High court won't block Columbia expansion plan
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court is refusing a call to block Columbia University's proposed expansion in New York City's West Harlem neighborhood.
The court on Monday rejected an appeal from neighborhood businesses that challenged the use of a state redevelopment agency's power of eminent domain to force them to sell their properties to accommodate the expansion.
New York's top appeals court ruled in Columbia's favor after a lower court questioned the proposed project, estimated in 2007 at $6.3 billion.
Appeal seeking bigger U.S. House rejected by court
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal that calls for greatly increasing the House of Representatives to reduce discrepancies in the population of congressional districts from one state to another.
The justices on Monday ordered a lower federal court to dismiss a lawsuit from Mississippi. The suit said House districts vary widely in population, in violation of the principle of "one-man,one-vote."
Doubling or even quadrupling the size of the House from its current 435 representatives would make it easier to draw more evenly populated districts, the lawsuit said.
Alabama's appeal in murder-for-hire case rejected
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from Alabama to reinstate the death sentence for a man convicted of a $100 murder-for-hire more than 20 years ago.
The court on Monday left in place a federal appeals court ruling that set aside the death sentence for James Charles Lawhorn because of his lawyer's poor work in the penalty portion of the case.
Three justices -- Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas -- said they would have reversed the ruling by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. The appeals court upheld Lawhorn's conviction for killing William Clarence Berry in 1988. Berry was the boyfriend of Lawhorn's aunt, who said she wanted Berry dead because she was scared of him.
Earlier, a federal judge overturned Lawhorn's conviction, ruling that his confession had been obtained improperly.
The case is Allen v. Lawhorn, 10-24.
U.S. court tie vote sustains ruling
in watch case
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court has left in place a ruling that found discount retailer Costco violated U.S. copyright law by selling a line of Omega watches at cut-rate prices without the Swiss watch maker's permission.
The court split 4-4 Monday on Costco's appeal of a lower court ruling. The tie vote upholds that ruling, but does not create a Supreme Court precedent on the issue.
New Justice Elena Kagan did not take part in the case because she worked on it while serving in the Justice Department before joining the court. It is the first 4-4 vote in 20 cases the court has so far heard without Kagan. Only two of the others have been decided.
Court won't get involved in NY lawyer ad fight
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court will not get involved in a New York dispute over whether officials can curb some law firm television commercials.
The high court refused to hear an appeal from New York officials who passed rules that would curb some television commercials from local law firms.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down much of the state's proposed regulations, which included bans on client testimonials or paid endorsements, and nicknames, mottos or trade names that suggest an ability to obtain results.
Personal injury firm Alexander & Catalano and advocacy group Public Citizen Inc. challenged the rules.
The firm wanted to be known as "The Heavy Hitters" but abandoned the motto for fear of running afoul of the new rules.
The case is Cahill v Alexander, 10-203.
Published: Wed, Dec 15, 2010
