Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and a group of business owners suing him for closing them down during the COVID-19 pandemic have asked the state’s top court to weigh in on whether the governor overstepped his authority during the crisis. In a joint petition to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on Thursday, Baker and the plaintiffs agreed the case…

On Monday, June 29, the Supreme Court ruled the structure of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to be unconstitutional. In the 5-4 ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the majority opinion, arguing that “the structure of the CFPB violates the separation of powers,” but noting that “the CFPB Director’s removal protection is severable from the other statuary…

Lee County is expanding the ability of law enforcement to use license plate readers along local roadways. The Lee County Board of County Commissioners this week OK’d allowing the Cape Coral and Fort Myers police departments to use poles along county roads for the readers. The move follows a unanimous vote in February to allow…

Several small businesses will get more time to apply for Paycheck Protection Program loans after a Maryland district court partially granted a preliminary injunction against the Small Business Administration. The businesses were originally restricted from applying for government-backed, forgivable PPP loans due to an SBA policy on loan applicants with criminal records. The SBA reined in…

More reaction rolled in stemming from Monday’s Supreme Court decision involving the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. While some legal experts are pondering long-term ramifications of the decision, nearly half of the attorneys general in the U.S. celebrated because the Supreme Court also agreed with the argument made in a multistate amicus brief connected to how…

A Maryland convenience store who sued the U.S. Small Business Administration over its rule prohibiting businesses owned by people with criminal histories from applying for COVID-19 relief loans on Friday urged a court to keep the case alive despite an “11th hour” change to the program by the SBA that rendered him eligible to apply.…