit said. “The camp is responsible, but so are the state officials who helped create this inexcusable risk to life by directing and executing a policy of non-compliance with Texas law.”
A spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services said the agency does not comment on pending litigation. A lawyer representing Camp Mystic, which is not named as a party in this suit, could not immediately be reached Monday.
The camp’s current license is valid until March 6, according to the suit.
The families of nine Hill Country flooding victims filed the lawsuit in federal court on Monday, seeking damages and “all other relief that is equitable”. They are suing six DSHS officials, including Commissioner Jennifer Shuford, several others who oversee the youth camp program and the agency’s Camp Mystic inspector.
In the early morning July 4, heavy rain sent the Guadalupe River surging into the historic Central Texas camp. Staff only managed to evacuate five of 11 cabins in an area called “the flats” even though there had been enough time to get everyone out, the lawsuit alleges. Most of the girls died in two cabins there, built near the river.
In all, 27 Camp Mystic campers and counselors died in the flood. Camp Owner and Executive Director Dick Eastland also died while trying to evacuate one of the cabins.
A year before the flood, DSHS inspector Maricela Zamarripa reported the camp had a written disaster plan, the suit said. She had been at the property again just two days prior to last year’s flood. In her report filed two days after the flood, she again stated the camp had the necessary plan.
“The DSHS officials responsible for licensing youth camps deliberately looked the other way,” the families’ attorney, Paul Yetter, said in a written statement. “While Camp Mystic bears responsibility and is also being sued, state officials knew the camp’s emergency plan lacked a required evacuation component and still licensed the camp as safe.”
DSHS Deputy Commissioner for the Consumer Protection Division Timothy Stevenson testified to state lawmakers that the agency made sure emergency plans existed but did not ensure that they included plans to evacuate, the suit said — an approach the families argued violated both state law and the agency’s duty to protect their children in flash flood alley.
Two new state laws passed last year have further required camps to specify where to go in case of an evacuation, post evacuation routes in cabins and make sure those routes are illuminated at night. The agency meanwhile planned to raise its camp licensing fees.
Utah
Federal court rejects GOP-led Utah Legislature’s latest try to block House map that helps Democrats
New Utah voting districts that give Democrats an improved shot at winning a U.S. House seat can be used in this year’s election, a federal court ruled Monday while turning aside a Republican request to block the new map.
The ruling marked the second setback in recent days for Republicans, who also lost an appeal at Utah’s state Supreme Court.
A Utah judge imposed the new districts last November after striking down the congressional districts that the Republican-led Legislature had adopted after the 2020 census. The judge ruled that the Legislature had circumvented standards against partisan gerrymandering that were approved by voters in 2018.
The judge’s ruling thrust Utah into a national redistricting battle being waged among states ahead of the midterm elections. President Donald Trump has pressed Republican-led states such as Texas, Missouri and North Carolina to redraw their districts to give the GOP an advantage in the November elections, prompting Democratic-led states such as California and Virginia to respond with their own redistricting plans.
Republicans currently hold all four of Utah’s U.S. House seats.
The new map imposed last fall by Judge Dianna Gibson improves Democrats’ chances of winning a seat by keeping Salt Lake County almost entirely within one district, instead of dividing the heavily Democratic population center among all four districts, as was previously the case. The map had been submitted to the court by the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government — the plaintiffs who challenged the previous districts.
“We’re pleased that the court protected the fair map,” Katharine Biele, president of the League of Women Voters of Utah, said Monday. “We only wish that the future attempts to undermine this fair map would cease, so we could focus on what is important to Utahns.”
Earlier this month, Republican U.S. Reps. Celeste Maloy and Burgess Owens joined with nearly a dozen local officials to file a federal lawsuit arguing that the state judge did not have legal authority to enact a map that wasn’t approved by the Legislature.
But a panel of three district court judges denied their request for a preliminary injunction against using the new map in this year’s election. The federal court said they weren’t likely to prevail in their argument, and said it was too late for judges to intervene in the election.
The filing period for Utah’s congressional candidates opens March 9, party caucuses are scheduled for March 17, and state party conventions are to be held April 25. Some candidates already are campaigning, the court noted.
“An active primary is ongoing, and the election has drawn too close for the court to get involved,” the court wrote while adding: “The possibility of voter confusion is a considerable risk were the panel to enjoin the current election map.”
The Congress members and local officials who sued issued a joint statement expressing “profound disappointment but respect for the court’s careful review.”
Republicans still are pursuing other means of undoing the new maps. A Republican-backed group recently submitted petition signatures to try to get a measure on the November ballot repealing an independent redistricting commission and the provision against partisan gerrymandering.
Isaac Hayes estate settles lawsuit accusing Trump of using song without authorization
President Donald Trump has settled a lawsuit with the estate of renowned singer and songwriter Isaac Hayes that accused the president of using the hit record “Hold On, I’m Coming” in his campaign without permission, Hayes’ family said Monday.
Hayes’ estate filed the lawsuit in August 2024 alleging that the Trump campaign used the song in videos and campaign appearances 133 times in his 2020 and 2024 presidential bids. The lawsuit alleged that the use of the song by Trump, his campaign and several of his allies had infringed its copyright and that damages should be paid.
Hayes’ son Isaac Hayes III announced Monday on the social platform X that the family and estate had settled the lawsuit and “are satisfied with the outcome.” The statement didn’t specify what resolution the parties agreed upon.
Hayes, who died in 2008 at age 65, and David Porter co-wrote “Hold On, I’m Coming,” a 1966 hit for soul duo Sam and Dave.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Thrash granted the Hayes estate a preliminary injunction in September 2024, compelling the Trump campaign to stop using the song in any appearances or videos. Lawyers for Trump said they had already stopped using the song before the ruling.
Sam Moore, of Sam and Dave, had performed “America the Beautiful” at a pre-inauguration concert for Trump and suggested in a sworn statement filed with the court in September that he was opposed to the action sought by Hayes’ estate.
A slew of artists — including Sabrina Carpenter, ABBA and Celine Dion — have objected to Trump using their songs during his events for years.
The White House referred questions to Trump’s personal legal counsel. An email to the lawyer, Ronald Coleman, was not immediately returned.
Lawyers for Trump and his campaign wrote in an earlier filing with the court that the Hayes estate and Isaac Hayes Enterprises failed to show that they own the copyright at issue and couldn’t show that they suffered any harm.
Coleman told reporters after a hearing in 2024 that the campaign had already agreed not to use the song going forward: “The campaign has no interest in annoying or hurting anyone, and if the Hayes family feels that it hurts or annoys them, that’s fine, we’re not going to force the issue.”
Alabama
Bediako appeals NCAA eligibility decision to state high court as season winds down
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Basketball center Charles Bediako is asking the Alabama Supreme Court to let him play the rest of the season for the Crimson Tide.
The recent NBA G-League player on Monday filed an appeal of Tuscaloosa Circuit Court Judge Daniel Pruet’s recent decision that ended Bediako’s temporary playing status with the University of Alabama. While Bediako appeals the decision to the state Supreme Court, his lawyers asked Pruet to grant interim relief and allow him to return to play.
Bediako spent two seasons (2021-23) at Alabama, averaging 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, and helped the Crimson Tide make the NCAA Tournament both years. He wasn’t selected in the 2023 NBA draft, but he played for the Motor City Cruise in the G League as recently as mid-January.
He returned to Alabama this season and filed a lawsuit against the NCAA after it denied Alabama’s request to allow him to return to collegiate competition. His lawyers argued that Bediako remains within his five-year college eligibility window. NCAA President Charlie Baker and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey have opposed Bediako’s reinstatement.
A judge, who later recused himself from the case, issued a temporary restraining order that allowed Bediako to play while the case moved forward. But Pruet on Feb. 9 ruled against Bediako, writing that the player “failed to demonstrate that he is entitled to the injunctive relief that he seeks.”
On Monday, Bediako’s lawyers asked the judge to issue an interim order while the appeal is pending requiring the NCAA to reinstate Bediako as a student-athlete immediately eligible to compete in NCAA competition. They noted that the end of the season and collegiate tournaments are rapidly approaching, and it is unlikely that the Supreme Court will rule on the appeal before the season concludes.
“Without interim injunctive relief, the whole purpose for Plaintiff’s appeal — the ability to play basketball for the University of Alabama for the remainder of play in 2026 — will be null,” lawyer David W. Holt wrote.
Alabama’s regular season ends on March 7. The SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament takes place in mid-March, and the NCAA Tournament will be held from March 17 through April 6.
Texas
Camp Mystic parents sue state, accusing officials of not enforcing evacuation plan requirement
Texas health officials failed to follow state law when they licensed Camp Mystic without making sure it had an evacuation plan, parents of nine children and counselors who died in the July 4 flood allege in a new federal lawsuit.
Camp Mystic’s emergency instructions directed kids to stay in their cabins during floods, even though Texas rules require youth camps to have evacuation plans for disasters, the lawsuit states.
“Young campers and counselors were killed because the camp had no plan,” the lawsuit said. “The camp is responsible, but so are the state officials who helped create this inexcusable risk to life by directing and executing a policy of non-compliance with Texas law.”
A spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services said the agency does not comment on pending litigation. A lawyer representing Camp Mystic, which is not named as a party in this suit, could not immediately be reached Monday.
The camp’s current license is valid until March 6, according to the suit.
The families of nine Hill Country flooding victims filed the lawsuit in federal court on Monday, seeking damages and “all other relief that is equitable”. They are suing six DSHS officials, including Commissioner Jennifer Shuford, several others who oversee the youth camp program and the agency’s Camp Mystic inspector.
In the early morning July 4, heavy rain sent the Guadalupe River surging into the historic Central Texas camp. Staff only managed to evacuate five of 11 cabins in an area called “the flats” even though there had been enough time to get everyone out, the lawsuit alleges. Most of the girls died in two cabins there, built near the river.
In all, 27 Camp Mystic campers and counselors died in the flood. Camp Owner and Executive Director Dick Eastland also died while trying to evacuate one of the cabins.
A year before the flood, DSHS inspector Maricela Zamarripa reported the camp had a written disaster plan, the suit said. She had been at the property again just two days prior to last year’s flood. In her report filed two days after the flood, she again stated the camp had the necessary plan.
“The DSHS officials responsible for licensing youth camps deliberately looked the other way,” the families’ attorney, Paul Yetter, said in a written statement. “While Camp Mystic bears responsibility and is also being sued, state officials knew the camp’s emergency plan lacked a required evacuation component and still licensed the camp as safe.”
DSHS Deputy Commissioner for the Consumer Protection Division Timothy Stevenson testified to state lawmakers that the agency made sure emergency plans existed but did not ensure that they included plans to evacuate, the suit said — an approach the families argued violated both state law and the agency’s duty to protect their children in flash flood alley.
Two new state laws passed last year have further required camps to specify where to go in case of an evacuation, post evacuation routes in cabins and make sure those routes are illuminated at night. The agency meanwhile planned to raise its camp licensing fees.
Utah
Federal court rejects GOP-led Utah Legislature’s latest try to block House map that helps Democrats
New Utah voting districts that give Democrats an improved shot at winning a U.S. House seat can be used in this year’s election, a federal court ruled Monday while turning aside a Republican request to block the new map.
The ruling marked the second setback in recent days for Republicans, who also lost an appeal at Utah’s state Supreme Court.
A Utah judge imposed the new districts last November after striking down the congressional districts that the Republican-led Legislature had adopted after the 2020 census. The judge ruled that the Legislature had circumvented standards against partisan gerrymandering that were approved by voters in 2018.
The judge’s ruling thrust Utah into a national redistricting battle being waged among states ahead of the midterm elections. President Donald Trump has pressed Republican-led states such as Texas, Missouri and North Carolina to redraw their districts to give the GOP an advantage in the November elections, prompting Democratic-led states such as California and Virginia to respond with their own redistricting plans.
Republicans currently hold all four of Utah’s U.S. House seats.
The new map imposed last fall by Judge Dianna Gibson improves Democrats’ chances of winning a seat by keeping Salt Lake County almost entirely within one district, instead of dividing the heavily Democratic population center among all four districts, as was previously the case. The map had been submitted to the court by the League of Women Voters of Utah and Mormon Women for Ethical Government — the plaintiffs who challenged the previous districts.
“We’re pleased that the court protected the fair map,” Katharine Biele, president of the League of Women Voters of Utah, said Monday. “We only wish that the future attempts to undermine this fair map would cease, so we could focus on what is important to Utahns.”
Earlier this month, Republican U.S. Reps. Celeste Maloy and Burgess Owens joined with nearly a dozen local officials to file a federal lawsuit arguing that the state judge did not have legal authority to enact a map that wasn’t approved by the Legislature.
But a panel of three district court judges denied their request for a preliminary injunction against using the new map in this year’s election. The federal court said they weren’t likely to prevail in their argument, and said it was too late for judges to intervene in the election.
The filing period for Utah’s congressional candidates opens March 9, party caucuses are scheduled for March 17, and state party conventions are to be held April 25. Some candidates already are campaigning, the court noted.
“An active primary is ongoing, and the election has drawn too close for the court to get involved,” the court wrote while adding: “The possibility of voter confusion is a considerable risk were the panel to enjoin the current election map.”
The Congress members and local officials who sued issued a joint statement expressing “profound disappointment but respect for the court’s careful review.”
Republicans still are pursuing other means of undoing the new maps. A Republican-backed group recently submitted petition signatures to try to get a measure on the November ballot repealing an independent redistricting commission and the provision against partisan gerrymandering.
