The lawyer for a fired employee of the Maryland judiciary urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to find that states can be sued when they refuse to give their employees leave for serious illnesses under a key provision of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.

A surprisingly unanimous Supreme Court on Wednesday endorsed a “ministerial exception” to employment discrimination laws, asserting that, under the First Amendment, government must keep its nose out of the hiring and firing of clergy. All 12 federal appeals courts have long recognized some form of ministerial exception, but the Supreme Court had not given its imprimatur until now.

The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday charged the three biggest suppliers of pipe fittings used in municipal water systems with illegally conspiring to set and maintain prices, alleging that one of the companies also illegally maintained monopoly power.

A federal judge denied attorney fees on Wednesday to a wireless industry group that won a partial injunction against a San Francisco ordinance requiring cellphone retailers to disseminate information about potential health risks.

Holland & Knight on Wednesday notified Congress that it is no longer lobbying for AT&T, becoming the first firm to disclose that it ceased its government advocacy work for the company after the telecommunications provider dropped its planned acquisition of T-Mobile USA in December.