Mixed 9th Circuit Ruling Upholds NCAA Antitrust Ruling, Vacates Athlete Payment Proposal

While the panel was in agreement with the first part of Judge Wilken’s ruling, Chief Judge Sidney R. Thomas disagreed with the other two judges on the merits of Wilken’s acceptance of the deferred-compensation option. Defending the majority opinion of vacating this portion of Wilken’s ruling, Judge Bybee wrote “The difference between offering student-athletes education-related compensation and offering them cash sums untethered to educational expenses is not minor; it is a quantum leap,” Bybee added, “Once that line is crossed, we see no basis for returning to a rule of amateurism and no defined stopping point.”


Ralph Nader’s Tort Law Museum Opens in Connecticut

Nader is hoping that the museum will help to serve future generations in understanding the power of the consumer, the threats of the protections being removed as part of the conservative tort-reform agenda, which is an attempt to put caps on personal injury lawsuit awards. Nader said, “Tort law is being run into the ground, maligned, caricatured and slandered because it’s effective,” calling tort reform, “the cruelest movement I’ve ever encountered.”


Will Republican Candidates Face the Music over Campaign Anthems?

The copyright laws involving campaign music are murky, as Gingrich had argued. Generally, the costs of litigation aren’t worth the challenge in court. Sullivan for one said he will not take legal action this time against Davis and Huckabee, but did say that the use of the song was personal. Sullivan told Rolling Stone, “I do not agree with Kim Davis’ stance and do not believe in denying gay rights and the freedom for all individuals to choose the lifestyle they want to live. Our Constitution, and the words of our Founding Fathers, stand tall for freedom, which is what America is all about. I find it ridiculous in this day and age that this fight against gay marriage has gone on, even after the Supreme Court’s ruling. Let’s stop!”


House Speaker Boehner Abruptly Announces Resignation

The 65 year-old had been serving in the House, representing Ohio’s 8th District since 1991, yet his seniority and leadership roles have not been able to quell dissent from conservatives in the party, most recently revolving around funding for Planned Parenthood potentially leading to a shutdown. Over 30 members of the House threatened a no-confidence vote over the Planned Parenthood issue; with such a vote meaning that Boehner would have to rely on Democratic votes to remain as Speaker next term.


Indiana’s Supreme Court Hears Arguments over 2011 State Fair Stage Collapse

The case may or may not end at the state’s Supreme Court, depending on whether or not the appeal is considered. If the Court declines the appeal, the case will head back to a jury trial in Marion County, however MacGill acknowledged that even a favorable ruling will still make for difficulties, saying that “we have a lot of work to do, and we have to prove a case.” If the Court accepts the case, and depending on the ruling, the state could be held liable for an undisclosed amount of damages.


George Zimmer is now a Marijuana Activist

Zimmer took time to lend support to the marijuana legalization movement as the keynote speaker in Los Angeles at the Cannabis World Congress and Business Expo on Friday. In his speech, Zimmer called the placement of marijuana on the Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, equating it to drugs like heroin and ecstasy, “the biggest con that has been perpetrated on this country in the last century.”


Democrats Push Legislation for EPA-Mine Spill Compensation

According to Senator Udall, the Gold King Mine Spill Recovery Act does three things. It “requires the EPA to compensate New Mexico communities that were impacted. It requires the EPA to keep monitoring the water quality in the Animas and San Juan rivers, and it would help prevent future disasters.”


Oakland Sues Wells Fargo for Lending Discrimination

The city is blaming Wells Fargo for the loss of millions of dollars of potential tax revenue, leading to budgetary limits for services like parks, policing, and libraries. City attorney Barbara Parker said in a statement after the filing, “Wells Fargo’s discriminatory conduct devastated individuals and communities, increasing poverty and wiping out or drastically reducing wealth for minority communities while bankers prospered.”


Study Finds Nearly 96 percent of Deceased NFL Players had CTE

In total, the researchers from the nation’s largest brain bank examined 165 brains of people who played football professionally, semi-professionally, or in college or high school while living. The brain bank is run as a joint venture between the VA and the university. They found 131 of the brains showed some evidence of CTE, including the 87 NFL pros.


FBI Launches Investigation into 1MDB Malaysia State Development Fund

Najib and Malaysian authorities have undergone exhaustive means to curtail the domestic investigation into allegations that the prime minister funneled money from the fund into his personal account through Swiss banks and the Middle East. The regime gutted the committee appointed to investigate the allegations, shut down a news source, replaced the deputy prime minister and attorney general, and arrested former members of Najib’s political party, including Khairuddin Abu Hassan as he was preparing to travel to the U.S. to urge investigators to help with the probe.