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What the Southern Poverty Law Center Is—and What It Was Created to Do The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is a nonprofit legal advocacy organization founded in 1971 in Montgomery, Alabama, originally focused on civil-rights litigation in the American South. Over time, it became widely known for suing white supremacist groups and tracking extremist organizations through its Intelligence Project. During the 1980s and 1990s, the SPLC gained national recognition for civil laws

State Bar Investigates Attorneys Over AI-Generated Fake Legal Decisions A disciplinary investigation by the California State Bar is drawing national attention after regulators alleged several attorneys submitted court filings that cited AI-generated fake legal decisions, raising serious concerns about professional responsibility, legal competence, and the expanding role of artificial intelligence inside law practice. According to reporting, the filings at issue included refer

A proposed New York State bill known as the Dark Skies Protection Act ( Assembly Bill A4615 )  could dramatically change how outdoor lighting is used across the state—especially in dense urban areas like New York City. Supporters say the legislation would reduce energy waste, protect wildlife, and improve human health . Critics warn it could unintentionally increase crime risks and reduce public safety visibility . If enacted, the law would take effect January 1, 2028 , givin

Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stand this week in a closely watched social media addiction trial in Los Angeles, a case that could reshape how tech giants are held accountable for the mental health impacts of their platforms.   The lawsuit, centered on claims that major social media platforms were deliberately engineered to be addictive, has drawn national attention and could influence thousands of similar future lawsuits. What the Trial Is About The civil lawsuit at L

Australia is on the cusp of a landmark shift in how young people access social media. As of December 10, 2025, the newly amended eSafety Commissioner’s regulations will require major social media platforms to block users under the age of 16 from holding accounts — a world-first for a national government. Major platform operators like Meta (Facebook, Instagram, Threads), TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and X (among others) have begun removing or freezing under-16 accounts ahead of

What’s Changing: TSA’s New Fee for Non-Compliant Travelers The TSA recently announced that beginning February 1, 2026 , air travelers who arrive at a U.S. airport security checkpoint without a REAL ID-compliant license, passport, or other acceptable identification will now be required to pay a $45 non-refundable fee  to clear security. This marks a significant increase from the fee originally proposed when the agency first floated an alternative verification process in late

What Happened According to multiple news reports, the vice-president and chief information security officer at Campbell’s Soup, Martin Bally, was recorded in a meeting with a security-analyst employee, Robert Garza, in which Bally allegedly: Mocked the company’s own products, saying the chicken “came from a 3-D printer.” Disparaged the brand’s low-income customers, describing the food as “s t for f *ing poor people. Who buys our s**t?” Made racial remarks about Indian employe

Wyoming legislators have unveiled a working draft of a significant new environmental policy—titled the Wyoming Clean Air and Geoengineering Prohibition Act —that would prohibit intentional atmospheric interventions over the state and empower the state’s environmental agency to halt projects deemed risky. The bill, drafted as 26LSO‑0211v0.5, was prepared by the Joint Agriculture, State and Public Lands & Water Resources Interim Committee for consideration in the 2026 session.

A quietly inserted provision in the federal spending bill signed by President Trump is sending shockwaves through the hemp industry. The measure, largely overlooked during negotiations, would effectively ban a wide range of popular THC-infused products , from gummies and sodas to topical pain relievers and vape cartridges — items now sold nationwide in gas stations, wellness shops, and online retailers. The hemp market emerged after the 2018 Farm Bill   legalized the crop and

The first civil trial over the deadly Boeing 737 MAX crash in Ethiopia  is underway, marking a pivotal moment in one of the most tragic aviation disasters of the modern era. Multiple families of victims have reached confidential settlements with Boeing as new trials begin to determine compensation for others who lost loved ones in the 2019 crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 . The settlements come more than six years after the second of two catastrophic 737 MAX crashes — i

Across the legal industry, artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how law firms train attorneys, manage workloads, and serve clients. One leading global firm has introduced a groundbreaking initiative allowing first-year associates to dedicate nearly 400 hours of their annual billable targets  exclusively to learning and experimenting with AI tools. The move marks a pivotal shift in how firms view professional development, signaling that AI literacy is becoming as essentia

A Virginia jury has awarded former first-grade teacher Abigail “Abby” Zwerner   $10 million in damages  after determining that her former assistant principal, Ebony Parker , acted with gross negligence  for failing to intervene before a 6-year-old student shot Zwerner inside her classroom at Richneck Elementary School  in Newport News, Virginia , in 2023. The verdict — delivered after four days of emotional testimony — marks one of the most significant civil rulings in U.S. e

Mounting medical and scientific evidence  is reshaping how courts handle cases involving air pollution, environmental negligence, and climate-related health harm , according to experts writing in The BMJ’s  latest climate issue . Their findings suggest that as the science connecting pollution to human disease becomes more precise, it is also becoming a powerful tool for legal accountability  and climate justice  worldwide. The Growing Legal Value of Medical and Climate Eviden