Court stays out of student's suspension over rap song
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court is staying out of an interesting free speech debate about the power of school officials to discipline students for things they write or say away from school.
The justices on Monday left in place the suspension of a Mississippi high school student who posted a rap song online that criticized two coaches over allegations they behaved inappropriately toward female students.
Student Taylor Bell recorded the song at a professional studio over winter break and then posted it on his Facebook page in February 2011.
Bell sued after Itawamba Agricultural High School in Fulton, Mississippi, suspended him for seven days. Lower courts upheld the suspension, saying it made no difference where Bell made and distributed the song.
The case is Bell v. Itawamba School Board, 15-666.
Justices won't hear California dispute over unclaimed property
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court won't hear a dispute over California's system for notifying people about money left in neglected bank accounts, forgotten shares of stock or other unclaimed property.
The justices on Monday let stand a lower court ruling that said state officials are making adequate efforts to find the rightful owners of abandoned assets before transferring them to the state.
A group of residents filed a lawsuit claiming it's not enough for the state to mail a notice to the owners' home and publish an ad in a general circulation newspaper. They say the state is profiting from seizing billions in unclaimed assets and should be required to use public databases and other resources to locate potential owners.
Court rejects NJ employees' appeal over pension fund
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court refused on Monday to disturb a ruling from New Jersey's top court that sided with Gov. Chris Christie in a legal fight with public worker unions over pension funds.
The justices did not comment in rejecting the unions' appeal. The high court order came less than three weeks after Christie ended his run for the Republican presidential nomination.
New Jersey's Supreme Court ruled last year that the state is obligated to pay individual retirees their pensions, but it overturned a lower court ruling that would have forced the state to come up with billions to pay promised pension benefits. New Jersey's pension fund has nearly $75 billion in unfunded liabilities, stemming from underpayment by previous governors, both Democratic and Republican.
"At least we tried to hold the governor to his word, which means nothing. Anyone that believes anything he says is a fool," said Christopher Burgos, the president of the State Troopers Fraternal Association and the lead defendant in the case. "The highest court in the land has allowed lies and deceit to prevail in this case, and once again, workers suffer at the hands of selfish union busting politics by the rich and powerful."
A Christie spokeswoman said the administration is "heartened" by the decision.
"Now it's time to return to the hard work of coming together to find a real, long-term solution to make our pension system and public employee health benefit costs affordable and sustainable," said spokeswoman Joelle Farrell.
The state ruling last year allowed Christie to propose making a roughly $1.9 billion payment to the pension fund in his 2017 fiscal year budget, well below the roughly $3.8 billion payment he and the Legislature agreed to in 2011 legislation.
Christie backed away from those payments after revenues dropped below projections in the previous two fiscal years. After public worker unions sued, the state Supreme Court declined to force him to make the payments in the exact amounts called for in the statute.
Democrats welcome the payment because they're including a version of Christie's payment schedule in a proposed constitutional amendment to require quarterly payments.
A commission empaneled by Christie last year recommended another overhaul and said that unions and Democrats are missing an opportunity to rework a system that could be depleted for public school teachers and state employees by the next decade.
Those changes would include turning the benefits into a 401(k)-style plan rather than a traditional pension, reducing the quality and cost of health benefits and turning control of the plans over to the unions, rather than leaving them under state management. The commission this month issued a new report saying cutting health benefits could save the state more than $2 billion.
Court turns down challenge to Chesapeake Bay cleanup plan
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal from farm groups challenging a federal plan that limits pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.
The justices on Monday let stand a lower court ruling that upheld the Environmental Protection Agency's restrictions on farm and construction runoff and wastewater treatment.
The EPA says animal waste and fertilizer that flows from streams into the Chesapeake is the single largest source of bay pollution.
Six states agreed to the pollution limits: Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, along with Washington, D.C.,
The American Farm Bureau Federation and others fought the restrictions. They argued that the EPA was usurping state authority to regulate waterways.
The case is American Farm Bureau v. Environmental Protection Agency, 15-599.
Justices won't hear appeal over anti-panhandling ban
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court has turned down an appeal from Springfield, Illinois, officials seeking to reinstate an ordinance that banned panhandling in the city's downtown historic district.
The justices on Monday let stand an appeals court ruling that said the city's ban was unconstitutional.
The ordinance defined panhandling as a verbal request for the immediate donation of money. A federal appeals court ruled last year that the ban infringed on free speech rights.
The city argued that the anti-panhandling ordinance was meant to regulate the behavior of panhandlers but not their message.
The case is City of Springfield v. Don Norton, 15-727.
Appeal over NFL player settlement denied
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court turned away an appeal from three former NFL players who challenged a $42 million settlement between the league and nearly 25,000 former players over the NFL's use of player images in film footage.
The justices on Monday let stand an appeals court ruling that said a federal judge did not abuse his discretion in approving the settlement.
The players complained that the financial payout would go to a fund organized for the benefit of players instead of directly to players.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the 2013 settlement was fair and offered benefits to all former players. Payments to a trust will help retired players with medical expenses, housing and career transition. A licensing agency will ensure compensation for use of player identities.
Published: Wed, Mar 02, 2016
