Washington high court to hear charter school case

Headline Legal News

The Washington Supreme Court has agreed to consider whether the state's voter-approved charter school law violates the state constitution.

Oral arguments concerning the lawsuit brought by charter school opponents have been scheduled for the afternoon of Oct. 28.

A King County Superior Court judge found in December that parts of the new law are unconstitutional. Judge Jean Rietschel's decision focused on whether certain taxpayer dollars can be used to pay for the operation of charter schools.

Both sides asked the Supreme Court to skip the appeals court process and directly review the case.

Attorney Paul Lawrence says the briefs to the court and the oral arguments will focus on that part of the lawsuit.

The state's charter school system was approved by voters in 2012.

Related listings

  • Appeals court OKs permits for Upper Peninsula mine

    Appeals court OKs permits for Upper Peninsula mine

    Headline Legal News 08/13/2014

    The Michigan Court of Appeals has upheld a decision by state environmental regulators to allow construction of a nickel and copper mine in the Upper Peninsula. A three-judge panel unanimously sided with the Department of Environmental Quality, which ...

  • US Supreme Court lets Equifax tax ruling stand

    US Supreme Court lets Equifax tax ruling stand

    Headline Legal News 07/01/2014

    The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday that it won't hear an appeal from credit bureau Equifax Inc. involving what it considered an adverse tax ruling in Mississippi. The appeal was a reaction to a 2013 Mississippi Supreme Court decision that Equifax had...

  • Court rejects appeal of gay jury selection case

    Court rejects appeal of gay jury selection case

    Headline Legal News 06/25/2014

    A federal appeals court on Tuesday refused to reconsider its ruling granting heightened legal protections to gays and lesbians, prompting three dissenting judges to warn of far-reaching implications in same-sex marriage cases in the Western United St...

USCIS Issues Clarifying Guidance on NAFTA TN Status Eligibility for Economists

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it is clarifying policy guidance (PDF, 71 KB) on the specific work activities its officers should consider when determining whether an individual qualifies for TN nonimmigrant status as an economist.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) TN nonimmigrant status allows qualified Canadian and Mexican citizens to temporarily enter the U.S. to engage in specific professional activities, including the occupation of economist. The agreement, however, does not define the term economist, resulting in inconsistent decisions on whether certain analysts and financial professionals qualify for TN status as economists.

TN nonimmigrant status is intended to allow a limited number of professionals and specialists to work temporarily in certain specifically identified occupations in the United States. This updated guidance provides USCIS officers with a specific definition of one such category – economists – allowing them to adjudicate applications in a way that complies with the intent of the agreement. This policy update clarifies that professional economists requesting TN status must engage primarily in activities consistent with the profession of an economist. Individuals who work primarily in other occupations related to the field of economics — such as financial analysts, marketing analysts, and market research analysts — are not eligible for classification as a TN economist.

Business News

Clayton, MO Federal Criminal Defense Attorney The Law Offices of John M. Lynch, LLC, provides strong representation for clients with federal criminal defense. >> read
DuPage IL worker's comp lawyers The law firm of Krol, Bongiorno & Given, Ltd. has been a leader in the field of workers’ compensation law in DuPage, Illinois. >> read