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During the week ending July 11, 2025 we have received listings of 19 Government and Administrative Law Summaries,  20 Constitutional Law summaries, 54 Criminal Law Summaries, 3 White Collar Law Summaries,  6 Intellectual Property Summaries,  1 Medical Malpractice Summary, and 1 Copyright Summary.     We plan is to continue posting opinion summaries, under corresponding areas of law, weekly whenever possible in order to keep blog readers updated.  To gain access to these case summaries, click on the corresponding links below:

Opinion Summaries Posted for Week Ending  July 11, 2025:

Criminal Law

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The Social Security Administration (SSA) and legal scholars have offered sharply differing perspectives on the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill. In an official communication, the SSA hails the legislation as a historic victory for seniors, emphasizing tax relief for nearly 90% of Social Security recipients. By contrast, in a commentary published by VERDICT: Legal Analysis and Commentary from Justia, Amherst professor Austin Sarat criticizes the SSA’s messaging as a politicized distortion, arguing that it prioritizes presidential branding over transparency and fails to address the deeper structural challenges facing Social Security. These conflicting narratives raise important questions about policy substance, public trust, and the politicization of federal agencies.

VIEW ONE:

From the Social Security Administration:

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On July 4, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed into law H.R. 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” enacted as Pub. L. No. 119–21, 139 Stat. ___ (2025). Passed through the budget reconciliation process under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, this comprehensive legislation represents a central pillar of the Trump administration’s second-term domestic agenda. It enacts sweeping reforms to the federal tax code, restructures discretionary and entitlement spending. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act does not suspend the debt ceiling through FY 2027. Instead, it raises the debt limit by a specific $5 trillion—an amount projected to sustain federal borrowing for roughly one to two years [i.e., until 2026–27, depending on fiscal trends].

Legislative History and Process

H.R. 1 advanced through Congress under budget reconciliation procedures, thereby circumventing the Senate filibuster and requiring only a simple majority for passage. This expedited pathway allowed the bill’s tax and spending provisions to be consolidated into a single legislative package and enacted swiftly along party lines.

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Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Cost Estimate July 9, 2025.

In the context of the US Congress, SOPRA refers to the Separation of Powers Restoration Act. It’s a legislative proposal aimed at amending the Administrative Procedure Act to change how courts review agency actions. Specifically, SOPRA seeks to eliminate the practice of “Chevron deference,” where courts defer to an agency’s interpretation of a law if it’s deemed reasonable, and instead require courts to review legal questions de novo, meaning without deference to the agency’s interpretation. 

COST ESTIMATE LETTER JULY 9 2025

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Report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO): July 9, 2025.

The federal budget deficit totaled $1.3 trillion in the first nine months of fiscal year 2025, CBO estimates. That amount is $65 billion more than the deficit recorded during the same period last fiscal year.

SUMMARY:

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These News Briefs and Decision Summaries are from  the  the New Jersey State Bar Association. They are an exclusive benefit of the Association in partnership with the New Jersey Law Journal. A subscription may be necessary to access the full text of some of the items listed:

NEWS BRIEFS:

ADP Claims Former Employee Took Client Information, Proprietary Data to Competitor

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“Normally we interpret the golden rule as telling us how to act. But in practice its greater role may be psychological, alerting us to everyday self-absorption, and the failure to consider our impacts on others. The rule reminds us also that we are peers to others who deserve comparable consideration.”
In The Golden Rule of Constitutional Interpretation, published in VERDICT: Legal Analysis and Commentary from Justia on July 1, 2025, UC Davis Law Professor Vikram David Amar and Professor Emeritus Alan E. Brownstein explore the imperative of applying constitutional principles consistently, irrespective of political affiliations or desired outcomes. Drawing on examples from case law involving free speech, federalism, and equal protection, the authors advocate for what they term a “Golden Rule” approach to constitutional interpretation: legal standards should be applied evenly, even when doing so produces results that conflict with one’s own political or ideological preferences. While recognizing the inherent challenges in suppressing partisan impulses, Amar and Brownstein emphasize that fidelity to this rule is essential for maintaining the legitimacy and integrity of constitutional adjudication
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During the week ending July 4, 2025 we have received listings of 39 Government and Administrative Law Summaries,  36 Constitutional Law summaries, 81 Criminal Law Summaries, 8 White Collar Law Summaries,  2 Intellectual Property Summaries,  2 Medical Malpractice Summaries,  and 5 U.S. Supreme Court Summaries.   We plan is to continue posting opinion summaries, under corresponding areas of law, weekly whenever possible in order to keep blog readers updated.  To gain access to these case summaries, click on the corresponding links below:

Opinion Summaries Posted for Week Ending  July 4, 2025:

Criminal Law

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These News Briefs and Decision Summaries are from  the  the New Jersey State Bar Association. They are an exclusive benefit of the Association in partnership with the New Jersey Law Journal. A subscription may be necessary to access the full text of some of the items listed:

NEWS BRIEFS:

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An event sponsored by the American Bar Association, International Law Section.

July 2, 2025 12PM EDT.

This webinar will examine a significant gap in the subject matter jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC): its inability to investigate and prosecute individuals who knowingly cause widespread or long-term environmental damage. The program will explore ongoing efforts by civil society to amend the Rome Statute to address this deficiency, including proposals to recognize ecocide as an international crime. Topics will include developments in international environmental criminal law, corporate and state liability, and the integration of ecocide into existing legal frameworks.

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