All Law & Courts
Split Supreme Court shoots down 'straw' gun purchasesSupreme Court embraces broad reading of federal firearms law. It's not enough for a 'straw purchaser' to be legally eligible to buy a gun. The identity of a gun's purchaser must be accurate, the majority ruled.
Can a school hold graduation in a church? Supreme Court declines case.The high court's action let stand an appeals court ruling that found that a rented church auditorium amounted to 'a religion-saturated and proselytizing environment.'
Same-sex marriage: After 550 Wisconsin couples wed, US judge stays her rulingDistrict Judge Barbara Crabb did not explain why she had not stayed her ruling finding Wisconsin's same-sex marriage ban unconstitutional, but referred to the 'expressions of joy' on the faces of those who wed in the interim.
Vermont, food industry begin court fight over GMO label lawA coalition of industry groups sued Vermont over the state's new law requiring food producers to put special labels on products treated with GMOs. It makes Vermont ground zero of a very big food fight.
Illegal immigration dilemma: Are migrant children refugees or criminals?An overwhelmed US immigration system is trying to figure out the exact legal status of thousands of immigrant children rushing the US border. In one of the most politicized asylum systems in the Western world, that won’t be easy.
Supreme Court allows lawsuit over constitution … of a fruit juicePomegranate juice company POM Wonderful can sue rival Coca-Cola for unfair competition over an allegedly misleading label, the Supreme Court ruled in a 8-0 decision.
Is Donald Sterling mentally competent? Court date is set to decide.The wife of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling is asking a court to affirm mental incompetence on his part. The legal proceedings could be messy.
Slender Man stabbing suspect to undergo mental health examOne of the preteen suspects in the Wisconsin stabbing of a 12-year-old girl will undergo a mental health exam to see if her case should be moved from adult to juvenile court.
How Bowe Bergdahl's military 'healing' process could land him in troubleBowe Bergdahl will be asked, repeatedly to share his story in great detail with the US military team handling his reintegration. This sharing could ultimately incriminate him, however.
California court strikes down teacher tenure rules in major rulingSuperior Court Judge Rolf Treu said the five California rules on teachers' protections he struck down 'impose a disproportionate burden on poor and minority students.'
Donald Sterling revives suit against NBA. Does he have legal leg to stand on?The complaint by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling alleges breach of contract and antitrust violations. In the end, however, some say the court of public opinion may matter more than the court of law.
US judge: Wisconsin same-sex marriage ban violates 'fundamental' right'This is the way it has always been' is an insufficient justification to deny 'a right as fundamental as marriage,' Judge Barbara Crabb wrote in striking down the Wisconsin same-sex marriage ban.
Same-sex marriage stands in Oregon after Supreme Court denies stay of rulingIn a one-line order, the US Supreme Court denied a stay of a federal judge's ruling that Oregon's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. Oregon officials had ceased to defend the ban.
- Is adult court right place for 12-year-old suspects in 'Slender Man' stabbing?
A Wisconsin prosecutor says evidence of premeditation warrants charging two girls, 12, as adults in a horrific stabbing case. Others say the girls' fantastical motive, involving a fictional Slender Man, indicates otherwise. Here's the trend in prosecuting juveniles as adults.
FBI manhunt via social media? Citizen sleuthing is a double-edged sword.A cache of explosives in a San Francisco apartment prompts an FBI warning and request for help. The missing man posts an apology to friends. The public responds to all of it, posting and Tweeting.
Supreme Court declines case of reporter seeking to protect confidential sourceThe Supreme Court let stand a requirement that New York Times reporter James Risen testify at the trial of an ex-CIA officer. He risks being held in contempt and sent to jail if he refuses to reveal his source.
US Supreme Court: don't use chemical weapons ban to charge vengeful wifeCarol Anne Bond tried to poison her best friend after she learned that her friend was having a child with Ms. Bond’s husband. The Supreme Court ruled that state criminal statutes were sufficient to handle the case.
Indianapolis officials scramble to avert a record murder rate for the citySeventy people have been killed so far this year in Indianapolis, and the city is on pace to have its worst year since 1998, when it suffered 162 killings. The police presence on the street is being beefed up.
Heroin epidemic: New York becomes first big city to make cops carry antidoteFacing a 'growing epidemic' of heroin abuse, first responders in New York City, including police and firefighters, are now being equipped with nalaxone antidote kits in a bid to save lives.
Secret Service didn't clip rights of anti-Bush protesters, Supreme Court saysUS Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Secret Service agents did not act out of bias during a 2004 Bush campaign trip when they moved protesters further from the president but let a pro-Bush group stay in place.
