Legal News

Summary of actions by the Supreme Court on Monday

By (Breaking Legal News)

The Supreme Court on Monday:

_Upheld a federal law that bars "material support" to foreign terrorist organizations, rejecting a free speech challenge from humanitarian aid groups. The court ruled 6-3 that the government may prohibit all forms of aid to designated terrorist groups, even if the support consists of training and advice about entirely peaceful and legal activities.

_Decided to allow a new trial for a woman who got breast cancer after taking hormone replacement therapy and is seeking punitive damages against Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. The justices rejected Wyeth's attempt to block the trial because it is to be limited to punitive damages. Wyeth is a subsidiary of Pfizer Inc., the world's largest drug company.

_Ruled that a federal judge went too far when he banned the planting of genetically engineered alfalfa seeds after claims that the plants might harm the environment. The court, on a 7-1 vote, reversed a federal appeals court ruling that had prohibited Monsanto Co. from selling alfalfa seeds because they are resistant to the popular weed killer Roundup.

_Made it harder for people to challenge arbitration agreements in court. The court, in a 5-4 vote, decided that arbitrators are the only ones who can decide if an arbitration agreement as a whole is "unconscionable" if the contract explicitly delegates that issue to the arbitrator and a person fails to challenge that specific clause.

_Announced that it will decide whether Virginia's advocate for the mentally ill can force state

Full post as published by Breaking Legal News on June 22, 2010 (boomark / email).