Us supreme court rulings

ALL-WEATHER | It’s work as usual for a team from Benguet Electric Cooperative (Beneco) despite rains in Baguio City in late July. Beneco is locked in a leadership dispute with the National Electrification Administration that has escalated into the freezing of the utility’s bank accounts, drawing condemnation from local officials as the cooperative has been defaulting on payments to its power supplier. (Photo by VINCENT CABREZA / Inquirer Northern Luzon) BAGUIO CITY, Benguet, Philippines — One of the banks dragged into a leadership tussle between the power utility here and its regulator has been restrained by a local court from releasing to unauthorized persons the funds deposited on the electric cooperative’s account, allowing only current managers to access the money. The restraining order against Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) issued by Baguio Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 7 Judge Cecilia Corazon Dulay-Archog on July 25 will lapse on Aug. 14, but Archog is currently … [Read more...] about Baguio court halts unauthorized access to utility’s bank account

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin A U.K. boy who’s been the focus of an international legal battle has died hours after his life support was switched off. The parents of Archie Battersbee, 12, who suffered severe brain injuries in April, have been trying to keep him on life support for weeks, taking the case as far as the United Nations and the European Court of Human Rights. But doctors, and courts, argued Battersbee was “ brain stem dead ” and that further efforts to keep him alive were “futile.” He died just after midday on Saturday, almost exactly four months after he was found unconscious at home. His parents, Peter Battersbee and Hollie Dance, believe he may have been taking part in a social media challenge at the time. He has been in the care of the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel ever since. The tragic case has gripped the nation, with each legal appeal covered widely in the media. Assisted by the Christian Legal Centre, his … [Read more...] about Archie Battersbee: U.K. Boy At The Center Of Life Support Battle Dies

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Catch this podcast on the topic of ending zoning at Everything Urban. Today is the day Americans commonly consider our country’s “birthday,” the day which we officially declared independence from the United Kingdom. One could argue the other days would be appropriate, like the final ratification of our written Constitution on June 21, 1788, or even the burning of the ship Gaspee by a group of American tax evaders on June 9, 1722. But July 4 is now hallowed in our civil religion as the day, and it is also a good day for Americans to consider declaring their independence from another oppressive regime, the use of zoning to manage and control the use of land in American cities. The July 4 holiday is unique in that it doesn’t celebrate a battle or a person but a document, the Declaration of Independence , the central focus of which is shaking off the interference of a distant government in daily life. For people on … [Read more...] about Let’s Declare Our Independence — From Zoning

Though I advised him that I did not campaign or vote for him, the late president Fidel V. Ramos still offered me to be his secretary of justice on June 17, 1992, before he assumed office on June 30, 1992. After I respectfully declined, he changed his offer to a seat in the Supreme Court. And after he named me to the Court, he never spoke or influenced me, in any manner, in the discharge of my duties. Indeed, a gentleman-patriot, he fully respected my independence and probity even when I voted against his known political wishes. More on him in another column. WITH CHIEF JUSTICE ALEXANDER G. GESMUNDO AS GUEST OF HONOR AND SPEAKER, the Foundation for Liberty and Prosperity (FLP) will award cash and plaques on Thursday, Aug. 11, to its new 21 law scholars, 10 winners of its dissertation writing contest, and five “Esmel” fellows taking master of business administration or MBA (or equivalent) major in entrepreneurship, sustainability, management, economics, or business law. In … [Read more...] about FLP’s 21 scholars, 10 winners, and 5 fellows

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Florida state attorney Andrew Warren accused Governor Ron DeSantis (R) of “spit[ting] in the face of” voters on Thursday by suspending him for vowing not to criminalize abortion and gender-affirming care, a move the prosecutor argued constitutes an “illegal overreach” and power grab as the GOP governor eyes a presidential run. Key Facts DeSantis announced Thursday that he had suspended Warren, who oversaw the state’s 13th judicial circuit, for “neglect of duty” and believing that he “thinks he has the authority to defy the Florida Legislature and nullify . . . criminal laws with which he disagrees.” Warren hit back in a statement , calling the act a “political stunt” and accusing DeSantis of “using his office to further his own political ambition,” going against voters who “elected me to serve them, not Ron DeSantis.” The order suspending Warren pointed to a June 2021 letter he and other … [Read more...] about Suspended Florida Prosecutor Accuses Governor DeSantis Of ‘Illegal Overreach’

Based on the March 2022 Labor Force Survey of the Philippine Statistics Authority, there are more than 17 million informal workers, including tiangge, ambulant and street vendors, plus over 1.3 million sari-sari stores that remain unregistered with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). Generally, they fall under the category of micro enterprises. However, under Revenue Regulation No. 11-2000, self-employed individuals with annual gross sales not exceeding P100,000 are classified as marginal income earners. While they may also apply for Barangay Micro Business Enterprises (BMBE) certification to avail of income tax exemption, they are exempted from: P500 annual registration fee; maintaining books of accounts and submitting audited financial statements; issuing official receipts; 12 percent value added tax (VAT) or 3 percent business (percentage) tax; and expanded withholding tax. Should we increase the income threshold to encourage the informal sector to register with BIR? The … [Read more...] about Tax challenges and opportunities for the new administration

The Court of Appeals. (Photo from the Philippine Daily Inquirer) MANILA, Philippines — The Court of Appeals (CA) has again denied the petition of the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) to retain the asset preservation order (APO) issued by a Manila court against the bank accounts of companies and individuals implicated in the $81-million cyberheist from the central bank of Bangladesh in 2016. In a two-page decision penned by Associate Justice Fernanda Lampas-Peralta, the appeals court’s Former Special Second Division denied AMLC’s motion for reconsideration for lack of merit and reminded the AMLC that the case is still pending before the Manila court where the merits of the case should be clarified. “Once again, the Court made a careful and judicious study of the merits of the case, in light of the respective arguments of petitioner in its motion for reconsideration of the Court’s Decision dated April 29, 2022, and private respondents in their comment/opposition to the motion. … [Read more...] about CA affirms unfreezing of 2016 cyberheist accounts

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin In June the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released four new drinking water health advisories related to PFAS contamination. The soundness of these advisories has since been called into question and in late July a lawsuit was filed seeking to overturn two of them. PFAS is the acronym referring to Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances, which the EPA describes as “a group of manufactured chemicals that have been used in industry and consumer products since the 1940s because of their useful properties.” The EPA notes there “are thousands of different PFAS, some of which have been more widely used and studied than others.” “These advisories indicate the level of drinking water contamination below which adverse health effects are not expected to occur,” the EPA said in a statement. “Health advisories provide technical information that federal, state, and local officials can use to inform the development of monitoring … [Read more...] about New Lawsuit Would Overturn EPA Advisories Seen As Precursor To More State & Federal Regulation

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) made national news for his recent TV ad campaign encouraging Floridians to move to California based on his claim that the Golden State is a bastion of freedom. Newsom’s Florida ads have since been the subject of mockery and derision, with Governor Ron DeSantis (R) and others pointing out California has lost thousands of former residents and millions of dollars of wealth to Florida in recent years. In fact, from 2019 to 2020 alone, California saw a net outmigration of more than 11,500 people to Florida, who took $1.9 billion in annual income with them. “While Governor Newsom breaks his own laws to dine at French Laundry as ordinary Californians suffer under his rule, he continues to lose the remaining sane residents of his state. Where do they go? They come to Florida,” said Sal Nuzzo, vice president of policy at the James Madison Institute, a Florida-based think tank. “Today, 30 … [Read more...] about Gavin Newsom’s Needling Of GOP Governors Will Be Paid For By Taxpayers