Legal Briefs: What’s Happening in Law

November 10, 2014

Each week, we bring you updates on the legal world.

Looking ahead…

The N.F.L is facing one of the largest settlement suits ever for medical damages to players who have suffered brain injuries playing in the League. (New York Times)

Obamacare’s latest legal threat is on the Supreme Court’s docket. The case challenges the part of the sweeping healthcare reform legislation that gives subsidies to people of certain income levels in states that have not set up their own insurance exchanges. A decision won’t come for several months. (Politico)

Also likely on the Supreme Court’s agenda over the next several months: gay marriage. A Court of Appeals judge upheld state bans on gay marriage, which comes after another judge struck down several more. The inconsistency could compel the Supreme Court to decide the issue. (The Atlantic)

And in case you missed it…

A secret that’s worth nine billion dollars—that’s what one former employee of JPMorgan Chase was holding onto until recently. The banking giant signed the huge settlement with the U.S. government several years ago, but Alayne Fleischmann is coming forward with her whistleblower story of the fraud she witnessed first-hand as a lawyer for the company. (Rolling Stone)

In light of the Ray Rice controversy, one story that hasn’t been told in the media is what happens to abusers after they are caught. Where do they go to be rehabilitated? Does it work? An abuser and his victim speak out. (CNN)

On Tuesday, D.C. residents voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use. But the issue is far from resolved, with a congressional review imminent and local activists concerned that the new law will bring crime to their neighborhoods. (NPR)

In recent months, law schools have seen plummeting application rates and angry students unable to secure jobs after graduation. But a new problem has hit the educational institutions—wealth inequity. It seems like the richest lawyers are getting richer, and the poorest lawyers are getting poorer. (New Yorker)

Image: Axel Foley via PhotoPin