US Domestic News Roundup: Colorado shooting suspect's previous case dismissed for lack of witnesses, records show; Analysis-In U.S. Supreme Court elections case, politicians could win either way and more

Hobby Lobby ruling weeks before its public announcement from a conservative ally who dined with her husband at the home of Justice Samuel Alito and his wife. U.S. Congress passes landmark bill protecting same-sex marriage The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday gave final congressional approval to legislation that provides federal recognition of same-sex marriages, a measure born out of concern that the Supreme Court could reverse its support for legal recognition of such relationships.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Colorado shooting suspect's previous case dismissed for lack of witnesses, records show

The man accused of killing five people at an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado was arrested last year on charges of threatening violence, but a judge dismissed that case because the alleged victims declined to cooperate, a prosecutor said on Thursday. El Paso County District Attorney Michael Allen provided details on the 2021 prosecution of Anderson Lee Aldrich after a judge ordered court files from last year's case unsealed at the request of Allen, the local sheriff and several news outlets.

Analysis-In U.S. Supreme Court elections case, politicians could win either way

Though the U.S. Supreme Court appears reluctant to free North Carolina Republican lawmakers from judicial scrutiny as much as they want on voting rules, the restrictions it may allow still could give politicians more power over the way federal elections are conducted at a delicate time for American democracy. Hearing arguments on Wednesday in a fight over a map laying out the state's 14 U.S. House of Representatives districts, some of the conservative justices balked at the broadest arguments by these lawmakers arising from a contentious legal theory that would remove any role of state courts and state constitutions in regulating presidential and congressional elections.

Ohio workers vote to unionize GM, LG battery plant

Workers at a General Motors-LG Energy battery cell factory in northeast Ohio overwhelmingly voted to join the United Auto Workers, the union and joint venture said Friday. The UAW said hourly employees at the Ultium Cells LLC plant near Cleveland had voted 710 to 16 in favor of joining the union.

Sandy Hook families focus on pushing for change, decade after shooting

When Nicole Hockley gets into her car, she still looks in the rearview mirror and expects to see the smiling face of her son, Dylan, as he settles into his car seat. It's difficult for Hockley to fathom that Dylan is gone. He was among 20 first graders gunned down inside Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14, 2012.

Keystone pipeline shut after a 14,000-barrel oil spill in Kansas

Canada's TC Energy shut its Keystone pipeline in the United States after more than 14,000 barrels of crude oil spilled into a creek in Kansas, making it one of the largest crude spills in the United States in nearly a decade. The cause of the leak, which occurred in Kansas about 20 miles (32 km) south of a key junction in Steele City, Nebraska, is unknown. It is the third spill of several thousand barrels of crude on the pipeline since it first opened in 2010.

Christian advocate tells Congress of 2014 U.S. Supreme Court leak

An evangelical minister told a U.S congressional panel on Thursday that he ran a campaign to covertly influence the U.S. Supreme Court that "pushed the boundaries of Christian ethics" and allowed him to learn about a landmark 2014 ruling in advance. The Reverend Robert Schenck appeared before the Democratic-led House Judiciary Committee after telling the New York Times that he learned about the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby ruling weeks before its public announcement from a conservative ally who dined with her husband at the home of Justice Samuel Alito and his wife.

U.S. Congress passes landmark bill protecting same-sex marriage

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday gave final congressional approval to legislation that provides federal recognition of same-sex marriages, a measure born out of concern that the Supreme Court could reverse its support for legal recognition of such relationships. The House vote was 258-169, with all of the chamber's Democrats and 39 Republicans voting in favor - though 169 of the chamber's Republicans voted against it and one voted "present." The measure now goes to Democratic President Joe Biden's desk for signature into law. The Respect for Marriage Act, as it is called, won Senate approval last month.

U.S. Senator Sinema leaves Democratic Party, registers as independent

Arizona U.S. Senator Kyrsten Sinema said on Friday she had switched her political party affiliation to independent, leaving the Democratic Party just days after it won a U.S. Senate race in Georgia to secure 51 seats in the chamber. "I have joined the growing numbers of Arizonans who reject party politics by declaring my independence from the broken partisan system in Washington. I registered as an Arizona independent," she said in a op-ed for local media outlet Arizona Central.

Griner lands in U.S. as Russia's Bout greets family in Moscow

Basketball star Brittney Griner landed in the United States on Friday after 10 months in Russian detention following a prisoner swap with arms dealer Viktor Bout who flew home hours earlier to embrace his family on the airport tarmac in Moscow. Securing Thursday's swap, after months of painstaking negotiations, was a rare instance of U.S.-Russian cooperation after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, although the Kremlin was quick to say it did not show improving relations.

U.S. House overwhelmingly approves bill backing record military spending

The U.S. House of Representatives backed legislation on Thursday paving the way for the defense budget to hit a record $858 billion next year, $45 billion more than proposed by President Joe Biden. The House passed the compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, an annual must-pass bill setting policy for the Pentagon, by 350-80, far exceeding the two-thirds majority required to pass the legislation and send it for a vote in the Senate.

(With inputs from agencies.)