Free Republic

A federal appeals court has set a mid-January deadline for the Louisiana state legislature to draw up a new congressional map, which comes in a long-running legal dispute that included a lower court ruling that found the current map likely unfairly diluted the power of black voters. A three-judge panel in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals issued its order on Nov. 10, requiring the state legislature to pass a new map by Jan. 15, 2024. The appeals court's order notes that, if the state legislature fails to adopt a new map by the deadline, then the lower court should...

Attorneys representing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have taken legal action against several Texas House Republicans and two Houston attorneys prosecuting Paxton, demanding they stop covertly contacting witnesses related to what they say is a meritless impeachment proceeding. The letter (pdf) was sent on June 8 to Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, the co-chairs of the Texas House General Investigating Committee Reps. Andrew Murr (R) and Ann Johnson (D), and to Houston attorneys Rusty Hardin and Dick DeGuerin. Paxton’s attorneys accused the recipients of the letter and their agents of “improper contact” with potential witnesses, including employees of the Texas...

The Sixth Circuit Court has denied the federal government’s motion to transfer the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) vaccine-or-test requirement lawsuit to a different court, while also rejecting the White House’s bid to dissolve a stay on the mandate, delivering a blow to the Biden administration’s efforts to press ahead with implementation. In a Dec. 3 ruling, the Sixth Circuit Court denied the government’s motion to transfer the case to the Fifth Circuit and the D.C. Circuit, while also rejecting as “moot” the Biden administration’s attempt to overturn a hold on the mandate. OSHA on Nov. 5 published an...