It is a big week for legal news.
Yesterday, The Supreme
Court of the Unites States (SCOTUS) issued five decisions. Today it issued three
decisions, and is expected to issue more tomorrow (including a decision on
DOMA- Defense of Marriage Act). One of the most talked about decisions was
today’s decision in Shelby County v.
Holder, in which the Court struck down a section of the Voting Rights Act
which provided a formula to determine which state and local governments had to
seek approval from the federal government before making any changes to their
voting laws and procedures. Some are proclaiming this as an end to the Civil
Rights Era. To read the whole decision, click here: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-96_6k47.pdf
On top of all this, the Zimmerman trial opened yesterday. It
began with surprising opening statements from both parties. The prosecutor
quoted one of Zimmerman’s cellphone conversations with a police dispatcher
which contained the F-word. The Defense began by telling a knock-knock joke
which did not elicit any laughs. To learn more about this case, see http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/24/justice/zimmerman-trial.
I will warn you that this link contains some language that might offend some
readers.
What else does this week have in store? Perhaps the Court
will find that the DOMA section which prohibits legally married gay couples
from receiving benefits unconstitutional? We will find out tomorrow.
