Mandatory fees: A federal court ruled this week that Louisiana can’t force attorneys to pay mandatory bar association dues for activities not “inherently connected” to regulating or improving the legal profession. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with New Orleans attorney Randy Boudreaux in a ruling Tuesday that upheld his First Amendment right not to be forced to subsidize and associate with the Louisiana State Bar Association’s “nongermane” activities. Read the full story from The Center Square.
U.S. inventories rise: Oil prices fell more than 1% today on a bigger-than-expected rise in U.S. crude inventories and record production by the world’s biggest producer, along with mounting worries about demand in Asia. Reuters has the latest.
Inching up: Current homeowners and potential homebuyers are responding to lower mortgage rates, albeit slowly. Mortgage demand rose 2.8% last week, compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. That was the second straight week of gains. Read the full story from CNBC.
