Legal

The exclusion of natural substances from eligibility for patents was the theory on which the Court relied Thursday in its unanimous ruling that a company cannot get a patent monopoly on the use and study of human genes that it isolates in the bloodstream, and them takes them out — without changing their natural character — for research. The Court said the company actually did not create anything at all, but simply extracted the genetic material from its location in human blood, and setting it apart for study. more »

Reviewer Julia Sneden writes: The Bookman's Tale involves a blazing romance, a marriage followed by tragedy, a rare book mystery, and even a murder. If you like books, history, and mysteries involving old books, this is the story for you. Being reminded of the brave, intelligent, controversial women who broke through many barriers a good hundred years before the 1950's has been a fascinating experience and I have read Rebels at the Bar with profound gratitude.                                                                                     more »

Last week Congress introduced these bills: Sen. Patty Murray, D-WA, a bill to ensure access to high-quality child care for homeless children and families, and for other purposes. Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-LA, a bill to permit health plans without a deductible for prenatal, labor and delivery, and postpartum care to be treated as high deductible plans with respect to health savings accounts. Rep. Gene Green, D-TX, a bill to provide for 12-month continuous enrollment of individuals under the Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program. more »

Some state legislators continue to push laws that would make it harder for eligible American citizens to vote. But there’s good news, too. More and more states are pressing measures to improve elections. Since the beginning of 2013, at least 80 restrictive bills were introduced in 31 states. Of those, 62 restrictive bills are still pending in 25 states. more »