USA Archive - Law Commentary

Lockheed Martin sign displayed in a landscaped lawn outside the defense contractor’s facility.

Lockheed Martin to Pay $29.5 Million Over Alleged Discrimination Against White Workers

Lockheed Martin has agreed to pay $29.5 million to settle federal allegations that it discriminated against white employees through diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices that influenced pay, hiring and promotion decisions at the defense contractor.The Justice Department announced the agreements on November 3, 2026, including $22 million to resolve... Read More about Lockheed Martin to Pay $29.5 Million Over Alleged Discrimination Against White Workers

Splenda packets arranged in an overlapping pattern.

Splenda Maker Seeks to Revive Defamation Suit Over Cancer Claims

Splenda maker TC Heartland LLC is asking a federal appeals court to revive its defamation lawsuit against a North Carolina scientist who warned that chemicals associated with the artificial sweetener could damage DNA and potentially contribute to cancer. The company argues that her public statements misrepresented scientific research and relied... Read More about Splenda Maker Seeks to Revive Defamation Suit Over Cancer Claims

Nail technician wearing gloves files a customer’s blue-painted fingernails during a manicure.

Nail Salon Faces Second Herpes Lawsuit, With $5 Million Sought

A Portland, Oregon, nail salon is facing a second lawsuit from a customer who claims she contracted herpes during a manicure, more than a year after another woman sued the same business over a similar infection. The latest customer is seeking a reported $5 million in combined damages from the... Read More about Nail Salon Faces Second Herpes Lawsuit, With $5 Million Sought

American flag waves in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building.

Supreme Court Signals Support for Catholic Schools in LGBTQ+ Admissions Fight

The U.S. Supreme Court appeared ready to side with Catholic preschools in Colorado on November 3, 2026, as several conservative justices questioned whether the state can deny public funding to religious schools that require families to support church teachings on marriage, sexuality, and gender identity.The dispute could allow Catholic schools... Read More about Supreme Court Signals Support for Catholic Schools in LGBTQ+ Admissions Fight

Jason Isbell sings into a microphone while playing an acoustic guitar onstage.

Suno Moves to Dismiss Jason Isbell's AI Music Lawsuit, Cites Free Speech

AI music company Suno is asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Jason Isbell and three other musicians, arguing that using an artist's name to describe a musical style is protected speech rather than an unlawful use of their identity.In a motion filed Tuesday, November 3, 2026,... Read More about Suno Moves to Dismiss Jason Isbell's AI Music Lawsuit, Cites Free Speech

NCAA Wins Appeal Blocking Fifth Year of Eligibility for College Athletes

A federal appeals court handed the NCAA a victory Friday, November 6, 2026, overturning a nationwide injunction that would have allowed thousands of Division I athletes to compete for a fifth season under the association's expanded eligibility rules.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruled that a Colorado... Read More about NCAA Wins Appeal Blocking Fifth Year of Eligibility for College Athletes

Bryan Kohberger sits at a courtroom table wearing a white shirt and patterned tie.

Idaho Murders Survivor Says Family Moved 9 Times, Fights Video Release

Dylan Mortensen, a surviving roommate in the University of Idaho murders committed by Bryan Kohberger, is asking a judge to keep her face blurred in police recordings after revealing that she and her family have moved nine times amid years of harassment, threats and accusations surrounding the killings.In a sworn... Read More about Idaho Murders Survivor Says Family Moved 9 Times, Fights Video Release

Mastodon members perform onstage with guitars and drums in front of the band’s backdrop.

Mastodon Moves to Dismiss Claims in Brent Hinds Estate Lawsuit

Mastodon is asking a Georgia judge to dismiss several claims brought by the estate of late guitarist Brent Hinds, arguing that its surviving members cannot be held personally responsible for disputed business dealings and that the estate has failed to establish a legal basis for compensation over the band's latest... Read More about Mastodon Moves to Dismiss Claims in Brent Hinds Estate Lawsuit

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