• Sequester Squeezes Massachusetts Judiciary
• Source: Boston Globe   |   Massachusetts   |   April 4, 2013
• Nationwide, the judiciary’s budget has been cut nearly $350 million for the 2013 fiscal year, leading to the layoffs or involuntary furloughs of 2,000 employees, according to the court system.

• In Atlanta Cheating Scandal, All But 4 Turned Themselves In
• Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution   |   Atlanta   |   April 3, 2013
• Some of the educators spend several hours in jail before posting bond amounts starting at $40,000.

• Judge Overturns Colorado Election Law
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   April 2, 2013
• The law required that petition circulators be paid on an hourly basis, rather than on a by-signature basis. Critics argued it made it more difficult for citizens to place a measure on the ballot.

• California Governor Grants 65 Easter Pardons
• BY: McClatchy News   |   California   |   April 1, 2013
• On the day before Easter, Gov. Jerry Brown pardoned 65 people who served sentences years ago for various crimes.

• Atlanta School Officials to Start Turning Themselves In
• Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution   |   Atlanta   |   April 1, 2013
• The first of almost three dozen indicted educators are expected to walk through the doors of the Fulton County Jail Monday to be processed as accused felons related to alleged cheating on standardized test scores and the covering up of those actions.

• D.C. Government Judges Fighting to Unionize for the 1st Time
• Source: Washington Post   |   District of Columbia   |   April 1, 2013
• Now a group of city administrative law judges is seeking to organize for the first time, and the months-long effort has generated frustration among union advocates who think Mayor Vincent C. Gray has failed to match his pro-labor rhetoric with action.
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• Stockton Bankruptcy Sets Stage for Pension Battle
• BY: Liz Farmer   |   April 1, 2013
• Some say the ruling in Stockton, Calif.'s case could lead to a U.S. Supreme Court decision on how bankrupt cities deal with their pension liabilities.

• Should Local Government Be Run Like Silicon Valley?
• BY: John Buntin   |   April 2013
• Cities are contracting with Code for America -- what some call “the Peace Corps for geeks” -- in an effort to seed Silicon Valley virtues in local government.
• 2 Comments

• Online Sales Tax Upheld by New York Court
• Source: New York Times   |   New York   |   March 29, 2013
• New York’s highest court rejected arguments by two Internet retailers that they should be exempt from collecting state sales tax.

• Wisconsin Governor on Gay Marriage: Let States Decide
• Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   |   Wisconsin   |   March 28, 2013
• As the nation's highest court considers two gay marriage cases, Gov. Scott Walker backed Wisconsin's ban on gay marriage but also said the issue should be left to states to decide.

• Death Penalty Ban Killed in Colorado
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   March 27, 2013
• A House committee killed a bill that sought to abolish the death penalty, exactly one week after Gov. John Hickenlooper expressed concerns that Coloradans weren't ready to part ways with the execution chamber.

• EPA Wastewater Ruling a Big Win for Cities
• Source: Des Moines Register   |   Iowa   |   March 27, 2013
• A federal appeals court has sided with a group of Iowa cities challenging Environmental Protection Agency wastewater treatment rules that would have forced cities across the country to spend billions of dollars if the court had upheld them.

• Nation's Broadest School Voucher Program Upheld in Indiana Court
• Source: Indianapolis Star   |   Indiana   |   March 27, 2013
• Public tax dollars may be used to fund private school tuition under Indiana's voucher program, the state Supreme Court unanimously ruled.
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• States' Rights Debated in Supreme Court DOMA Case
• BY: Dylan Scott   |   Washington, D.C.   |   March 27, 2013
• The U.S. Supreme Court clashed over whether it's constitutional for the federal government to ignore state decisions to legalize gay marriage.