All Law & Courts
Same-sex marriage: 10 years on, it's becoming the normIn 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage. Since then, the legal, political, and social movement to recognize gay marriage has spread significantly.
New bid to topple Obamacare in court: Did Harry Reid bend the rules?Senate majority leader Harry Reid violated the Constitution in his maneuverings to pass Obamacare, a conservative legal fund argues. The case will go before a federal panel of judges Thursday.
- California court charts new path on life without parole for juveniles
The California Supreme Court has ordered judges to be more cautious in sentencing juveniles to life without parole. States are struggling with the issue after a recent US Supreme Court ruling.
Montana killing: Deadly clash of teenage mischief, pot, and self-defense?The killing of a German exchange student renewed international criticism of US 'stand your ground' self-defense laws. Police are investigating whether the alleged shooter set a trap for the student.
Supreme Court's prayer ruling: Does it allow Satanists' invocations, too?The US Supreme Court ruling that the Constitution allows for public prayer at town meetings is opening a wider cultural skirmish over what qualifies as an appropriate public invocation.
Missouri man walks free after prison mistake: Case for more judicial mercy?Cornealious 'Mike' Anderson was supposed to spend 13 years in prison. But thanks to a mixup, he never did, instead building a responsible life. Now, a judge has let him go free.
Supreme Court: Constitution allows for public prayer at town meetingsCeremonial prayer before a legislative session, as practiced by Greece, N.Y., does not amount to an unconstitutional government endorsement of Christianity, the US Supreme Court ruled Monday.
Strict N.J. rule on gun permits stands, as Supreme Court refuses caseThe US Supreme Court declined Monday to take a case about a New Jersey law requiring residents to show a 'justifiable need' to carry a gun in public. The law's critics had hoped the high court would take the case – and rule to expand gun rights.
Minnesota school massacre averted: template for community vigilance?How police caught John LaDue, who allegedly planned to kill his family and bomb his school, offers a lesson in communal vigilance: how one watchful person had the power to stop a tragedy.
- Revenge porn: With Arizona, 10 states now outlaw such postings
Arizona's new law to battle 'revenge porn' is among the toughest in the US, making it a felony to post on the Web images of someone who is nude, without consent. Similar bills are moving in other states.
'Stand your ground' laws: Two cases may suggest limits to their protectionsProsecutors have pressed ahead with cases in Montana and Minnesota, prompting consideration of potential limits to stand your ground laws.
Botched Oklahoma execution shakes even death penalty supportersA majority of Americans support the death penalty, but a failed execution in Oklahoma is raising questions about what society will accept in the course of capital punishment.
Donald Sterling ouster: Are ugly comments enough to remove a business owner?If Donald Sterling decides to contest an ouster from NBA ownership, legal experts foresee a protracted legal battle. The case offers a window on the intersection of social values, property rights, and public responsibility for private speech.
Supreme Court appears wary of carte blanche for cellphone searchesThe Supreme Court justices confronted a government request for the warrantless search of cellphones of individuals being arrested, even for minor crimes like jaywalking or failing to wear a seatbelt.
Sexual assault on campus: 'No more turning a blind eye' to it, Biden saysThe first report from the White House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault was released Tuesday as the Obama administration increases pressure on colleges to better address the problem.
Supreme Court OKs EPA rules for cutting cross-state air pollutionThe US Supreme Court on Tuesday decided in favor of controversial EPA rules that aim to limit power-plant emissions in 28 upwind states to reduce air pollution in downwind states. Critics object that the rules give regulators too much power.
When can cops search cellphones? Supreme Court to hear casesThe US Supreme Court will hear two cases Tuesday that deal with police searching an arrestee's cellphone without a warrant. Lower courts have disagreed on whether that is constitutional.
When is a fish like an incriminating document? Supreme Court will decide.A missing box of undersized fish led to charges against a Florida fisherman under a federal anti-document shredding measure. Whether he was overcharged will be for the Supreme Court to say.
Fracking: In apparent first, family gets courtroom victory in health caseAlthough others have sued oil and gas companies over alleged injuries from fracking, most have settled in agreements that include gag orders. But in the case involving the Parr family, a jury awarded $2.95 million.
US widens path to clemency for nonviolent federal drug offendersThe new Justice Department clemency guidelines, which apply to inmates who have served 10 years of their sentence, are designed to alleviate racial disparities left over from tough drug laws.
