SUPREME COURT NOTEBOOK

Court won't block Michigan road worker's lawsuit WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court is allowing a Michigan road worker to sue his former employer over a noisy, dirty job that the worker had requested. The court on Monday rejected an appeal from the Kalamazoo County Road Commission that sought to block Robert Deleon's lawsuit. He sued the commission for discrimination after he suffered from stress and exposure to soot and diesel fumes in his job as equipment superintendent. Deleon was passed over for the job before the commission gave it to him in 2009 when others bowed out. He lasted less than a year due to tension with his superiors and health problems. A federal appeals court allowed the lawsuit to continue. Justice Samuel Alito said he would have reversed the ruling, which he described as strange and unprecedented. Challenge to Vt. campaign law turned down WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court won't hear a challenge to part of Vermont's campaign finance laws that impose contribution limits on political action committees. The justices on Monday declined to hear an appeal from the Vermont Right to Life Committee, an anti-abortion group. The group argued that Vermont's campaign finance registration, reporting and disclosure requirements for PACs were too broad and unconstitutional. The group argued that a subcommittee it created should not be subject to Vermont's $2,000 limit on contributions to PACs because the subcommittee does not give money directly to candidates and makes only independent expenditures. But a federal judge rejected those arguments, finding that there was no clear accounting between the two committees. A federal appeals court agreed. Justices won't hear land dispute over NY park WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from New York property owners who say the federal government should compensate them for land converted to Manhattan's High Line Park. The justices on Monday let stand an appeals court ruling that said owners of land around the unused freight rail line gave up their right to sue when they signed a deal with New York City officials to develop the park. The property owners claimed the federal government was not a party to their agreement with the city. They're seeking compensation for giving up development rights to valuable land surrounding the 1 ½ mile long park on the city's West Side. But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled the agreement specifically prevented lawsuits against the United States. Dispute over DUI blood tests denied WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from Colorado officials who want to make it easier for authorities to take blood samples from suspected drunk drivers without their permission or a warrant. The justices on Monday let stand a state supreme court ruling that excluded evidence of a Colorado man's blood test that showed his blood-alcohol level at the time of a traffic accident was nearly three times the legal limit. Colorado had argued that police should be allowed to order blood samples when there is not enough time to get a warrant before blood alcohol levels decrease. In 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that authorities must consider several factors and be able to justify why they did not obtain a warrant before drawing blood. California Delta smelt protections left in place WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has left in place restrictions on water deliveries from California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect a tiny, threatened fish. The justices on Monday rejected appeals from farmers in California's Central Valley and urban water districts who had challenged a plan put in place by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect the3-inch-long Delta smelt. The federal appeals court in San Francisco had largely upheld the Fish and Wildlife Service's 2008 biological opinion that restrictions were needed on the use of massive pumps that move water from the North through the state's system of canals to deliver it to farms and cities in central and southern California. A federal judge had earlier invalidated the study, but allowed its protections to take effect during the appeal. Court won't hear free speech challenge to metals dealers law WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court won't consider the constitutionality of an Ohio law that bars precious metals dealers from advertising without a license. The justices on Monday declined to take up an appeal from Liberty Coins, a gold and silver dealer that claims the law violates the free speech rights of businesses. Ohio officials say the 1996 law was enacted to protect consumers from theft and help police track down stolen wedding rings, gold bracelets and other items resold at stores that buy gold and silver merchandise. A federal judge in 2012 ruled the law unconstitutional because the state failed to prove the license requirement was effective in curbing theft, fraud and terrorism. But the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that ruling last year. Published: Wed, Jan 14, 2015