BP to Get $250 Million in Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Settlement - NYTimes.com

$250 million settlement in design defect claim by BP against the designer of the blowout preventer. - GWC
BP to Get $250 Million in Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Settlement - NYTimes.com: "LONDON — The British oil company BP said Friday that Cameron International, one of its contractors in the oil well that burst last year in the Gulf of Mexico, had agreed to pay $250 million to settle claims related to the ensuing spill.
Cameron, based in Houston, designed and manufactured the so-called blowout preventer on the drilling rig, which failed to stop the oil from spilling. The settlement, which is BP’s fourth so far with companies that worked on some parts of the well, was not an admission of liability by either party, BP said."
BP and others in the industry pressed to cut safety testing.  Design defect issues are discussed in this article from the Christian Science Monitor.

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Deserted - death on the border

SEC files Notice of Appeal from Rakoff Rejection of Settlement

Robert Khuzami,  Director of Enforcement at the SEC issued today a statement and notice of appeal from the decision of Judge Jed Rakoff rejecting the SEC's proposed settlement with Citigroup.  The SEC Director said, in part:

The court’s new standard is at odds with decades of court decisions that have upheld similar settlements by federal and state agencies across the country. In fact, courts have routinely approved settlements in which a defendant does not admit or even expressly denies liability, exactly because of the benefits that settlements provide.

Arizona Sheriff’s Office Unfairly Targeted Latinos, Justice Department Says - NYTimes.com

Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Arizona Sheriff’s Office Unfairly Targeted Latinos, Justice Department Says - NYTimes.com:
by Marc Lacey
We have peeled the onion to its core,” said Thomas E. Perez, the assistant attorney general for civil rights...
"After an investigation that lasted more than two years, the civil rights division of the Justice Department said the sheriff’s office has “a pervasive culture of discriminatory bias against Latinos” that “reaches the highest levels of the agency.” The department interfered with the inquiry, the government said, prompting a lawsuit that eventually led Mr. Arpaio and his deputies to cooperate."

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Human Rights Watch accuses Alabama of violating constitution | Law | guardian.co.uk

Human Rights Watch accuses Alabama of violating constitution | Law | guardian.co.uk:

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Arizona v. United States : SCOTUSblog

The Supreme Court yesterday granted Arizona's petition for certification of the Ninth Circuit ruling sharply limiting enforcement of the state's controversial law addressed to undocumented aliens.

Arizona v. United States : SCOTUSblog

The four provisions at issue are:

** A requirement that police in making any stop or arrest to try to determine the individual’s legal right to be in the U.S., if the officer has a “reasonable suspicion” of illegality. If arrested, the individual cannot be released until his legal status is verified by the federal government. That is the law’s Section 2(B).

** A provision making it a crime under state law for an individual to intentionally fail to obtain and carry legal immigrant papers with him while in Arizona (Section 3).

** A provision making it a misdemeanor for an undocumented immigrant to apply for a job, publicly solicit a job, or actually work in Arizona (Section 5[C]).

** And, a provision that allows police to arrest without a warrant any person for whom the officer has “probable cause to believe” that the individual has committed any crime, anywhere, that would make that individual subject to being deported (Section 6).

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OTHERWISE: Newt Gingrich - overturning Marbury v. Madison and judicial review

OTHERWISE: Newt Gingrich - overturning Marbury v. Madison and judicial review:

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Health care schedule set : SCOTUSblog

Health care schedule set : SCOTUSblog:

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Derek Boogaard - A Boy Learns to Brawl - NYTimes.com

To what level of violence do hockey players consent? in high school? college? the NHL? international play? Should it matter?  The compelling story of Dereke Boogard - an "enforcer" on NHL teams, who died of a drug overdose with evidence of brain damage due to head trauma. - GWC

Derek Boogaard - A Boy Learns to Brawl - NYTimes.com:

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The Toxic Legacy of Raybestos-Manhattan Continues

Workers' Compensation: The Toxic Legacy of Raybestos-Manhattan Continues: "The epic toxic legacy of asbestos brake manufacturer, Raybestos-Manhattan Inc., a/k/a Manhattan Rubber and Raymark, continues as waste from its former plants plagues present communities. Raybestos had several production plants in the US including Connecticut, South Carolina and Passaic, New Jersey.

Asbestos, labeled the "miracle mineral," was a known carcinogen and linked to: asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma, a rare and fatal cancer. The company with knowledge of that information, as revealed in the famous "Sumner Simpson papers," ignored the available science and continued to manufacturer asbestos products including: bowling balls, radiator hoses and brake linings, as well as other products.

While the Raybestos is no longer producing asbestos products, the plants sites continue to be a problem to the communities as a toxic legacy continues."

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