Author: Justin Lane

In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court struck down Arizona’s Proposition 200, a law that would require immigrated citizens to provide documented proof of their citizenship before being able to vote, affirming the appellate court’s ruling. The legislation had seen bipartisan opposition during its lifetime and far exceeded federal standards that required citizens to identify themselves before voting. Voters are required to be citizens to participate in a federal election and those seeking to participate in an election must swear they are American citizens under penalty of perjury. States are welcome to adapt federal forms, but the state’s adapted...

Below are the top stories from the past week. Papantonio: The Death of the Tea Party Conservative IRS Manager Chose to Scrutinize Tea Party Filings An IRS manager, describing himself as a conservative Republican, told congressional investigators that he and a colleague made the decision to give the Tea Party extra scrutiny, according to Reuters. An official interview transcript was released yesterday by Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings, which cited the conservative manager saying he and “an underling set aside ‘Tea Party’ and ‘patriot’ groups that had applied for tax-exempt status.” … Read more. Republicans Block Student Loan Rate Freeze...

Technology and processing giant Intel is positioning itself to disrupt the current regime of television distribution as we know of it today, according to The New York Times. The company is looking to provide cable service bundles over the Internet but is being opposed by the current industry giants’, i.e. Comcast, Time Warner, etc., contract deals that discourage the channel from contracting with newcomers by charging them fees for making deals with new providers. These companies are some of the largest in the data and media industries, providing internet access to millions and entertainment to even more. However, the...

A federal judge found that Fox Searchlight Picture violated federal law when it refused to pay interns that worked for the production of “Black Swan,” according to Reuters. The decision shakes up the practice many businesses have flocked to of bringing in interns, having them perform tasks that barely differ from the tasks that the employers pay employees to do, and then denying those interns pay and benefits under the guise that they are participating in an educational experience. Employing interns to perform tasks and work while lying to them that they are receiving a genuine and important educational...

A report by CBC news this morning explains that 23 Canadian women are alleged to have died as a result of blood clots that formed while they were taking two of the most popular birth control pills: Yaz and Yasmin. These instances raise concerns that the risk associated with taking the drugs is far higher than is currently understood. Yaz and Yasmin are products of Bayer, suspected by Canadian authorities of having a risk of causing blood clots that is 1.5 to 3 times higher than alternative pills that do not contain the proprietary ingredient drospirenone. The risk is...