Most Supreme Verdict: SCOTUS Throws Out Slavery Lawsuit Filed by Mali Farm Workers Against Cargill, Nestle
The U.S. Supreme Court tossed a lawsuit that accused Cargill Inc and a Nestle subsidiary of willingly helping to perpetuate slavery at cocoa farms on the Ivory Coast, according to an article from Reuters. The 8-1 ruling was penned by Justice Clarence Thomas and reversed a decision to allow former child farm-slaves in Mali to sue the American companies. The court said claims could not be leveled against the companies via the Alien Tort Statute since the plaintiffs were unable to show “any of the relevant conduct took place within the United States.”
Most Celebrity Verdict: Securities Lawsuit Against Rapper T.I. Tossed By U.S. Appellate Court
A class action suit alleging securities violations against rapper T.I. has been thrown out for exceeding its statute of limitations, according to an article from HipHopDX. The musician, whose birth name is Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., was initially ordered to pay $75,000 for his role in a purported cryptocurrency fraud after signing on to promote FLiK digital tokens. Investor Kenneth Fedance, who bought some of the tokens, sued in the U.S. Northern District Court of Georgia, but the U.S. 11th Circuit rejected Fedance’s argument that relevant facts were concealed leading up to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Most Political Verdict: Former Tax & Revenue Secretary Guilty for Stealing from NM Small Business
Former Taxation and Revenue Department Cabinet Secretary Demesia Padilla has been found guilty of two felony charges related to the theft of more than $25,000 from a local business, according to an article from KRWG. The announcement from the Office of the Attorney General in New Mexico states jurors found Padilla took the money from Harold’s Grading and Trucking while serving as cabinet secretary. Padilla stole the money by surreptitiously linking a personal credit card with a business checking account.
Most Mandatory Verdict: Colorado STEM School Shooting Case Ends with Guilty Verdict
Devon Erickson, 20, is facing life in prison after being found guilty of first-degree murder for a May, 2019 shooting at a Colorado STEM school, according to an article from the Highlands Ranch Herald. The mandatory sentence comes as the attack killed one student and left eight others injured. Erickson was also found guilty of 44 additional charges including 31 counts of “attempted first degree murder.”
Most Constitutional Verdict: Vulgar Cheerleader’s Off-campus Social Media Post Protected by First Amendment: SCOTUS
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled a public high school was in violation of a cheerleader’s First Amendment rights by sanctioning her for a vulgar message posted while off campus, according to an article from Vox. The narrow ruling came down in Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., and the article notes “Justice Stephen Breyer’s opinion for the Court is a tribute to modesty, acknowledging the many hard questions presented by this case and explicitly refusing to resolve most of them.” The student, Brandi Levy, has since graduated from the school as her case worked its way through the court system.