Most Religious Verdict: Little Sisters of the Poor Claim Victory in Contraceptive Mandate Case

The Supreme Court unanimously vacated all lower court rulings regarding the Obamacare provision that non-profit employers must collaborate in providing health coverage that includes abortion-inducing drugs and devices. That's according to a CNSNews article.

The lower courts must now reconsider the claims made by the nuns of the Little Sisters of the Poor that parts of Obamacare violate their religious rights, considering the government’s recent admission it could provide contraceptive coverage without partnership with the Little Sisters.

The Supreme Court noted the government confirmed it is possible to provide coverage independently of employers that have religious objections to the coverage. 

Most Grim Verdict: ‘Grim Sleeper’ Convicted on 10 Counts of Murder

An L.A. trash collector known as the “Grim Sleeper” was convicted of 10 counts of murder related to the serial killings of young, poor black women, according to an article from the Associated Press.

Lonnie Franklin Jr. was said to have murdered his victims over the course of 20 years. Some complained the cases were not aggressively pursued due to the race of the victims and that some were drug users. Most of the victims were found with traces of cocaine.

Franklin was also found guilty for attempted murder of Enietra Washington after he shot her in the chest. Washington was a key witness at the trial, according to the article. Franklin was connected to the murders after DNA collected from his son was similar to that found on the victims.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for the Franklin.

Most Animalistic Verdict: Antiques Dealer Hit with $30K Fine for Dealing Elephant Tusks

Ferdinand Krizan, a Franklinville, NY antique dealer was fined $30,000 by Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr. for trafficking prohibited wildlife and now faces a felony conviction, according to an article from the Buffalo News.

Authorities seized eight elephant tusks during the investigation, which Krizan admitted to buying and selling. Two of the tusks, prosecutors say, were purchased in Montreal, smuggled across the Canadian-American border and sold for $50,000 in Massachusetts. Krizan was also said to have trafficked other protected wildlife, including a narwhal whale tusk.

“Krizan also surrendered more than 180 ivory carvings and figurines he sold online and at flea markets. Prosecutors estimated the total value of their seizures at $320,000,” the article reads. Defense attorney Rodney O. Personius asked for a non-prison sentence for the 78-year-old Krizan and Geraci agreed, considering his relatively crime- free past.

Most Musical Verdict: Man gets 25-to-Life for Murdering Violinist in ‘brutal’ Robbery

Jonathan Conklin was given 25-to-life for the murder of violinist Mary Whitaker after he was said to have shot her during a “brutal” robbery.

A judge in Chautauqua County handed Conklin the sentence after his second-degree murder conviction. Co-defendant Charles Sanford was previously sentenced to 15 years-to-life in jail for “second-degree murder, unlawful weapon possession, [and] conspiracy to transport a stolen vehicle in interstate commerce,” according to an article from WIVB 4.

The pair had taken Whitaker’s vehicle and was tracked to Erie, Penn., where they were apprehended. Whitaker was killed in August of 2014, according to the piece. 

Most Powdery Verdict: J&J Ordered to Pay $55M in Powder Cancer Case

Pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $55 million to a woman who claims the company’s talc-powder feminine hygiene products caused her to develop ovarian cancer, according to an article from Reuters.

This is the company’s second straight loss and it is facing approximately 1,200 lawsuits relating to inadequate warnings about cancer risks associated with its talc-based products. Gloria Ristesund, the plaintiff, was awarded $50 million in punitive damages and $5 million in compensatory damages. Johnson and Johnson are appealing the decision and lawyers defended the company’s cosmetic talc products as safe.