All Law & Courts
First LookDepartment of Justice challenges Idaho anti-abortion lawsThe US Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Idaho claiming the state’s anti-abortion laws conflict with a federal law requiring doctors to provide pregnant women with medically necessary treatment that could include abortion.
First LookJan. 6 rioter gets 7 years, longest prison sentence yet by farA Jan. 6 rioter who brought a gun to the Capitol and vowed to personally drag House Speaker Nancy Pelosi out of it has been sentenced to seven years in prison. That’s by far the longest penalty handed down so far to anyone who took part in the attack.
First LookDOJ defends minority homebuyers in Philadelphia from discriminationThe Department of Justice says that a Warren Buffett-owned company avoided offering mortgages in certain areas, blocking African Americans and other minorities from obtaining housing. Now, following a legal settlement, the company will have to make it right.
First LookPenalties for Floyd ex-cops bring hard questions about responsibilityGeorge Floyd’s family members and activists are frustrated over sentences for the ex-cops who took part in Mr. Floyd’s arrest that are shorter than federal guidelines recommend. Yet, a legal expert says even this level of legal responsibility is “groundbreaking.”
First LookJudge in Capitol riot case gives 63-month sentence, ties longest yetA Jan. 6 rioter, who violently attacked police officers, has received a prison sentence of more than 5 years. He is one of more than 200 rioters sentenced so far, as legal consequences continue to pile up even as the congressional Jan. 6 inquiry winds down.
FocusUvalde aftermath: In this policing era, what does leadership look like?The operational inertia during the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting is emblematic of a larger struggle in policing to internalize not just the nature of courage, but what defines a leader.
First LookSentence for ex-officer involved in George Floyd’s death: 2.5 yearsFormer Minneapolis police Officer Thomas Lane has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison for his role in George Floyd’s death. Mr. Floyd’s family says that’s not long enough. The defense argued that Mr. Lane was the least culpable of the officers involved.
Where more women cops walk the beatDuring a recruiting crisis in police departments across the U.S., women are being welcomed as officers. That shift toward equality is opening new professional opportunities and improving policing.
First LookDetroit limits cash bail, aiming to relieve racial inequalityDetroit is limiting courts’ use of cash bail, a move meant to lessen racial inequality in the U.S. city with the highest proportion of African Americans. The reforms will not ban bail, but will limit when courts can ask for it, protecting due process for those who cannot afford it.
FocusSupreme Court turns to history: How does past speak to the present?As the U.S. moves forward, its highest court is looking to the past. But putting a premium on history and tradition leaves open several questions: “What do we mean by history and tradition? Whose history? Whose tradition?”
First LookTexas clinics halt abortions after state Supreme Court rulingClinics are shutting down abortion services in Texas after the state’s high court blocked an order that briefly allowed the procedure to resume in some cases.
First LookNorth Carolina appeal could reshape state power over electionsThe Supreme Court will hear a case that could hand more power to state legislatures and block state courts from reviewing challenges to election procedures and results. The case, brought forward by North Carolina Republicans, could shift the way elections are conducted.
After Supreme Court ruling, can EPA still tackle climate change?A Supreme Court ruling limits Environmental Protection Agency leeway to regulate greenhouse gases, at a time when Congress hasn’t been acting on the issue.
First LookSupreme Court votes to remove Trump immigration policySupreme Court overturns former President Donald Trump’s “remain in Mexico” immigration policy. Joining the majority opinion was Brett Kavanaugh, appointed by Mr. Trump, as well as liberal justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan.
First LookSupreme Court ruling: A blow to EPA fight against climate changeBy a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court has ruled that the Clean Air Act does not give the EPA authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. The ruling limits the EPA to plant-by-plant regulation and could compromise the fight against climate change.
First LookSupreme Court expands Oklahoma’s jurisdiction on tribal landsOn Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Oklahoma can prosecute non-Native Americans for crimes committed on tribal land when the victim is Native American. The 5-4 decision cut back on the high court’s ruling from 2020 that said a large portion of eastern Oklahoma remains an American Indian reservation.
First LookMaxwell sentenced: Two decades of prison, and a life of regretGhislaine Maxwell, socialite parter of Jeffrey Epstein, has been sentenced to 20 years for her role in Mr. Epstein’s sex trafficking ring. Nearly three years after Mr. Epstein’s death, Ms. Maxwell says meeting him has been her “greatest regret.”
FocusPrayer on the 50-yard line: Supreme Court reshapes church-state relationshipWith a decision returning prayer to public schools, the Supreme Court Monday gave another win to the free exercise clause of the Constitution.
How overturning Roe will reverberate through AmericaAfter almost half a century, Roe v. Wade is no more. The United States will be grappling with the implications for years, if not decades, to come.
A history of American thought on abortion: It’s not what you thinkWith Roe and Casey overturned on Friday, legal scholar Geoffrey R. Stone, author of “Sex and the Constitution,” talks abortion history’s evolution in American thought.
