Court issues surprise injunction to halt Takahama nuclear reactors

In a surprise ruling that is likely to delay efforts to restart nuclear power generation nationwide, the Otsu District Court on Wednesday issued a provisional injunction ordering Kansai Electric Power Co. to shut down its No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at its Takahama facility in Fukui Prefecture.

While Kepco is expected to appeal the ruling, company officials said at a news conference that was hastily called after the decision that they would begin operations to shut down the No. 3 reactor on Thursday morning, and expected to complete the process by the evening.

The No. 3 reactor was restarted in January, and the No. 4, which had been scheduled to restart last month, was delayed due to technical problems.

“There are doubts remaining about both the tsunami response and the evacuation plan,” the ruling said.

The Otsu ruling comes just two days before the fifth anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the resulting tsunami and triple meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 plant.

The jubilant plaintiffs expressed surprise and relief following the ruling, which emphasized technical problems regarding the two reactors, including issues concerning an outside power supply source in the event of an emergency. The ruling also raised concerns over the emergency protocol.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/03/09/national/court-issues-surprise-injunction-halt-takahama-nuclear-reactors/#.VuBmWJwrLIV

COURT ISSUES SURPRISE INJUNCTION TO HALT TAKAHAMA NUCLEAR REACTORS

While Kepco is expected to appeal the ruling, company officials said at a news conference that was hastily called after the decision that they would begin operations to shut down the No. 3 reactor on Thursday morning, and expected to complete the process by the evening.

The No. 3 reactor was restarted in January, and the No. 4, which had been scheduled to restart last month, was delayed due to technical problems.

http://www.infowars.com/court-issues-surprise-injunction-to-halt-takahama-nuclear-reactors/

Apple loses e-books price-fixing appeal in U.S. Supreme Court

Apple looks to have come to the end of the road in a long running legal saga involving allegations of an e-books price inflating conspiracy. Today the United States Supreme Court declined to hear the company’s challenge to an appellant court decision that it had conspired with five publishers to increase e-books prices — meaning Apple now faces having to stump up a previously agreed $450 million settlement. The news was reported earlier by Reuters.

At the time of writing Apple had not provided comment on the Supreme Court decision. The company has consistently denied it was involved in e-books price-fixing — arguing instead that its iBooks store offered customers “more choice and injected much-needed innovation and competition into the market”, and that its 2009-2010 contract negotiations with publishers over ebooks constituted ‘normal business practice’.

Apple has also continued to appeal the original antitrust judgement, despite also agreeing a settlement with 33 US states, back in July 2014, to pay $400 million to consumers to settle the suit. Attorneys’ fees and payments to states bumps the overall settlement figure to $450 million — which Apple faces having to pay now.

In a statement today the Justice Department welcomed the ruling. “Apple’s liability for knowingly conspiring with book publishers to raise the prices of e-books is settled once and for all,” said Assistant Attorney General, Bill Baer, of its Antitrust Division.  “And consumers will be made whole.  The outstanding work of the Department of Justice team — working with our steadfast state attorney general partners — exposed this cynical misconduct by Apple and its book publisher co-conspirators and ensured that justice was done.”

http://techcrunch.com/2016/03/07/apple-loses-e-books-price-fixing-appeal-in-supreme-court/?ncid=rss

NSA’s Mass Metadata Collection Still Constitutional, Says Court

“I vote to deny plaintiffs’ emergency petition for rehearing en banc. I do so because, in my view, the Government’s metadata collection program is entirely consistent with the Fourth Amendment. Therefore, plaintiffs cannot show a likelihood of success on the merits of their claim, and this Court was right to stay the District Court’s injunction against the Government’s program.”

The collection of telephony metadata from a third party such as a telecommunications provider is not considered a seizure under the Fourth of the Amendment, as defined in the Supreme Court’s decision in Smith v. Maryland, 442 U.S. 735 (1979).

Even if it did however, the Fourth Amendment barrs only unreasonable searches and seizures.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/us/20151123/1030554584/court-nsa-mass-metadata-still-constitutional.html#ixzz3sLcnAZkH

NSA’S MASS METADATA COLLECTION STILL CONSTITUTIONAL, SAYS COURT

Judge Brett Kavanaugh explained in his concurring opinion why Klayman’s request was denied.

“I vote to deny plaintiffs’ emergency petition for rehearing en banc. I do so because, in my view, the Government’s metadata collection program is entirely consistent with the Fourth Amendment. Therefore, plaintiffs cannot show a likelihood of success on the merits of their claim, and this Court was right to stay the District Court’s injunction against the Government’s program.”

NSA’s Mass Metadata Collection Still Constitutional, Says Court

US Court Declines to Immediately Halt NSA Phone Spying Program

 Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act, which allowed the NSA to intercept, collect and store US citizens’ phone records, expired on June 1. It was first signed into law by President George Bush in 2001 in the wake of September 11 terrorist attacks.

The provisions have since been replaced by the USA Freedom Act that limits, but not entirely bars, US intelligence agencies from bulk data collection. The authorities approved a 180-day transition period between the programs.

In 2013, an illegal mass surveillance program by US government came under scrutiny after NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden posted classified documents online revealing the all-encompassing extent of US spying practices.

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/us/20151029/1029297090/us-nasa-phone-spying-program-court.html#ixzz3q0Rr5GEL

Court ruling leads to fears of FTC litigation on cybersecurity

 Industry groups are worried that an appeals court ruling giving the Federal Trade Commission permission to sue for shoddy cybersecurity will result in overregulation.

http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/252217-court-rules-leads-to-fears-of-ftc-litigation-on-cybersecurity

U.S. court hands win to NSA over metadata collection challenge

A U.S. appeals court on Friday threw out a judge’s ruling that would have blocked the National Security Agency from collecting phone metadata under a controversial program that has raised privacy concerns.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said there were not sufficient grounds for the preliminary injunction imposed by the lower court. The law in question expired in June and was revised by Congress.

The three-judge panel concluded that the case was not moot despite the change in the law and sent the case back to U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon for further proceedings.

“Although one could reasonably infer from the evidence presented the government collected plaintiffs’ own metadata, one could also conclude the opposite,” wrote Judge Janice Rogers Brown. As such, the plaintiffs “fall short of meeting the higher burden of proof required for a preliminary injunction,” she added.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/28/us-usa-court-surveillance-idUSKCN0QX1QM20150828

Court allows Christie to hide $1 million in Amex charges

http://watchdog.org/233162/christie-hide-amex-charges/

COURT ALLOWS CHRISTIE TO HIDE $1 MILLION IN AMEX CHARGES

Judge Mary C. Jacobson dismissed a public records suit by New Jersey Watchdog on Friday, ruling that details of past expenses for food, lodging and transportation could create a potential security risk for the governor in the future.

“The court finds the general interest of the public to have a breakdown pales in comparison,” said Jacobson during a hearing in Mercer County Superior Court. As a result, state taxpayers may never learn how the money was spent.

http://www.infowars.com/court-allows-christie-to-hide-1-million-in-amex-charges/