US Supreme Court torn over Florida, Texas laws regulating social media companies
U.S. Supreme Court justices on Monday expressed reservations about Republican-backed laws in Florida and Texas meant to restrict the power of social media companies to curb content that the platforms deem objectionable, but signaled they may not be ready to block them in their entirety.
During nearly four hours of arguments in the cases, the justices expressed concern that the laws could undermine the editorial discretion of the platforms in violation of free speech protections. But they also indicated they might permit the laws to regulate certain non-expressive internet services such as the provision of email, direct messaging or car-sharing.
The laws were challenged by tech industry trade groups NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association, whose members include Facebook parent Meta (META.O)
US judge in Texas rules congressional passage of 2022 spending bill unconstitutional
A federal judge in Texas on Tuesday ruled that a $1.7 trillion government funding bill was unconstitutionally passed in 2022 through a pandemic-era rule that allowed lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives to vote by proxy rather than in person.
U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix in Lubbock reached that conclusion as he granted Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's request to block a provision of that bill that gave pregnant workers stronger legal protections.
The judge, an appointee of Republican former President Donald Trump, called the scope of his ruling "limited," and said it did not block all of the spending law. Texas had only sought to block two provisions ultimately.
https://www.reuters.com/legal/us-supreme-court-weigh-florida-texas-laws-
Supreme Court grapples with the legality of US ban on gun 'bump stocks'
U.S. Supreme Court justices struggled over technical aspects of "bump stocks" on Wednesday as they considered the legality of a ban imposed under former President Donald Trump, opens new tab on these devices that enable semiautomatic weapons to fire rapidly like machine guns in the latest case targeting a firearms restriction.
The justices heard arguments in an appeal by President Joe Biden's administration of a lower court's ruling in favor of Michael Cargill, a gun shop owner and gun rights advocate from Austin, Texas, who challenged the ban implemented place after a 2017 mass shooting that killed 58 people in Las Vegas.
Questions posed by the justices did not clearly signal how they will resolve the case in a ruling due by the end of June.
US judge blocks Texas law cracking down on illegal border crossings
A federal judge in Texas on Thursday blocked the Republican-led state's new law giving officials broad powers to arrest, prosecute and order the removal of people who illegally cross the U.S.Mexico border.
U.S. District Judge David Ezra in Austin agreed with Democratic President Joe Biden's administration that the law known as SB4 interferes with the federal government's powers under the U.S. Constitution to enforce U.S. immigration laws and the ability of migrants to apply for asylum and other humanitarian aid.
Ezra blocked the law, which was set to take effect on March 5, pending the outcome of the Biden administration's lawsuit challenging its legality.
Souce:
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/supreme-court-trains-sights-us-ban-gun-bumpstocks-2024-02-28/
US IRS aims to collect on 125,000 unfiled high-income tax returns
The Internal Revenue Service said on Thursday it will crack down on high-income earners who have failed to file tax returns in 125,000 cases since 2017, resurrecting a non-filer enforcement program that was idled for years by past budget cuts.
TheIRSsaidthat the$80 billioninfundingovera decadefromthe2022InflationReductionAct has enabled it to hire sufficient staff to resume the mailing of non-filing notices, opens new tab to these individuals, including 25,000 with apparent annual income above $1 million.
Another 100,000 of the targeted missing returns indicated income between $400,000 and $1 million, based on third party documents including W-2 and 1099 income reports.
IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said the total "financial activity" associated with the unfiled returns tops $100 billion, and unpaid tax liabilities could easily run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Souce:
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-irs-says-it-will-pursue-high-income-earnerswho-failed-file-tax-returns-2024-02-29/