LANSING, Michigan, Dec. 18 -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following news release: * * * AG Nessel Disappointed with Federal Court Ruling Challenging Michigan's Ban on Conversion Therapy * The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled yesterday (PDF) in favor of Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee, and Hillsdale Counties and an individual psychologist who sought to block the enforcement of Michigan's state ban on the practice of conversion therapy. In a 2-1 opinion, the Six more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 -- Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: * * * Blumenthal, Ross Lead Bicameral Legislation to Shine Light on Supreme Court Shadow Docket Decisions * [WASHINGTON, D.C.] - U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representative Deborah Ross (D-NC) introduced bicameral legislation establishing transparency in decisions on the Supreme Court's emergency docket, also known as the "shadow docket." The Shadow Docket Sunlight Act require more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 -- Rep. Vince Fong, R-California, issued the following news release: * * * Congressman Fong Votes to Streamline Permitting and Cut Red Tape * WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, Congressman Vince Fong (CA-20) voted to pass the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act, H.R. 4776 (link is external), which amends the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) to ensure a more efficient, effective, and timely federal permitting process. While well-in more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 [Category: Energy] -- Growth Energy, a trade association that represents ethanol producers, issued the following news release: * * * Growth Energy Urges Courts to Reject Refinery SRE Challenges * DENVER, COLO. and ATLANTA, GA.Growth Energy, the nation's largest biofuel trade association, filed briefs in the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 10th and 11th Circuits yesterday urging the courts to reject attempts by refiners to circumvent recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent on v more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 -- Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * Hagerty Introduces Brian Lea, Trump's Nominee to be District Judge for the Western District of Tennessee * WASHINGTON Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) introduced Brian Lea, President Donald Trump's nominee to be District Judge for the Western District of Tennessee, at a Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing. Remarks as prepared for delivery: Thank you Chairman Grassley more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 -- Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyoming, issued the following news release: * * * House Passes Bipartisan Permitting Reform Bill * Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Harriet Hageman (R-WY) voted in favor of the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act, which modernizes the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). "In May, the Supreme Court clarified that NEPA is a purely procedural statute after decades of frivolous NGO litigation and ju more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF12527) on Dec. 17, 2025. The white paper is written by natural resources policy specialist Mariel J. Murray, legislative attorney Madeline W. Donley and telecommunications policy specialist Dana A. Scherer: * * * Indian Gaming Regulatory Act: Gaming on "Indian Lands" Overview In the 1970s, some federally recognized Tribes (hereinafter "Tribes") established bingo gaming to rai more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release: * * * Justice Department Reaches Agreement with South Carolina to Ensure Adults' Access to Community-Based Mental Health Services * The Justice Department announced today that it secured a settlement agreement with the State of South Carolina to resolve the department's findings and complaint alleging that South Carolina violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Supreme Court's decision  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 -- Rep. John B. Larson, D-Connecticut, issued the following news release: * * * Larson Rebukes Trump-Backed Trans Health Care Ban, Vows to Continue Fight to Protect LGBTQ+ Youth * Washington, D.C. - Today, following the Trump Administration's latest proposal (link is external) to bully hospitals out of providing care to transgender youth, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) voted against another Republican bill to ban trans youth (link is external) from accessing essential medica more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (Rep.) -- House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, issued the following news release: * * * LEADER JEFFRIES ON SQUAWK BOX: "WE ARE WORKING HARD TO DECISIVELY CONFRONT THIS REPUBLICAN HEALTHCARE CRISIS" * Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNBC's Squawk Box, where he emphasized that a majority of the House has signed onto the Democratic bill to extend the ACA tax credits, and Mike Johnson must bring it up for a vote immediately. ANDREW more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 -- Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, issued the following news release: * * * LEADER JEFFRIES ON SQUAWK BOX: "WE ARE WORKING HARD TO DECISIVELY CONFRONT THIS REPUBLICAN HEALTHCARE CRISIS" * Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNBC's Squawk Box, where he emphasized that a majority of the House has signed onto the Democratic bill to extend the ACA tax credits, and Mike Johnson must bring it up for a vote immediately. ANDREW ROSS SORKIN: Joining us r more PR

VICTORIA, Australia, Dec. 19 -- The Australian Securities and Investments Commission issued the following news: * * * Macquarie Securities admits to misleading conduct and agrees to pay $35 million for systemic failures * Macquarie Securities (Australia) Limited (MSAL) has admitted to misleading conduct in relation to the misreporting millions of short sales over several years, caused by repeated failures in its systems and processes. ASIC and MSAL will ask the NSW Supreme Court to impose  more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Merkley Leads Senate Resolution Denouncing 'Horrors of Authoritarianism' * Washington, D.C. - Today, Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley introduced a new resolution condemning authoritarianism in all its forms and opposing the implementation of authoritarian policies in the United States of America. The resolution continues Merkley's work to sound the alarm bells over what he has called the "authori more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Merkley, Baldwin, Booker, 41 Senators: No New Anti-LGBTQ+, Anti-Abortion Provisions in Must-Pass Government Funding Bills * "Partisan, discriminatory, and harmful policy riders have no place in must-pass legislation such as appropriations bills" Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Wisconsin's U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, and New Jersey's U.S. Senator Cory Booker led a group of ove more PR

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Dec. 19 -- The North Carolina Department of Insurance issued the following news release on Dec. 18, 2025: * * * Insurance Commissioner calls for a hearing on proposed dwelling insurance rate increase North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey has set May 4, 2026, as the hearing date for the North Carolina Rate Bureau's proposed 68.3% dwelling insurance rate increase. "We are not in agreement with the Rate Bureau's proposed increases filed earlier this fall," s more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * On Senate Floor, Durbin Announces Criminal Referral To DOJ Regarding Trump Officials' Unconstitutional Immigration Enforcement Activity * December 18, 2025 Durbin: Today, I am putting those participating in "Operation Midway Blitz" on notice; you will be held accountable for unlawful actions WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranki more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release on Dec. 18, 2025: * * * On Senate Floor, Durbin Announces Criminal Referral To DOJ Regarding Trump Officials' Unconstitutional Immigration Enforcement Activity In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced he, along with U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), h more PR

NEW YORK, Dec. 17 [Category: Media] -- PEN America, an organization that says it stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression, posted the following news release: * * * PEN America Elects Acclaimed Novelist Dinaw Mengestu as President * (NEW YORK)PEN America today announced the election of critically acclaimed novelist Dinaw Mengestu to the presidency of the 103-year-old writers organization whose mission is to celebrate literature and defend freedom of more PR

CARLISLE, Pennsylvania, Dec. 19 -- Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law issued the following news: * * * Speakers Kemba Smith Pradia and Paul Butler deliver powerful remarks at ADI Convening They drew upon their respective personal experiences to offer critiques of the criminal legal system * This year, the Antiracist Development Institute (ADI) at Penn State Dickinson Law's Third Annual Convening featured two exceptional keynote speakers who drew upon their respective pers more PR

MANILA, Philippines, Dec. 19 -- The Supreme Court of the Philippines issued the following news release: * * * SC Warns Judge Over Improper Behavior in Parking Incident The Supreme Court (SC) has warned a Regional Trial Court (RTC) judge in Marikina City for his conduct during a parking-related incident involving a Public Attorney's Office (PAO) lawyer, which was shared on social media. In a Decision written by Associate Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez, the SC En Banc found that Judge Rey P. Inciong  more PR

PHOENIX, Arizona, Dec. 19 -- The Arizona House Republicans issued the following news release on Dec. 18, 2025: * * * Representative Selina Bliss Introduces Ballot Referral to Protect Girls' Sports in Arizona State Representative Selina Bliss has introduced a ballot referral asking voters to require Arizona school sports to be designated as male, female, or co-ed and protect girls' privacy in locker rooms and showers. HCR2003, the Protect Girls' Sports in Arizona Act, restores and strengthens more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 -- Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, issued the following news release: * * * Reps. Davids, Stansbury, Stanton Demand Tribal Rights Be Respected After Proposed Hydropower Rule Sparks Opposition from Tribes * Recently, Representatives Sharice Davids (KS-03), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), and Greg Stanton (AZ-04) called on the Trump Administration to respect Tribal sovereignty and long-standing government-to-government relationships when making decisions about hydropower projects more PR

PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island, Dec. 16 -- The Rhode Island Supreme Court issued the following opinion: * * * Future Contracting & Estimators LLC v. Maelee Allen, Alias, et al. Present: Suttell, C.J., Goldberg, Robinson, Lynch Prata, and Long, JJ. OPINION Justice Goldberg, for the Court. The self-represented defendant, Maelee Allen (defendant or Allen), appeals from a Superior Court order denying and dismissing her District Court appeal following a bench trial./1 This matter came before the Supre more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 -- House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, issued the following news release: * * * Scalise, Westerman: The SPEED Act: Helping America Build Again * Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman published an op-ed in the Washington Times highlighting the importance of the SPEED Act, legislation that will simplify and streamline America's overly burdensome permitting process. The legislation will allow A more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 -- Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, issued the following news release: * * * Scalise, Westerman: The SPEED Act: Helping America Build Again * WASHINGTON, D.C. Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman published an op-ed in the Washington Times highlighting the importance of the SPEED Act, legislation that will simplify and streamline America's overly burdensome permitting process. The legislation will allow A more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 [Category: Sociological] -- The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws posted the following news release: * * * SCOTUS: Justices Refuse To Hear Case Challenging Federal Cannabis Prohibition * Washington, DC: Judges on the US Supreme Court have declined to take up a lower court case challenging the constitutionality of federal marijuana prohibition. Petitioners argued that Congress' reliance on the Commerce Clause of the Fifth Amendment to prohibit the tr more PR

CARLISLE, Pennsylvania, Dec. 19 -- Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law issued the following news: * * * Students in Penn State Dickinson Law 'Employment Law Seminar' submit comments to federal agencies Students in Professor Samantha Prince's "Employment Law Seminar" recently learned a hands-on lesson in advocacy. To build on lessons learned in class, she offered students the choice of presenting a case study or selecting a federal agency request for comment on rulemaking or  more PR

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 18 [Category: Think Tank] -- The Buckeye Institute, an independent research and educational institution that says its mission is to advance free-market public policy, posted the following news release: * * * The Buckeye Institute Files 4th Brief in Pandemic Era Unemployment Bonus Case * Columbus, OH - On Thursday, The Buckeye Institute filed its fourth amicus brief with the Ohio Supreme Court in Bowling v. DeWine, urging the court to affirm, once and for all, that Ohio's more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF13134) on Dec. 17, 2025, by foreign policy legislation specialist Matthew C. Weed: * * * Understanding the War Powers Resolution Under the Constitution, authority concerning the use of the military is divided between Congress and the President. In the wake of the Vietnam War, concern increased in Congress about presidential use of U.S. Armed Forces without congressional authori more PR

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia, Dec. 19 -- The University of Virginia Karsh Institute of Democracy issued the following news: * * * Why Democracy Depends on Watchdog Agencies As laws, institutional norms, and political pressures collide, effective oversight reinforces the principle that no officeholder is above the law. By Natalie Ermann Russell In recent months, debates over the independence of government agencies and the limits of presidential authority have moved from academic journals into c more PR

PLANO, Texas, Dec. 18 [Category: Sociological] -- The First Liberty Institute, an organization that says it is dedicated to defending liberty for all Americans, issued the following news release: * * * Village Mayor in New York Axes Traditional Christmas Tree Fundraiser at St Patrick's Catholic Church * The Branch, NY First Liberty Institute sent a letter to the Village of The Branch, New York demanding that St. Patrick's Catholic Church be allowed to continue its tradition of selling Christ more PR

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Wyden, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Increase Transparency of Supreme Court Shadow Docket Decisions * Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said today he has joined Senate colleagues to introduce legislation to increase transparency of decisions on the Supreme Court's emergency docket, also known as the "shadow docket,"a backdoor way for the Supreme Court to hand down consequential rulings wit more PR