USA Archive - Law Commentary

Meghan Markle smiles while wearing a denim shirt.

Meghan Markle's Father Released on Child Pornography Charge, Ordered to Undergo Psychiatric Exam

Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, was released from federal custody Friday, November 6, 2026, after his arrest on a child pornography charge involving suspected child sexual abuse material found in two California storage units. A federal judge also ordered the 82-year-old to undergo a... Read More about Meghan Markle's Father Released on Child Pornography Charge, Ordered to Undergo Psychiatric Exam

Exterior of the Colorado Supreme Court and Colorado Court of Appeals building in Denver.

Colorado Voters Approve Income Tax Overhaul, Raising Rates on High Earners

Colorado voters narrowly approved a major overhaul of the state's income tax system on November 3, 2026, replacing its flat 4.4% rate with a graduated structure that will cut taxes for most residents while raising rates on high earners. Amendment 87 also changes the state constitution, allowing Colorado to collect... Read More about Colorado Voters Approve Income Tax Overhaul, Raising Rates on High Earners

Nicki Minaj poses in a black lace outfit.

Nicki Minaj's Lawyers Want Out as Ex-Attorneys Demand $295K

Nicki Minaj's attorneys are asking a New York judge for permission to stop representing her in a $275,000 concert production lawsuit, while a separate law firm in Los Angeles is seeking more than $295,000 in allegedly unpaid legal fees from the rapper.In recent court filings, Kurzman Eisenberg Corbin & Lever... Read More about Nicki Minaj's Lawyers Want Out as Ex-Attorneys Demand $295K

Leon Black, wearing sunglasses and a dark suit, appears beside Rep. Robert Garcia, who gestures while wearing a dark suit outdoors.

Billionaire Leon Black Sues Rep. Robert Garcia for $7.25M Over Epstein Claims

Billionaire investor Leon Black has sued Rep. Robert Garcia for $7.25 million, accusing the California Democrat of defaming him by publicly linking him to Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking crimes during television interviews.Filed November 4, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the complaint seeks... Read More about Billionaire Leon Black Sues Rep. Robert Garcia for $7.25M Over Epstein Claims

Stevie Wonder performs onstage behind a Yamaha keyboard and microphone.

Stevie Wonder's Eviction Fight Escalates as Woman Demands Repairs

A woman Stevie Wonder is trying to evict from a Los Angeles home where she has lived for nearly four decades is accusing the singer of failing to maintain the property, alleging mold, leaking walls and damaged plumbing while challenging his right to remove her.Carmen Efferson filed her response Tuesday,... Read More about Stevie Wonder's Eviction Fight Escalates as Woman Demands Repairs

Sony Music Group sign on the exterior of a building.

Fake Sony Music Executive Gets 6½ Years for $1.2 Million Scam

A man who posed as a Sony Music Latin executive to collect $1.2 million from concert promoters for performances that never existed has been sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison, years after serving time for a nearly identical fraud scheme.U.S. District Judge Gregory H. Woods sentenced... Read More about Fake Sony Music Executive Gets 6½ Years for $1.2 Million Scam

California voter information guides and an Orange County official vote-by-mail ballot envelope.

Trump DOJ Drops California Ballot Lawsuit After Supreme Court Loss

The Justice Department moved Friday, November 6, 2026, to dismiss its lawsuit over approximately 20,000 California voters suspected of being noncitizens, four days after the Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration's emergency appeal and a week before a judge was scheduled to examine the government's disputed voter list.Assistant U.S. Attorney... Read More about Trump DOJ Drops California Ballot Lawsuit After Supreme Court Loss

Tesla Cybertruck parked outside a Tesla dealership.

Tesla to End Cybertruck Production After Safety Recalls and Falling Sales

Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced Friday, November 6, 2026, that the company will wind down Cybertruck production at its Texas factory around mid-2027, shifting manufacturing capacity to its Cybercab robotaxi after the electric pickup struggled with declining sales, repeated safety recalls, and lawsuits over alleged design defects.Musk said the move... Read More about Tesla to End Cybertruck Production After Safety Recalls and Falling Sales

A hand holds a smartphone displaying the Duolingo app’s green loading screen in front of the Duolingo website.

Duolingo Reportedly Orders Removal of Explicit Lily Fan Art

A digital artist has deleted sexually suggestive animations of Duolingo's teenage character Lily after reportedly receiving a removal request from the language-learning company's legal team. One of the posts had attracted nearly 30 million views before it disappeared.The artist, known as Movail, announced on November 3, 2026, that they had... Read More about Duolingo Reportedly Orders Removal of Explicit Lily Fan Art

Man in a gray suit stands at a Warner Bros. Television event backdrop.

Warner Bros. Loses Bid to Dismiss 'The Pitt' Lawsuit Over 'ER'

Warner Bros. Television must continue defending a lawsuit accusing it of repackaging ER as The Pitt, after a California appeals court found enough similarities between the two medical dramas to allow Michael Crichton's estate to pursue its claims.In a unanimous ruling Wednesday, November 4, 2026, a three-judge panel upheld the... Read More about Warner Bros. Loses Bid to Dismiss 'The Pitt' Lawsuit Over 'ER'

Smartphone displaying Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok app icons beneath a glowing “Social Media” label.

Meta, Google and TikTok Sue to Block California Social Media Ban for Kids

Meta, Google and TikTok filed separate federal lawsuits Wednesday, November 4, 2026, seeking to block a California law that would prohibit addictive social media features for children under 16. The companies argue that the restrictions violate the First Amendment by allowing the state to control how online platforms recommend and... Read More about Meta, Google and TikTok Sue to Block California Social Media Ban for Kids

President Donald Trump gestures behind a model of a proposed triumphal arch.

Judge Halts Trump's 250-Foot Arch Hours After Federal Approval

A federal judge temporarily blocked construction of President Donald Trump's proposed 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, November 5, 2026, hours after a federal planning commission approved the monument in an 8-4 vote.U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan issued a 14-day restraining order stopping excavation, demolition, road closures... Read More about Judge Halts Trump's 250-Foot Arch Hours After Federal Approval

Lil Durk stands onstage wearing sunglasses, a black leather outfit and jewelry.

Judge Delays Lil Durk Bail Decision Despite Murder-for-Hire Acquittal

A federal judge declined to immediately release Lil Durk from custody Wednesday, November 4, 2026, questioning whether the rapper would flee the country while awaiting a second trial despite his recent acquittal on murder-for-hire charges.U.S. District Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald heard competing arguments in Los Angeles before taking the bail... Read More about Judge Delays Lil Durk Bail Decision Despite Murder-for-Hire Acquittal

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a podium with U.S. and California flags behind him.

Newsom Moves to Commute All 548 California Death Sentences

California Gov. Gavin Newsom moved Thursday, November 5, 2026, to commute the death sentences of all 548 prisoners on the state's death row to life imprisonment without parole before leaving office in January. Hundreds of the commutations require approval from the California Supreme Court.The decision would eliminate every existing death... Read More about Newsom Moves to Commute All 548 California Death Sentences

Russell Brand Convicted of Rape, Taken Into Custody

Russell Brand was convicted of rape and three counts of sexual assault on Thursday, November 5, 2026, after a London jury found him guilty of attacking four women during his years as a comedian and television personality.The 51-year-old was taken into custody at Southwark Crown Court after Judge Joel Bennathan... Read More about Russell Brand Convicted of Rape, Taken Into Custody