Most Quarantined Verdict: Michigan court rejects assertion that stay-at-home orders violate constitutional rights
The Michigan Court of Claims ruled the stay-at-home orders issued by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer do not “infringe on the constitutional rights of residents,” according to an article from Newsweek. The lawsuit claims the governor’s executive orders, which were introduced to stem the spread of COVID-19, violated both procedural and substantive due process. They were filed by plaintiff Steve Martinko and others.
Most Educational Verdict: 3rd Circuit upholds ruling against Penn. education exec who claimed ‘public lynching’
A federal appeals court will not revive a lawsuit filed by a former education executive who claimed he was “slandered and railroaded” after being fired by East Stroudsburg University, according to an article from Pennlive. Isaac W. Sanders filed a $50 million lawsuit against the school and Pennsylvania’s university system that saw a lower court rule the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and the school are immune to the complaint. According to the article, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit agreed with the lower court. Sanders faced allegations of “sexually predatory behavior,” but claimed his career was derailed and he was, in fact, a victim of “public lynching” based on comments from education system officials after his termination.
Most Blockbuster Verdict: 'Blockbuster' UCLA gender discrimination suit overturned
The California Court of Appeal overturned a $13 million judgement against UCLA brought by former professor Dr. Lauren Pinter-Brown, according to an article from the National Law Review. Pinter-Brown sued the school for alleged gender discrimination as well as unlawful retaliation, but the appellate court said the judge committed a “series of grave errors.” According to the article, the judge told prospective jurors they will be expected to bend the moral arc of the universe toward justice, invoking the words of Martin Luther King. Further, jurors were given a “multimedia civics lesson,” including a video referencing civil rights leaders like “Rosa Parks, Cesar Chavez, Harvey Milk, [and] Atticus Finch,” among others.
Most Meta-Verdict: SCOTUS overturns long-standing decision on non-unanimous verdicts
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down laws in Oregon and Louisiana allowing individuals accused of serious crimes to be convicted by non-unanimous vote, according to an article from the NPR. The 6-3 Supreme Court ruling overturns a prior decision from 1972 permitting non-unanimous verdicts. The decision is a win for Evangelisto Ramos, who was convicted of second-degree murder in Louisiana by a 10-2 jury vote. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote for the majority and emphasized the racial undertones related to states’ decisions to use non-unanimous verdicts as a way to curb the influence of black people.
Most Pedestrian Verdict: Bicyclists are not pedestrians afoot, rules NJ appeals court
A New Jersey appeals court ruled faulty jury instruction is reason to put aside a $1 million verdict involving a bicyclist who got struck by a car, according to an article from The New Jersey Law Journal. The trial judge apparently used a “model jury charge that pertains to pedestrians crossing the road instead of one relating to the responsibilities of a bicyclist,” the article reads. The suit filed against Jacqueline Hennessey by Mariano Simota Bailey will require a new trial.