Legal battles mount against Illinois' assault weapons ban
CBSN
Legal battles against a new Illinois assault weapons ban are mounting. Since Jan. 10, when Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the "Protect Illinois Communities Act" legislation — which bans the sale and distribution of assault weapons in Illinois — the new law has been hit with a barrage of legal claims.
CBS News Chicago reported Wednesday that one such lawsuit represents hundreds of plaintiffs from 87 counties. The case's attorney, Thomas DeVore, a former Republican candidate for Illinois attorney general, argues the ban violates the equal protection clause of the constitution, and claims the legislative process used to pass the ban was flawed.
Another was added to the mix Tuesday when a coalition of four gun rights groups, including the Illinois State Rifle Association, filed a federal lawsuit alleging the ban infringes on the rights of law-abiding citizens, court documents say.

The peace and tranquility of Muir Woods, just north of San Francisco – home to 500+ acres of old-growth redwoods – make it just about the last place you'd expect to find a fight brewing. "The fact that they're taking down whole groups of signs about climate change and our nation's history is disappointing, and embarrassing," said retired U.S. Park Ranger Lucy Scott In:

We share our planet with maybe 10 million species of plants, animals, birds, fish, fungi and bugs. And to help identify them, millions of people are using a free phone app. "Currently we have about six million people using the platform every month," said Scott Loarie, the executive director of iNaturalist, a nonprofit.

At ski resorts across the West this winter, viral images showed chairlifts idling over brown terrain in places normally renowned for their frosty appeal. Iconic mountain towns like Aspen, Colorado, and Park City, Utah, were seen with shockingly bare slopes, as the region endured a historic snow drought that experts warn could bring water shortages and wildfires in the months ahead. In:










