October 6, 2026 The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is asking a federal court to keep records about its inquiry into law firms’ diversity, equity and inclusion practices confidential. The dispute concerns access to government records; it does not establish that any law firm violated employment law. Procedural status: The EEOC filed a summary-judgment motion on…
October 6, 2026 The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a new challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), leaving in place a Minnesota Supreme Court ruling that dismissed the foster parents’ case for lack of standing. The Supreme Court’s action was a denial of review; it was not a decision on the merits…
October 5, 2026 — Court Watch / Free Speech. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal brought by a Michigan mother whose two sons were told not to wear sweatshirts bearing the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon” at school. The refusal leaves in place a Sixth Circuit ruling that the school could prohibit the…
October 5, 2026 — Court Watch / Religious Liberty. The Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis sued federal officials and a Missouri sheriff, alleging that immigration detainees at Saint Genevieve County Jail cannot meet privately with clergy or receive sacraments. The complaint says clergy visits are limited to a four-hour window on Mondays and take place…
Event and publication date: October 5, 2026 | Status: Cases remanded; merits remain pending. The U.S. Supreme Court granted the petitions in Garcia v. Hobbs and Trevino v. Hobbs, vacated the Ninth Circuit’s judgments, and returned both cases for reconsideration in light of Louisiana v. Callais. What the order means: This is a grant-vacate-remand order….
October 4, 2026 The Supreme Court has scheduled oral argument for November 3 in St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, a dispute over Colorado’s Universal Preschool Program. Two Catholic parishes challenge the state’s equal-opportunity condition, which requires participating providers to serve eligible children without discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The parishes say…
October 4, 2026 The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments December 8 in a dispute over Arizona voter-registration rules. The case asks whether the National Voter Registration Act or a 2018 consent decree prevents Arizona from requiring documentary proof of citizenship from applicants using the state registration form, and whether federal law bars officials…
October 4, 2026 A September 28 federal court order in Bernier v. Turbocam, Inc. addressed cross-motions for summary judgment in Lillian Bernier’s lawsuit. Bernier alleges Turbocam denied insurance coverage for gender-affirming care. The court granted Turbocam summary judgment on Bernier’s Americans with Disabilities Act claim, but denied its motion on the Title VII claim. The…
Event dates: Jury verdict in September 2026; post-trial ruling during the week of September 28. Reporting published: October 2, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. Central. Posted: October 3, 2026. A federal jury awarded Robert Bender, a Black teacher, $425,000 in compensatory damages in his racial-harassment case against the Ottumwa Community School District and two administrators. Bender…
Event date: September 30, 2026. Reporting published: October 2, 2026. Posted: October 3, 2026. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed summary judgment for Christian Brothers Automotive in Domanic v. Christian Brothers, No. 25-20486. The ethnically and religiously Jewish applicant challenged the company’s Christian-only franchise requirement under 42 U.S.C. § 1981. The…
