Supreme Court Notebook

High court nixes appeals over shipwreck treasure WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court has again steered clear of an international dispute over the treasure salvaged from a 19th century shipwreck. The justices on Monday rejected appeals from the deep-sea explorers who found the wreck of a sunken Spanish galleon and Peru, both of which objected to court rulings awarding the treasure to Spain. In February, Spain took possession of 17 tons of silver coins and other artifacts estimated in 2007 to be worth $500 million. Odyssey Marine Exploration has lost every round in federal court in its effort to hold on to the treasure it found when it discovered the wreck, believed to be the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, off Portugal's Atlantic coast near the Straits of Gibraltar. The ship was sunk in 1804. Court says farmers must pay bankruptcy tax WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court says a farming family has to pay tax on the bankruptcy sale of their farm. The high court on Monday voted 5-4 for the IRS in its fight with Lynwood and Brenda Hall over their bankruptcy sale of their 320-acre farm in Willcox, Ariz. The Halls were forced to sell their family farm for $960,000 to settle their bankruptcy debts. That sale brought about capital gains taxes of $26,000.The Halls wanted the taxes treated as part of the bankruptcy, paying part of it and having the court discharge the rest. The IRS objected to that plan, saying all of the taxes must be paid and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco agreed with the tax agency. The high court agreed with that decision. Court won't hear appeals from Bulger victim family WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal over whether the family of a man allegedly killed by former Boston mob boss and FBI informant James "Whitey" Bulger should get millions of dollars from the government. The high court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from Edward Halloran's estate, which wants more than $2 million in damages from the FBI. Bulger and another gang member are alleged to have shot Halloran on the waterfront in 1982. Bulger was an FBI informant at the time, and two judges ordered the FBI to pay damages to the families. But the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the families did not file their claims within the statute of limitations. The Supreme Court, without comment, refused to hear the appeal of that decision. Court won't consider giving man new trial WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court won't consider giving a man convicted in the death of a Texas toddler a new trial because the medical examiner changed her opinion on the cause of death. The high court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from Neil Hampton Robbins, convicted in the death of 17-month-old Tristen Skye Rivet, who died on May 12, 1998. At the trial, Dr. Patricia Moore testified that Tristen's death was a homicide caused by asphyxia. But Moore later changed her opinion and said the cause of death was undetermined. Robbins asked for a new trial but the Texas Court of Criminal Appeal refused, saying there is no conclusive evidence of Robbins' innocence and that it wasn't proven that the state purposefully used false testimony. The high court, without comment, decided not to hear Robbins' appeal. Court turns away PR congressional vote lawsuit WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from residents of Puerto Rico seeking to gain a voting representative in Congress. The high court turned away the appeal from Gregorio Igartua and other Puerto Ricans on Monday. Commonwealth status grants residents of Puerto Rico U.S. citizenship, but they pay no federal taxes and cannot vote in presidential elections. Their congressional representative also cannot vote in Congress. A federal judge threw out the lawsuit, and the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision, saying that since Puerto Rico was not a state, it could not have a voting member of Congress. The high court refused to hear the appeal. Published: Tue, May 15, 2012