All Law & Courts
First LookSupreme Court to hear case of football coach's on-field prayerFormer high school football coach Joseph Kennedy for years would end every game by leading his players in prayer on the field. When the school district asked him to stop, he claimed constitutional protection. The US Supreme Court will hear his case on Monday.
First LookUS Air Force general found guilty of abusive sexual contactIn the first-ever military trial of a U.S. Air Force general, Maj. Gen. William Cooley was convicted Saturday of forcible kissing but acquitted of two other charges.
First Look'Profound step forward': Prison college offers model degree programAt Mount Tamalpais College in California, the campus is like no other junior college in the nation – it’s behind bars. The school was accredited in January and gives students incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison the chance to graduate with an associate’s degree.
First LookJury awarded $14M to George Floyd protesters in Denver. What’s next?On Friday, jurors awarded $14 million in damages to a group of protesters injured by Denver police while demonstrating over the killing of George Floyd in 2020. The verdict could impact the outcome of over two dozen pending police misconduct cases nationwide.
The ExplainerGinni Thomas texts about overturning 2020 vote: Three questionsThe Supreme Court is not bound by a judicial code of ethics. What happens when a spouse’s actions create questions about impartiality in a case?
First LookCongressman lied to FBI about campaign funds, jury findsOn Thursday, at the end of the first trial of a sitting congressman since 2002, a federal jury found U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry of Nebraska guilty of lying to federal authorities about receiving $30,000 in illicit campaign contributions. His sentencing will occur in June.
First LookSupreme Court says death row inmates entitled to pastor’s prayer, touchThe Supreme Court sided 8-1 with a death row inmate who argued that Texas’ policy preventing a pastor from praying aloud and touching an inmate during executions infringed on religious liberties.
First LookTears flow in final day of Jackson testimony with Booker's speechAn impassioned speech from Sen. Cory Booker celebrating Ketanji Brown Jackson’s ability to break through racial ceilings drew tears from the Supreme Court nominee after she withstood hours of pointed questions from the Judiciary Committee’s Republicans.
Senators decried lack of civility. Then the Jackson hearings began.Can the Senate restore luster to the confirmation process that it has battered over the past five years?
First LookWhat to expect: Hearings for first Black woman nominated to high courtOn Monday, Senate hearings begin for Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman nominated to the Supreme Court. What are the stumbling blocks to her nomination?
First LookFederal judge: Denial of same-sex marriage license violated rightsAfter a Supreme Court decision granting same-sex couples the right to marry nationwide, Kim Davis, a Kentucky county clerk who has a religious objection to same-sex marriage, stopped issuing all marriage licenses.
First Look‘She’s very well prepared’: Ketanji Brown Jackson’s collegial Senate visitsAs she meets with senators before her confirmation hearings, Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson restores a collegial tone to a process that had grown embittered.
First LookSCOTUS to GOP: State courts congressional districting to standThe Supreme Court turned away Republican objections to North Carolina and Pennsylvania state courts’ rulings on congressional districting plans, a move seen as a benefit to Democrats.
First LookPurdue Pharma case reaches settlement, leaving families conflictedOxyContin maker Purdue Pharma has agreed Thursday to pay up to $6 billion to settle a lawsuit for its role in the opioid crisis. The owners issued a statement of regret for the first time, leaving victims’ families conflicted but hopeful.
A public defender has never served on Supreme Court. Jackson would be first.Most Americans know the words by heart: “You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided.” The work of a public defender is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. Ketanji Brown Jackson could be the first Supreme Court justice to have performed that role.
First LookFederal jury finds three officers violated Floyd’s civil rightsOn Thursday, the three Minneapolis police officers who were at the scene of George Floyd’s killing alongside Derek Chauvin were found guilty by a federal jury and convicted for violating Mr. Floyd’s civil rights. The three officers will face additional state charges in June.
Hate crimes, Ahmaud Arbery’s murder, and why motive mattersAhmaud Arbery’s murderers were already sentenced to life in prison. On Tuesday, they were found guilty of a hate crime in a trial that federal prosecutors, a jury, and above all Mr. Arbery’s mother thought was vital to justice.
First LookJury convicts three of hate crimes in Arbery murderA federal jury in Brunswick, Georgia, found all three defendants guilty of hate crimes Tuesday morning in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black jogger. The three white men were previously convicted for Mr. Arbery's murder in a Georgia state court.
First LookUS women’s soccer team reaches $24M deal in push for equal payThe U.S. women’s soccer team has been winning on the field for years. On Tuesday, they scored big at the negotiating table. After a six-year legal battle for equal pay, players on the national team reached a $24 million settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation.
First Look'Say his name': Cop who killed Daunte Wright sentenced to 2 yearsFormer suburban Minneapolis police officer Kim Potter, who fatally shot Daunte Wright during a traffic stop in 2021, was sentenced to two years in prison Friday. Ms. Potter alleges she mistook her gun for her Taser when Mr. Wright tried to flee the scene.
