Supreme Court Upholds Nevada’s Law on Conflict of Interest

The justices ruled voting by lawmakers is not speech that is protected by the First Amendment.

National Briefing | WASHINGTON: Inquiry Into Former Interior Secretary Ends

he Justice Department has closed an ethics inquiry into former Interior Secretary Gale Norton, who was accused of using her position to steer lucrative oil leases to Royal Dutch Shell.

News Corp., After Hiring Klein, Buys Technology Partner in a City Schools Project

News Corporation is buying Wireless Generation, a Brooklyn education technology company that in part helps New York City evaluate its schools.

State Didn’t Vet Advisers on Chancellor Pick for Conflicts

New York State officials did not screen evaluators of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s choice for schools chancellor to see if they had conflicts of interest or ties to the Bloomberg administration.

Minerals Service Had a Mandate to Produce Results

The Minerals Management Service has been ridiculed as a pawn of the oil industry it was meant to oversee, and the Gulf Coast office has drawn particular scorn.

National Briefing | Washington: Former Mayor Is Admonished Over Contract

Marion Barry, a city councilman and former Washington mayor, was admonished for failing to disclose his relationship with a woman who was awarded a $15,000 city contract by his office.

Maxine Waters Admitted Potential Conflict, Report Says

Representative Maxine Waters’s actions involving a bank in which her husband owned stock are now at the center of an investigation to determine if she violated House rules.

Harvard Medical School Bans Pay From Drug or Device Makers

Professors will now be prohibited from giving paid speeches for the makers of medical devices or drugs or accepting gifts, travel or meals.

Books on Science: Higher Education and the Pursuit of Living High Off the Hog

“Tech Transfer” is the deceptively mild title of a mordant satire about scientists and universities and how they do business.