High court to hear appeal from police officer
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court will hear an appeal from a former Baltimore city police officer convicted on charges of extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion.
The justices said Monday they will decide whether to overturn the 2012 conviction of Samuel Ocasio for his role in a towing company kickback scheme.
Prosecutors said Ocasio was one of many city officers paid by the owners of Majestic Auto Repair Shop in Baltimore County to send customers to their shop instead of to a city-authorized company. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Ocasio claims he didn't violate the law because he never tried to get money from anyone outside the conspiracy. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected that argument.
Court won't hear appeal in foam class action case
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from a group of flexible foam manufacturers challenging one of the largest class action lawsuits ever certified.
The justices on Monday let stand a lower court ruling that allowed a lawsuit to go forward that seeks more than $9 billion in damages against Carpenter Co., Woodbridge Foam Corp. and others.
Buyers of flexible foam products including seat cushions, foam pillows and mattresses allege the manufacturers were involved in a decades-long conspiracy to fix the price of polyurethane foam.
The companies claim there is not enough in common between various purchasers of the foam products to allow a class action to proceed. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected that argument.
High court rejects dispute over campaign donors
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has turned away an appeal from same-sex marriage opponents in California who want to keep the identities of their campaign donors secret.
The justices on Monday let stand a lower court ruling against ProtectMarriage.com, the National Organization for Marriage and other supporters of a 2008 ballot initiative that outlawed same-sex marriages in California until the ban was overturned five years later.
The groups sought to conceal their past and future campaign finance records because they feared harassment of donors. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against them in part because the names have been publicly available for five years.
State law requires political committees to identify those who contribute more than $100 during or after a campaign, along with the donor's address, occupation and employer.
Published: Tue, Mar 03, 2015
