Supreme court Notebook

High court won’t hear challenge over nonprofit donor lists
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court won't hear a dispute over California’s requirement that nonprofit groups turn over the names of major donors.

The justices on Monday let stand a lower court ruling that said the state has a right to review donor lists to determine whether a group is actually involved in charitable activities.

The conservative Center for Competitive Politics argued that the review violates donors' right to privacy and freedom of association under the First Amendment.

A federal appeals court rejected the group's challenge in May, finding there was no indication the state was trying to harass donors or discourage them from contributing.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris said donor lists were for official review only and would not be released to the public.

Supreme Court sides with state trooper over fatal shooting
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has sided with a Texas state trooper who was sued after he fatally shot a man fleeing from officers during a 2010 high-speed chase outside Amarillo.

The court ruled Monday that Trooper Chadrin Mullenix did not violate the constitutional rights of Israel Leija Jr. when he shot six times at the speeding car from a highway overpass.

The unsigned opinion reversed a lower court decision that allowed a civil rights lawsuit filed on behalf of Leija’s family to go forward against Mullenix.

Mullenix shot at the car after Leija led police on a 25-mile high-speed chase, was reportedly intoxicated and had twice called a police dispatcher threatening to shoot officers if they did not stop pursuing him.

High court rejects Cleveland’s appeal over ‘jock tax’
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from the city of Cleveland over its formula for taxing visiting professional athletes for their work in the city.
The justices on Monday let stand a lower court ruling that said the city’s method of taxing athletes based on the share of all their games that are played in Cleveland violates players’ due process rights.

The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that the city must assess taxes based on players’ Cleveland work as a share of their total number of working days per year, not just their games, as is common elsewhere. The ruling said the city unfairly imposed a 2 percent income tax on ex-Chicago Bears linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer.

The city argued that its method was a reasonable interpretation of the law.