All Law & Courts
Judge clears 'Friendship 9,' who dared to sit at white lunch counter in 1961Nine young black men had been sentenced to 30 days of hard labor for sitting at McCrory’s white lunch counter in Rock Hill, S.C. On Wednesday, that ugly episode was officially rectified.
Georgia inmate executed after Supreme Court declines appealLawyers for Warren Lee Hill argued he had an intellectual disability that rendered his execution unconstitutional. Mr. Hill was sentenced to death after being convicted of the murder of his cellmate in a Georgia prison.
US car-spying program revealed: Are Americans now OK with some candid camera?As part of the federal program, cameras on key thoroughfares take snapshots of license plates to catch smugglers and other criminals. Americans may be more carefully weighing societal benefits versus privacy for such programs.
- Appeals court denies lobbyist's bid to blow hole in campaign finance law
F. Harvey Whittemore was convicted of funneling $145,000 to Sen. Harry Reid's 2007 reelection campaign. Senator Reid was not charged in the case.
Supreme Court to review lethal injections used in Oklahoma executionsOn Friday, the Supreme Court agreed to consider whether the three-drug protocol Oklahoma uses in executions violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
Arizona driver's license ruling marks immigration victory for ObamaA federal judge issued a permanent injunction Thursday requiring Arizona to issue driver's licenses to immigrants who have been granted deferred action from deportation.
Nine-year-old brothers left home alone for 120 days: How did they survive?According to an affidavit, the situation arose when an uncle reneged on a promise to move in with the twins in New Hampshire for the duration of their parents' trip to Nigeria.
Ferguson shooting: why federal charges are unlikely, despite more scrutinyThe Department of Justice appears to be examining police conduct more closely. It opened 52 prosecutions into alleged civil rights violations by law enforcement in 2014, a 100 percent increase from the previous year.
Supreme Court hears Texas case that tests extent of civil rights doctrineThe Supreme Court on Wednesday appeared divided over a challenge to the Fair Housing Act that liberal critics say could gut the civil rights provision.
Unanimous Supreme Court affirms Muslim inmate's right to grow beardThe US Supreme Court unanimously ruled that an Arkansas prison must offer a religious exception to the facility's no-beard rule. Prison officials had argued that beards pose a security risk.
Aurora theater shooting trial begins: how it compares with Tsarnaev caseJames Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to multiple counts of murder and attempted murder in the shooting at a midnight showing of a 'Batman' movie in 2012.
- Can judicial candidates solicit donations? Supreme Court to weigh case.
Thirty states have rules that bar prospective judges from personally requesting campaign money and support, but critics say such rules violate free speech rights. On Tuesday, a case on the subject arrives at the US Supreme Court.
Supreme Court agrees to rule on whether same-sex couples nationwide can marryThe justices on Friday agreed to take up a case to decide the long-running national debate over same-sex marriage, setting the stage for a potential landmark decision by late June.
How Tsarnaev lawyers are pushing judge during jury selectionTwenty potential jurors met individually with the judge, prosecutors, and the defense team Thursday. Tsarnaev's defense challenged the judge several times.
Oklahoma to resume executions, as use of death penalty declines across USNine months after a botched lethal injection, Oklahoma plans to execute death row inmate Charles Frederick Warner at 6 p.m. on Thursday. But nationwide, the use of the death penalty has reached historic lows, amid concerns about the process.
How alleged lone wolf terrorist plotted attack on US Capitol – and was stoppedWhen Christopher Cornell voiced support for the Islamic State on Twitter, an FBI informant joined the young man’s plotting to attack the US Capitol with pipe bombs and rifles. When Cornell bought rifles Wednesday, federal agents arrested him.
Can Mayor de Blasio and NYPD chart a path to reconciliation?As Bill de Blasio begins his second year in office, his administration’s relationship with the nation’s largest police force will remain, for the short term at least, in crisis mode, many observers believe. Is there a way to mend the rifts?
FocusCommunity courts let the punishment fit the crime, compassionatelyIncarceration rates in the United States increased more seven-fold between 1980 to 2010. Many communities are turning to alternative forms of justice, such as community courts, as a means to break the cycle of incarceration.
Judge Raymond Norko: A different kind of judgeJudge Norko's Hartford Community Court in Connecticut provides swift justice for non-violent offenders while unburdening criminal courts and helping to break the revolving cycle of incarceration.
Gun 'hero' George Zimmerman ordered to surrender arms after assaultGeorge Zimmerman became a folk hero to some gun lovers after he shot and killed black teenager Trayvon Martin. Now, following another assault charge, Zimmerman has been ordered to surrender his firearms.
