Wisconsin
Conservative Supreme Court justice steps aside in pivotal union rights case
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A conservative Wisconsin Supreme Court justice said Thursday he will not participate in a pending case that will determine whether tens of thousands of public sector workers regain collective bargaining rights that were taken away by a 2011 law.
Justice Brian Hagedorn drafted the law, known as Act 10, when he was chief legal counsel for then-Gov. Scott Walker. His decision to recuse himself from the case leaves the court with four liberal justices and two conservatives.
The Republican-controlled Legislature earlier this week asked that liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz not hear the case because before she joined the court she called the law unconstitutional, signed a petition to recall Walker during the fight over the law and marched on the Capitol in protest in 2011.
Hagedorn, in a brief two-page order, said the law commands that he not hear the case. Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday had called on him to step aside.
“The issues raised involve matters for which I provided legal counsel in both the initial crafting and later defense of Act 10, including in a case raising nearly identical claims under the federal constitution,” Hagedorn wrote.
Protasiewicz has not responded to the call that she step aside. Even if she did, the court would still have a 3-2 liberal majority.
She did not participate in an incremental ruling Thursday related to the case.
A Dane County Circuit judge last month overturned the bulk of the law, saying it violates equal protection guarantees in the Wisconsin Constitution by dividing public employees into “general” and “public safety” employees. Under the ruling, all public sector workers who lost their collective bargaining power would have it restored to what was in place before 2011.
The judge put the ruling on hold pending the appeal. School workers unions that brought the lawsuit have asked the Supreme Court to take it directly, skipping the appeals court. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has not yet decided whether to take the case.
Now, Hagedorn will not participate in that decision or any others related to the lawsuit.
Supporters of the law have said it provided local governments more control over workers and the powers they needed to cut costs.
Repealing the law, which allowed schools and local governments to raise money through higher employee contributions for benefits, would bankrupt those entities, backers of Act 10 have argued.
Democratic opponents argue that the law has hurt schools and other government agencies by taking away the ability of employees to collectively bargain for their pay and working conditions.
New York
Mob figures plead guilty to running illegal betting operation in NYC
NEW YORK (AP) — Five Mafia members and associates have pleaded guilty to racketeering, money laundering and gambling charges for running an illegal betting operation in New York City, according to prosecutors.
The Lucchese organized crime family figures admitted to running a large-scale gambling enterprise that prosecutors say brought millions in illicit profits annually.
Among them was Anthony Villani, a Lucchese soldier who agreed to a plea deal Thursday in which he’ll pay $4 million in forfeiture, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York.
Prosecutors said that since the early 2000s, the 60-year-old Elmsford resident owned and operated Rhino Sports, an online business that also employed Mafia figures as local bookmakers to pay and collect winnings.
They said the operation was concentrated in the Bronx and nearby Westchester County, took bets from roughly 400 to 1,300 individuals each week and collected at least $1 million annually.
“Illegal gambling businesses require enforcement and protection from mob rivals that carry the persistent threat of violence,” John Durham, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement. “However, the defendants’ luck ran out and, thanks to the hard work of the team of prosecutors and investigators, they will be held accountable for their crimes and pay their debt to society.”
Prosecutors say Villani faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. His lawyer didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment Friday.
Four others pleaded guilty in recent days to federal charges related to the scheme, according to prosecutors. A sixth defendant remains at large.
New York
Appeals court upholds state voting rights law
A New York appeals court on Thursday reversed a ruling from a judge that struck down a state voting rights law designed to protect the political voice of minority groups.
The ruling from the Appellate Division of the state Supreme Court in New York City allows a lawsuit brought by six Black and Hispanic voters against the Town of Newburgh in the Hudson Valley to proceed. The appeals court also said the trial-level judge overstepped her authority in November by striking down New York’s Voting Rights Act of 2022 in its entirety.
“We are pleased, though not surprised, that the Appellate panel upheld the constitutionality of the New York State John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act and allowed the Newburgh residents who have been shut out of their city’s at-large electoral system to seek a fair shot at choosing candidates to represent them,” David Imamura, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in a statement.
The lawsuit argued that “at-large” elections to pick town board members in the majority-white town had kept Black and Hispanic residents from electing their candidates of choice, diluting their vote. They asked the court to impose a system in which the town, located about 60 miles (95 kilometers) north of New York City, would elect board members by district.
The civil litigation was bought under the New York’s Voting Rights Act, which created a path for voters to challenge at-large elections on racial or ethnic grounds.
Orange County state court Justice Maria Vazquez-Doles said in November that a portion of the act violated the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
But Justice Hector LaSalle wrote in the 4-0 appeals court decision that attorneys for Newburgh “failed to establish as a matter of law that compliance with the vote dilution provisions” of the law would force them to violate the equal protection clause.
An email seeking comment was sent to an attorney for Newburgh.
The suit, which was filed in March, was one of at least four lawsuits filed under New York’s Voting Rights Act.
State Attorney General Letitia James, whose lawyers argued that the law was constitutional, said she was pleased with the ruling.
“Our democracy thrives when all voters, regardless of their background, can make their voices heard at the ballot box,” the Democrat said in a statement.
Washington
Amazon sues state agency to block release of company records to Bezos-owned Washington Post
Amazon is suing a Washington state agency to prevent the release of some company materials to The Washington Post, the newspaper which is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
In a lawsuit filed this week in King County Superior Court, the Seattle-based company asked the court to step in and block the release of documents that include “trade secrets” about Project Kuiper, an Amazon initiative to provide internet through satellites in space.
The files were collected by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries during four on-site investigations of a Project Kuiper facility between August and October of last year, according to Amazon’s lawsuit.
In November, The Washington Post requested copies of the agency’s documents through a public records request, according to the lawsuit, which does not say what state investigators found.
In its legal filing, Amazon said it is not seeking to prevent the disclosure of all documents related to the investigations, but sensitive personal information, such as names of its employees, and proprietary records that would reveal the company’s technological capabilities.
The Department of Labor & Industries notified Amazon about The Post’s request in early January. The lawsuit said the agency provided the company a link to the records it proposed releasing to the newspaper, giving Amazon the opportunity to review them and go to court to block information it deemed sensitive.
Amazon and the agency previously worked together on public record requests, according to the lawsuit. However, both sides have also been at odds over worker safety issues.
In 2022, Amazon sued the agency following disputes with regulators over citations and fines. Last year, Amazon also was involved in a high-profile worker safety case in Washington last year after regulators alleged that the company had put warehouse employees at unnecessary risk of injuries. A judge ruled in favor of Amazon in July. At the time, the agency had reportedly planned to appeal the decision.
A representative for the agency did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday about Amazon’s recent lawsuit. A spokesperson for The Washington Post declined to comment.
Bezos founded Amazon.com in 1994 and served as its chief executive until he stepped down from the role in 2021. In 2013, the billionaire purchased The Washington Post for $250 million.
Separately, Amazon said this week it would lay off “a small number” of employees who work within its communication and corporate responsibility department. The move is expected to impact dozens of corporate workers.
Oregon
Former women’s college basketball players allege physical and emotional abuse
MONMOUTH, Ore. (AP) — Former players for the Western Oregon women’s basketball team have filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging emotional and physical abuse.
The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in Marion County, seeks $28 million damages. It names the university, its athletic director, president, the dean of students and two coaches.
The women allege the abuse occurred during the 2023-24 season and caused lasting damage for some players, including eating disorders and panic attacks.
The lawsuit claims coaches Jessica Peatross and Demetrius Marlow “physically abused plaintiffs through using excessive and unreasonable amounts of exercise as punishment,” in violation of NCAA guidelines. It says the coaches also made disparaging remarks about the players.
After a group of players complained, they were dismissed from the Division II team, the lawsuit said. That prompted the university to cancel the season with six games remaining.
“I met with the coaches and they said that nobody’s welcome back, that we’re not tough enough, that we’re not good for their culture,” said former Western Oregon player Jodi Noyes, who lost her scholarship. “It was truly heartbreaking and devastating.”
Noyes spoke at a news conference with several players in announcing the lawsuit.
Following the cancelation of the season, the university investigated the allegations but found they were unsubstantiated.
“We received the lawsuit and are currently in the process of reviewing its contents,” the university said in a statement.
The coaches named in the lawsuit could not be reached for comment.
