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TAMPA — The son of a Lutz fertility doctor killed an ex-girlfriend's unborn child by tricking her into taking an abortion drug, federal authorities said Wednesday. The act could put John Andrew Welden, 28, in prison for life. Welden forged the doctor's signature on a prescription for Cytotec, relabeled a pill bottle as "Amoxicillin" and told the woman that his father wanted her on antibiotics, a federal prosecutor asserted Wednesday. The incident occurred in March after an ultrasound at Dr. Stephen Ward Welden's office confirmed the pregnancy, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Muldrow. The doctor, a board certified obstetrician...

Scalia’s dissent, at least on first quick perusal, reads like it was originally written as a majority opinion http://lsolum.typepad.com/legaltheory/2012/06/evidence-that-the-votes-shifted-after-conference-initial-vote-to-declare-mandate-unconstitutional.html (in particular, he consistently refers to Justice Ginsburg’s opinion as “The Dissent”). Back in May, there were rumors floating around relevant legal circles that a key vote was taking place, and that Roberts was feeling tremendous pressure from unidentified circles to vote to uphold the mandate. Did Roberts originally vote to invalidate the mandate on commerce clause grounds, and to invalidate the Medicaid expansion, and then decide later to accept the tax argument and essentially rewrite the Medicaid expansion (which, as...

The Department of Justice acted politically and erred in demanding Florida cease its purge of noncitizen voters, according to a conservative former department lawyer who helped enforce federal voting laws for years. The Justice Department's voting-rights section said last week that Florida's attempted purge probably broke federal law because the 1965 Voting Rights Act requires federal permission for the program and the 1993 National Voter Registration Act bans voter purges within 90 days of a federal election. "If this ended up in court, the DOJ would lose," said Hans von Spakovsky, with the conservative Heritage Foundation. "The justice department doesn't...

A judge in Sanford ruled Tuesday that a Lake Mary man was lawfully exercising his First Amendment rights when he flashed his headlights to warn neighbors that a deputy had set up a speed trap nearby. That decision is another victory for Ryan Kintner, 25, who sued the Seminole County Sheriff's Officelast year, accusing it of misconstruing a state law and violating his civil rights, principally his right to free speech. He was ticketed Aug. 10 by a Seminole County deputy, but Kintner alleges the officer misapplied a state law designed to ban motorists from flashing after-market emergency lights. Circuit...

Last week, I wrote a post highlighting the terse email exchanges between Governor Rick Scott’s administration and a correspondent for the New York Times. The email chain between Communications Director Brian Burgess and reporter Serge Kovaleski really is a must-read, although the back-and-forth between the two had dropped off. Until yesterday. Each man resumed grappling with the other over who would get the last word, to the degree where their conversation sounds like a script for a Ben Stiller movie.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — A newly proposed bill in South Carolina would remove a legal protection giving people the right to use deadly force. Denmark Rep. Bakari Sellers said today he wants to remove the "stand your ground" provision from the state law that deals with personal property protections. Sellers' bill would strike language saying someone who isn't breaking the law and is somewhere he has the right to be, like where he works, has the right to use deadly force to protect himself or someone else. The provision became law in 2006. Sellers says he was inspired to introduce the...

Governor Rendell sounded resigned and reflective, when he defended three vetoes during a conference call this morning. When a reporter asked how the Democrat felt about having to veto a measure expanding the right to deadly self-defense, instead of being able to sign one of the gun control bills he fought so hard for during his tenure, Rendell called his anti-gun violence efforts “an abject failure.” Rendell held scores of press conferences focused on bringing attention to a bill requiring gun owners to report lost or stolen weapons to the police. Last year, he stacked assault weapons on a table...

The Second Amendment had a great night on Tuesday. Across the nation, the right to arms is stronger than ever, and the stage has been set for constructive reforms in 2011. U.S. Senate: The net result of Tuesday was a gain of +6 votes on Second Amendment issues. In not a single U.S. Senate seat did the gun control lobby gain ground. Three open seats switched from anti-gun to pro-gun: Ohio (Rob Portman replacing George Voinovich), West Virginia (Joe Manchin taking the seat of the late Robert Byrd), North Dakota (John Hoeven replacing Byron Dorgan). In Arkansas, John Boozman’s victory...

HARRISBURG – Today Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett announced his support for the privatization of the state-run liquor store system, citing the state’s need for additional revenues. “It is no secret that Pennsylvania and the next governor of this commonwealth will be faced with massive economic challenges left behind by the current administration. As governor, I will present a plan for the privatization of the state liquor store system that helps to address the state’s need for additional funds, insures ongoing revenues and minimizes the impact on current workers,” said Corbett. “Given the current economic climate in Pennsylvania, state government...

Some local Democrats are organizing to help elect a Republican to Congress. Republican Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, center, is flanked by Democrats Brian Kelly, left, and Patrick Rogan during a press conference at Genetti’s in Wilkes-Barre on Thursday. They were there to announce support for Barletta for Congress. Kelly was joined at a press conference at Genetti’s in Wilkes-Barre by Patrick Rogan, vice president of Scranton City Council and a Democrat. Rogan, 23, won a seat on city council in 2009, garnering 8,941 votes – second only to Janet Evans. Kelly and Rogan have formed Democrats for Barletta – a...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Southwest Airlines plans to acquire AirTran Holdings for $1.4 billion, the airlines said on Monday. Southwest (LUV, Fortune 500) said the deal values AirTran at $7.69 per share, a 69% premium over AirTran's closing price of $4.55 on Friday. AirTran's (AAI) stock surged to $7.27 in pre-market trading. Southwest chief executive officer Gary Kelly said the deal will allow his airline to expand into airports serving major hubs like Atlanta, Washington D.C., Boston, Baltimore and New York City. Southwest said the total deal, including AirTran's debt and aircraft operating leases, is valued at about $3.4 billion....

Video at thread.

There are reports of unusual ground shaking in various parts of Ontario and Quebec, including Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal. The Toronto newsroom of The Globe and Mail shook just before 1:45 p.m. EDT. The Ottawa newsroom was evacuated at about 1:43 p.m. Various reports on Twitter suggest the earthquake was felt as far away as Ohio, New York and Michigan. A Globe reporter in Montreal said that city also shook. The earthquake shook buildings in Ottawa, where the streets are crowded with office workers who evacuated their workplaces. “We felt the building shake. It was actually it was pretty serious....

One of President Obama's top legislative priorities is in serious doubt after top House Democrats' attempt to satisfy the National Rifle Association backfired badly. Top Democrats abandoned plans for a Friday vote in the House on the legislation, known as the Disclose Act, after liberal groups and members of the Congressional Black Caucus rose up against the deal with the NRA. A lobbying blitz by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups also undermined support for the legislation, aides said. The bill would require corporations, unions and nonprofit groups to disclose their top five donors if they participate...

A website listing pistol permit owners in New York state has sparked a debate about constitutional rights, public information and privacy. Any New Yorker interested in knowing if a neighbor has a pistol permit may check online at www.whospackingny.com, a recently anonymously launched website. The New York State Rifle and Pistol Association is working to shut down the website because of concerns that pistol owners will be targeted by criminals who will steal the firearms. The 70,000-member association had its annual meeting this weekend and pledged in a media release Monday to protect licensee's Second Amendment rights to bear arms...

We appreciate some NRA members' concerns about our position on H.R. 5175, the "DISCLOSE Act." Unfortunately, critics of our position have misstated or misunderstood the facts. We have never said we would support any version of this bill. To the contrary, we clearly stated NRA's strong opposition to the DISCLOSE Act (as introduced) in a letter sent to Members of Congress on May 26 (click here to read the letter). Through the courts and in Congress, the NRA has consistently and strongly opposed any effort to restrict the rights of our four million members to speak and have their voices...

Looks like Microstamping has finally died this afternoon in the NY Senate, the last stand against the bill, and the closest its ever got.

Today at 10AM, the Pennsylvania Judicial Committee met to decide the fate of the Castle Doctrine (HB40), the bill that would justify deadly force if you feel your life is in jeopardy ANYWHERE you have the right to be. The bill is now referred to the house for a full vote when Speaker McCall schedules it! This is great news in PA as the bill has been brought for many, many years without the opportunity of a full vote. At the same meeting, the Judiciary Committee denied three anti-gun bills from moving to the house, including one bill that would...

A Toronto woman says the billing practices of Rogers Wireless Inc. led to her husband discovering her extramarital affair. Now the woman, whose husband walked out, is suing the communications giant for $600,000 for alleged invasion of privacy and breach of contract, the results of which she says have ruined her life. In 2007, Gabriella Nagy had a cellphone account with Rogers which sent the monthly bill to her home address in her maiden name. Her husband was the account holder for the family's cable TV service at the same address. Around June 4, 2007, he called Rogers to add...

It’s too late for Ben Goeser to care whether guns are allowed in restaurants or bars or wherever in Tennessee. But if his widow, Nikki Goeser, could have legally carried the gun her late husband bought her for protection into the Nashville restaurant where he was murdered on April 2, 2009, she believes that night might have turned out differently, that she might still have her husband. Nikki and Ben Goeser ran a karaoke business that bounced them from bar to sports bar to restaurant, enticing patrons to lose their inhibitions with some Don McLean or The Eagles or whoever...