The Senate has approved legislation that will allow the Food and Drug Administration to provide first-of-its-kind regulation of the tobacco industry, the New York Times reports. Under the law, expected to be signed by President Obama, the FDA would be able to control the levels of nicotine and other chemicals in tobacco products in addition to restricting marketing. Supporters of the law estimate that new regulation will reduce the amount of toxins in cigarette smoke and reduce youth and adult smoking.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg put a temporary halt Monday to the planned sale of Chrysler LLC to Italian automaker Fiat. Groups including three Indiana pension funds had asked the Supreme Court to block the sale arguing that it would cause irreparable harm to fund shareholders. The one-sentence order temporarily stopping the sale leaves open the option that the court may allow the deal to go forward in the next several days.

The nation’s food safety chief told lawmakers on Wednesday the Food and Drug Administration would endorse a Democrat-sponsored bill to revamp the country’s food inspection system but her agency would still require additional funding to implement the measure. Appearing before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, Margaret A. Hamburg said she believed the proposed overhaul was a step in the right direction. A committee vote on the measure is expected as early as next week.

The California Senate approved a measure Tuesday to ban the use of bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, in drinking containers used by infants and toddlers. The bill has faced stiff resistance from the chemical and manufacturing industry who claim that the chemical poses little threat to children. Scientists have linked the plastic compound the health problems ranging from developmental disorders to some types of cancer. The legislation must now be approved by the state assembly

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Tuesday that it will issues a serious citation to retail giant Wal-Mart for failing to implement safety measures that would have prevented the death of a temporary employee crushed in a holiday shopping stampede. The maximum fine for such a violation is $7,000. According to figures from the most recent quarter, Wal-Mart makes about $23,000 per minute.

Scott Eckersley will receive $500,000 to settle his case alleging that former Missouri Governor Matt Blunt wrongly fired him as deputy counsel after he raised concerns that the governor’s office broke open records laws. According to a statement from the office of the attorney general, the state still believed its actions were legal, but settled because more than $1.3 million had been spent to date defending the case.

According to her family’s lawsuit filed against General Motors, Amanda Dinnigan is now a quadriplegic due to a seatbelt in a GMC Envoy that failed. Now not only are they worried about winning their case in court, but also about whether GM will be around to pay any damages they might be awarded. Many with cases pending against GM are choosing to settle for pennies on the dollar just to ensure they receive some payment in case the automaker goes bankrupt.

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Judge Sonia Sotomayor was chosen by President Obama as his nominee to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court. Although she has not been involved in many cases relating to divisive issues such as abortion, conservatives are attacking her as an activist judge. In an unusual twist, a case that she decided in Circuit Court is now before the Supreme Court.

Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry on Thursday signed into law a state Chamber of Commerce-backed bill that introduces significant changes to the state’s civil justice system. Among other changes, the bill places a cap on non-economic damages and strengthens summary judgment rules. Gov. Henry called the so-called “tort-reform” bill the most comprehensive in state history.

An elementary school teacher who is also an Orthodox Jewish rabbi has filed a lawsuit against a California school district alleging religious discrimination. In the lawsuit, Bruce Neal claims that a former principal with the Bakersfield’s Edison School District fostered a hostile work environment and denied Neal a promotion because of his religious beliefs. A school district official declined to comment on the case.