Dec 12, 2019

Sandy Hook lawsuit against gunmaker set to go to trial in 2021

A 2017 vigil for the Sandy Hook masracre victims in Newtown, Connecticut. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A Connecticut judge said Wednesday a wrongful death lawsuit brought by families of the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting victims against gunmaker Remington Arms would go to trial in September 2021, the Hartford Courant first reported.

Why it matters: The case is set to test a 2005 law protecting weapons manufacturers from being held accountable for crimes committed by gun buyers. The Supreme Court said last month it wouldn't intervene in the state-level suit.

Go deeper: Supreme Court allows Sandy Hook lawsuit to move forward

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Oriana Gonzalez
1 min ago - Politics & Policy

McConnell: Confirming Amy Coney Barrett will help GOP retain Senate

Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) expressed no regrets about Judge Amy Coney Barrett's controversial confirmation, telling Politico in an interview that he believes the decision to place her on the Supreme Court just a week before the election will help Republicans retain the Senate.

Why it matters: With a week to go until Election Day, many Republicans are concerned that President Trump's unpopularity could cost them the Senate. McConnell has long viewed the transformation of the federal judiciary through the confirmation of young conservative judges as his defining legacy.

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Axios
47 mins ago - Podcasts

The fight over fracking

Fracking has become a flashpoint in the election's final week, particularly in Pennsylvania where both President Trump and Joe Biden made stops on Monday. But much of the political rhetoric has ignored that the industry has gone from boom to bust, beset by layoffs, bankruptcies and fire-sale mergers.

Axios Re:Cap digs into the state of fracking, and what it means for the future of American energy, with Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group.

Axios
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Democrats sound alarm on mail-in votes

Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images

Democrats are calling a last-minute audible on mail-in voting after last night's Supreme Court ruling on Wisconsin.

Driving the news: Wisconsin Democrats and the Democratic secretary of state of Michigan are urging voters to return absentee ballots to election clerks’ offices or drop boxes. They are warning that the USPS may not be able to deliver ballots by the Election Day deadline.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow