Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including the Supreme Court heard arguments on Alabama redistricting found to diminish the voting power of Black communities; Austin’s state court opened a review queue that allows journalists to report on e-filed civil complaints as they are received; Europe’s top rights court ruled that a depressed Belgian woman’s death by euthanasia did not violate international law, and more.

National

Further erosion of voter protections signaled by Supreme Court

A longstanding framework used to determine racial gerrymandering is likely to see changes after the Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday on Alabama redistricting found to diminish the voting power of Black communities.

Khadidah Stone stands on the dividing line between her old Alabama congressional District 7, to her right with River City Church, and her new district, District 2, to her left, in downtown Montgomery on Sept. 20, 2022. The line splits Montgomery between two congressional districts and is the subject of a high-stakes case before the U.S. Supreme Court. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)

Trump wants high court intervention in Mar-a-Lago documents probe

Former President Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to allow review by an independent party of classified documents seized from his Florida home in a criminal investigation that is ongoing.

Former President Donald Trump gestures while playing golf at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., on Sept. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Defense for Bannon loses bid to slow-roll discovery review

Lawyers for Steve Bannon complained to no avail Tuesday about the enormous amount of discovery that the government has produced against the previously pardoned conservative strategist.

Steve Bannon departs the federal court in Washington, Thursday, July 21, 2022. Bannon was brought to trial on a pair of federal charges for criminal contempt of Congress after refusing to cooperate with the House committee investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Regional

In First Amendment win, Texas court opens first on-receipt queue

After more than a year of litigation, Austin’s state court opened a review queue that allows journalists to report on e-filed civil complaints as they are received.

Portland protester awarded $40,000 for arm broken by police

The first of many lawsuits over Portland police officers’ handling of protests in 2020 culminated in Multnomah Country Circuit Court on Tuesday, when a jury of 12 awarded volunteer paramedic Erin Wenzel partial damages for the broken arm she suffered at the hands of police.

Federal officers use chemical irritants and crowd control munitions to disperse Black Lives Matter protesters outside the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse on Wednesday, July 22, 2020, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

International

Expert calls Danish royal family clash unprecedented

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark announced that Prince Joachim´s children would lose their royal titles as princes and princess next year, a decision that has sparked a very public family feud.

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark greets guests during a break at the Danish Royal Theatre to mark the 50th anniversary of her accession to the throne in Copenhagen on Sept. 10, 2022. (Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix via AP, File)

Rights court OKs Belgium euthanasia law but faults review of depressed woman’s death

Europe’s top rights court ruled Tuesday that a Belgian woman’s 2012 death by euthanasia did not violate international law, but faulted Brussels for failing to conduct a proper review of the case.

This map shoes the status of euthanasia around the world as of 2022. Marked in dark blue are the countries in which active voluntary euthanasia is legal: Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain and the states of Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. Light blue marks countries where passive euthanasia (refusal of treatment/withdrawal of life support) is legal. Active euthanasia is illegal, and passive euthanasia is not legislated or regulated in the countries marked gray. Red indicates the countries where euthanasia is illegal in all forms.

Dutch trial opens for 9 suspects charged over deadly brawl in Spain

The trial of a group of Dutch youths charged with assault and manslaughter over a brawl in Spain began Tuesday before a crowded courtroom in the central Dutch city of Lelystad.

People sit on the beach in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in May 2020. (Isaac Buj/Europa Press via AP)

Categories / Closing Arguments

Subscribe to our free newsletters

Our weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.