WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court handed down opinions in three cases Monday, decided to hear arguments in two others and issued orders in still dozens more. Among the highlights, the court:
— By a 5-4 vote, upheld the conviction of a Virginia man who violated the federal ban on “straw” purchases of guns, even though the actual buyer — the man’s uncle, in this case — is legally allowed to own a gun.
— Unanimously allowed an anti-abortion group to pursue its challenge to an Ohio law that bars people from making false statements about political candidates during a campaign.
— In a 7-1 ruling, allowed holders of defaulted Argentine bonds to use U.S. courts to try to discover where Argentina owns property around the world, as part of their effort to enforce court judgments.
— Separately rejected Argentina’s appeal of lower court rulings ordering it to pay $1.3 billion to the bond holders.
— Agreed to weigh the free speech rights of people who use violent or threatening language on Facebook and other electronic media where the speaker’s intent is not always clear.
— Said it would decide a dispute over whether former mortgage brokers can qualify for overtime pay from Quicken Loans.
— Left in place a lower court ruling that said public high school graduations in a church adorned with religious symbols violated the separation of church and state, over a dissent from Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
— Declined to revive a defamation lawsuit that former Chicago Bulls star Scottie Pippen filed against several media companies for falsely reporting he had filed for bankruptcy.
— Rejected an appeal from onetime billionaire hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam, who is serving a 11-year prison term for insider trading.
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