WJI's Daily Reads for April 5, 2022

WSAU: Trial date set for Wisconsin Rapids man accused of putting abortion drug in girlfriend's water bottle.

NPR: U.S. Supreme Court decision makes it easier to sue for malicious prosecution.

Until this decision, in many jurisdictions "it didn't matter that framing an innocent person completely upended their lives," said Amir Ali, who represented (plaintiff Larry) Thompson in the Supreme Court. "If the charges were dismissed, there was no redress for the wronged person," unless a court affirmed his innocence.

"I think it's a long overdue ruling," said Michael Bromwich, who has spent years as a prosecutor, a defense lawyer and as inspector general for the U.S. Justice Department. "Prosecutors get away with way too much" when they realize they may not have a case and want to protect law enforcement from liability, he said.

Daily Beast: Justice Thomas' concerning choice for his public relations firm.

When Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was promoting a new release of his 2007 memoir last October, he made an interesting choice for his public relations firm, a company run by one of the most influential figures in conservative legal circles: Leonard Leo.

Leo, the former head of the Federalist Society and a top fundraiser for right-wing judiciary activist groups, wasn’t just in charge of Thomas’ memoir; Leo’s PR firm, CRC Advisors, was also tasked with promoting a Thomas documentary, and the firm was the registered agent for four Thomas-centric web domains.

The interesting part of this choice is not that Leo’s firm was incapable of handling the work—far from it. What makes Thomas’ decision notable is that Leo happens to have a vested interest in the Supreme Court, and his dark money network actively tries to influence rulings.

CNN: Three states sue Biden administration over lifting of pandemic border-entry barriers.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that on May 23 it will end Title 42, a public health authority invoked by then-President Donald Trump at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The restrictions had been criticized by immigrant advocates, public health experts and even officials within the Trump administration who believed it to be driven by political motivations.

CNN: Senate Democrats pressing forward with lower-court confirmations before November.

Democrats have outpaced the numbers of judges former President Donald Trump had confirmed at an equivalent point in his presidency, though they don't currently stand to match his imprint on the Supreme Court, with Jackson's confirmation not shifting that court's fundamental conservative lean.As Democrats face the risk of losing the Senate gavel in November's midterms, (President Joe) Biden might not also have the benefit that Trump had of four years of a Senate controlled by the same party -- adding pressure to the push to put Biden's appointees on the bench.