Court indicates it may wait to rule on Georgia abortion law
A federal appeals court seemed to indicate it would wait until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a case that seeks to overturn its landmark decision guaranteeing a womanโs right to an abortion before ruling on the appeal of a lower courtโs ruling blocking a restrictive Georgia abortion law.
Federal appeals court overturns former US Rep. Corrine Brownโs conviction
A divided federal appeals court Thursday overturned the conviction of former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown on fraud and tax charges, ruling that a juror was improperly removed from her trial because he said the โHoly Spiritโ told him Brown was not guilty.
Courts wrestle with whether manslaughter is always violent
(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)NEW YORK โ Once annually, sometimes less, the full federal appeals court in New York meets to confront a perplexing legal question. Most recently, it was to decide whether shooting somebody point-blank in the face and stabbing somebody to death are violent acts. A lower-court judge had decided that Scottโs convictions โ on manslaughter charges โ meant he had not been convicted of a violent crime. Thatโs because two laws at stake โ the Armed Career Criminal Act and the Career Offender Sentencing Guideline โ do not define a violent crime by what the defendant actually did. Circuit Judge Michael H. Park noted the โabsurdity of the exercise we have now completed.
Judges hear Corrine Brownโs appeal on dismissed juror
Chief Judge William Pryor wrote a scathing dissent to the 2-1 decision, and Brownโs attorneys subsequently asked the full court to take up the case. AdThe appeal centers on a decision by U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan to replace a juror during Brownโs 2017 trial. The juror was replaced by an alternate, and Brown was ultimately convicted on 18 felony counts and sentenced to prison. AdBut in fighting the conviction, Brownโs attorneys have cited the dismissal of the juror and raised the prospect of religious discrimination. He was dismissed during jury deliberations after another juror reported concerns to Corrigan about the manโs Holy Spirit comments.
Indigent felons likely blocked from voting in November
Reversing a lower court decision, the appeals court argued Florida had the right to require felons to complete all terms of their sentence, including fines, fees and restitution in order to vote. The ruling all but guarantees felons who have outstanding legal financial obligations will not be able to vote in November. At the time of the appellate hearing, 85,000 felons had already registered to vote. The League of Women Voters worries the move is too little too late. October the 5th is right around the corner,โ said Patricia Brigham, President of the League of Women Voters of Florida.
Appeals court: Florida can bar ex-felons from voting until they pay up
A federal appeals court ruled Friday that Florida can bar ex-felons from voting if they owe court fines or fees associated with their convictions, even if they are unable to pay. The 6-4 ruling by the full 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower courtโs ruling blocking the law. Chief Judge William Pryor wrote in the majority opinion that the state law doesnโt constitute a poll tax. Fridayโs ruling was the latest high-stakes challenges to a 2019 Florida law requiring felons to pay court-ordered โlegal financial obligationsโ -- fees, fines, costs and restitution -- associated with their convictions to be eligible to vote. President George W. Bush appointed Pryor, and former President Bill Clinton appointed Judge Charles Wilson.