US: State supreme courts could be next front line in the abortion wars
Court challenges to sweeping rollbacks of abortion rights must go through state supreme courts, many of which have been shaped by years of conservative activism.
NJ: New Jersey governor signs 7 new laws to tighten gun regulations, vows more action on firearms
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed seven bills into law that further tighten New Jersey’s already stringent gun regulations. Murphy vowed to seek even more measures in the wake of a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that could loosen firearm restrictions.
WA: Washington state sheriff won’t cooperate with cross-border abortion investigations
The sheriff’s office and other executive branch departments in King County, Washington, which includes Seattle, will not cooperate with out-of-state prosecutions of abortion providers or patients. The order follows a similar one from Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, who recently prohibited the Washington State Patrol from cooperating with such investigations or prosecutions.
MD: Maryland governor calls for end to ‘reason’-based concealed gun permits
Republican Gov. Larry Hogan has directed the Maryland State Police to suspend the state’s “good and substantial reason” standard for obtaining a permit to carry a concealed handgun in response to last month’s U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning gun restrictions in New York.
GA: Georgia grand jury subpoenas Giuliani, Trump campaign lawyers
The Fulton County special grand jury investigating potential criminal interference in Georgia’s 2020 elections has subpoenaed key members of former President Donald Trump’s legal team, including his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.
UT: Utah’s Great Salt Lake hits another new low
For the second time in less than a year, Utah’s Great Salt Lake has sunk to a record low elevation. “This is not the type of record we like to break,” Utah Department of Natural Resources Executive Director Joel Ferry said.
CA: California cuts cannabis taxes to try to heal ailing industry
California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and the legislature cut the state’s cannabis tax, but not everyone is convinced it’s enough to stabilize the legal market. Social equity operators say the changes don’t do nearly enough to help them.
MS: Mississippi abortion clinic loses legal attempt to operate while litigation on trigger law proceeds
Almost all abortions are set to become illegal in Mississippi on Thursday, and the state’s last operating clinic failed in court to push that timeline back. Hours after a hearing, a judge denied Jackson Women’s Health Organization’s request for an injunction to keep operating while the legal case against the state’s trigger law proceeds.
MA: Massachusetts high court to hear GOP challenge to mail-in voting law
Massachusetts’ highest court is moving with uncharacteristic swiftness to weigh a recent challenge by the Massachusetts Republican Party that argues a new law that makes universal mail-in voting permanent is not constitutional. The law offers millions of voters the ability to vote before primary and general election days with no reason needed.
TX: Texas lawmakers look to boost funding for alternatives to abortion even with most abortions illegal
Although abortion is about to be outlawed in Texas, anti-abortion groups and key state lawmakers say they are determined to pour even more money into programs designed to discourage women from getting abortions.
OK: Supporters turn in 164K signatures in effort to legalize recreational marijuana in Oklahoma
Supporters of one effort to legalize recreational marijuana in Oklahoma already have turned in about 164,000 signatures to get a state question on the November ballot. The figure is way over the 94,111 needed to make the statutory change and well before the August deadline.
FL: Florida’s 15-week abortion law blocked, then quickly reinstated
A Florida circuit judge blocked the state’s 15-week abortion law, declaring it a likely violation of the state constitution, but his decision was quickly overturned because of a state appeal.
NE: Nebraska unemployment site back up after cyberattack
The NEworks website used by Nebraskans to file for unemployment benefits is back up and running following a cyberattack on the vendor, which took down operations for a week.
IA: Iowa Supreme Court rejects governor’s request on abortion case
The Iowa Supreme Court has rejected GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds’ request that it reconsider its recent decision on a law that seeks to impose a 24-hour waiting period for an abortion. Reynolds, who supports the waiting period, was hoping to have the court reconsider the decision after the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
AR: Arkansas governor plans special session to cut taxes
Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he intends to call a special session of the legislature during the second week of August to cut taxes, after state officials reported a record general revenue surplus of $1.63 billion in fiscal 2022.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our website. AP and Getty images may not be republished. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of any other photos and graphics.
Related News
