Free Republic

Tractor maker John Deere has agreed to give its US customers the right to fix their own equipment.Previously, farmers were only allowed to use authorised parts and service facilities rather than cheaper independent repair options.Deere and Co. is one of the world's largest makers farming equipment.

René Salinas Ramos says the legal change is an attempt to gain full custody of his daughters, because Ecuadoran law favors mothers in custody battles. A cisgender man in Ecuador legally changed his gender to female in an attempt to gain custody of his two daughters. But LGBTQ groups are concerned about the man’s use of a law designed to promote transgender rights, and what effect it could have in the future. René Salinas Ramos, 47, told local media that the change was not related to his sexuality or identity, but rather that the Ecuadorian legal system gives preferable rights...

A close look at Amy Coney Barrett's legal writings indicates deep respect for the precedent set by landmark Supreme Court cases. President TrumpÂ’s nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court is a welcome choice. Senate confirmation cannot come soon enough. Judge Barrett clerked for Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia for two years and considers the great conservative jurist her mentor. That is heartening.But it is not the herald of coming victories that the pro-life movement wants it to be. Any euphoria among pro-lifers is premature at best. Celebrating BarrettÂ’s nomination as the long-awaited death knell for Roe v....

The notion that Barrett must recuse herself or ‘categorically sit on the sidelines until the President who nominated [her] has left office’ is entirely antithetical to precedent.It seems Democrats are determined to rely on the same worn playbook of appealing to “norms” that do not exist. Their latest attempt to obstruct the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett includes a particularly ridiculous demand: that Barrett agrees to recuse herself from any future case that may arise in relation to the 2020 presidential election.Democrats are citing a fictitious standard that has no basis in reality in much the same way they...

The Department of Justice should weigh in and soon because this case is no longer just about Flynn. It is about separation of powers, the executive branch — and now, unfortunately, about Judge Sullivan. Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn and his legal team, led by attorney Sidney Powell, received promising news Thursday from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. In a rare move, a three-judge panel ordered Judge Emmet Sullivan, the presiding judge in the long-running criminal case against Flynn, to respond to Powell’s petition for a writ of mandamus. In that petition, Powell asked the appellate court to order...

Sullivan should not embark on any contempt proceeding against Michael Flynn. Doing so would be a misuse of his contempt power. Stunning developments in the criminal case of Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn exploded onto the national scene the past two weeks. First, the government moved to dismiss the case, a one-count plea for allegedly making false statements to the FBI.Then the trial judge, Emmet Sullivan, issued an order permitting people and groups claiming to have an interest in the matter to file briefs about whether he should grant the governmentÂ’s motion. Further, Sullivan appointed a retired federal judge, John Gleeson,...

As California Goes...? by: Emily Miller, July 18, 2008 The same-sex marriage debate proved to be a politically divisive issue in the 2004 election, and once again the subject dominates the national political landscape during an election year. Yet one aspect of the gay marriage debate remains largely ignored: if and how same-sex marriage threatens religious liberties and the free exercise clause of the First amendment. Lawyers convened last week at the Family Research Council to discuss the emerging conflict between same-sex marriage and religious liberty, and noticed an increase in the number of cases filed against religious institutions charged...

'Bigamous' lesbian is sentenced Mitchell was ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid community service A woman who entered into a civil partnership with her lesbian partner while she was still married has been ordered to carry out community service.Suzanne Mitchell, of Wingfield Gardens, Shrewsbury, pleaded guilty to breaching the 2004 Civil Partnerships Act. The 30-year-old admitted making a false statement at her union with Caroline Beddows before her marriage to Charles Mitchell had been annulled. Suzanne Mitchell was also given a suspended prison sentence on Monday. Mitchell has since split with her female partner and has been reunited...

A German doctor has been ordered to pay child support to a patient who got pregnant with a contraceptive implant...

Schiavo: Awakening a sleeping giant Posted: April 1, 2005 1:00 a.m. Eastern By David Limbaugh © 2005 Creators Syndicate, Inc. It is just possible, contrary to my original thoughts, that the tragic Schiavo case will not usher in a slippery slope toward euthanasia, but cause a double-barreled backlash against both the "Culture of Death" and judicial activism. To be sure, the legal precedent established in this case, at least in Florida, represents an affirmative devaluation of human life and opens the door to further troubling scenarios, involving the state-sanctioned murder of the inconvenient, based on "quality of life" assessments. But...

The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit recently upheld a Massachusetts state statute that prohibits target shooters at specified gun clubs from taking aim at images of human beings and human-shaped targets. Pursuant to the Massachusetts law, shooting at bullseyes and other non-human representations (of animals, for example) is permitted, but shooting at human pictures is not. The statute contains a limited exception for "public safety personnel performing in line with their official duties." The Gun Owners' Action League and other gun enthusiasts sued, arguing that the Massachusetts law violates the First Amendment. But in a ruling...