All Law & Courts
How to revamp NYPD's 'stop and frisk' policy? That's the hard part.A federal judge on Monday appointed an independent monitor to revise the New York Police Department's 'stop and frisk' policy, which the court said amounts to racial profiling. That won't be an easy task.
Whitey Bulger verdict: Mob boss is convicted of 11 killings, racketeeringJames 'Whitey' Bulger was convicted of 31 racketeering charges, which he barely contested. He also failed to show that his personal code barred him from killing women or serving as an FBI informant, a tie that battered the FBI's reputation.
Eric Holder proposes major shift in 'war on drugs'Attorney General Eric Holder wants federal prosecutors to avoid mandatory minimum sentences for some nonviolent drug offenders, saying prisons are overcrowded 'for no good law enforcement reason.'
‘Stop and frisk’: why a judge ruled the New York tactic unconstitutionalThe judge in the stop-and-frisk decision also appointed an independent monitor to ensure that the New York Police Department’s practices would be in line with constitutional standards in the future.
- Asylum: Court decision on Albanian woman could create showdown on US rules
A US appeals court said an Albanian woman who feared being forced into prostitution if deported is eligible for asylum. With other courts having ruled differently, the issue could go to the Supreme Court.
Child porn arrests made in Rehtaeh Parsons cyberbullying caseTwo 18-year-olds face charges of distributing child pornography for allegedly posting online a photo of a sexual assault of Nova Scotia teenager Rehtaeh Parsons. She killed herself in April after what her parents describe as relentless taunting.
With NSA and NYPD under scrutiny, is tide turning on surveillance?The NYPD is dropping more than a half million names from its stop-and-frisk database, and NSA surveillance may face new scrutiny for reportedly sifting the actual content of Americans' e-mail.
- Sliders at gas stations: New type of thief
Sliders at gas stations: Sliders sneak into cars at gas stations and steal purses. What police recommend in order to counter this new crime.
Fort Hood trial: Odd legal dance as both sides appear to seek death penaltyNidal Hasan’s lawyers now say the alleged Fort Hood shooter isn't interested in defending himself. The Army is seeking an iron-clad capital verdict by coaxing Hasan to mount the best defense possible.
Fort Hood suspect tells court he 'switched sides' in America's warMaj. Nidal Hasan, accused of killing 13 soldiers at Fort Hood in 2009, said the evidence will show 'I am the shooter.' The trial will be important, even if the verdict seems certain.
FocusRacial bias and 'stand your ground' laws: what the data showData from states with 'stand your ground' laws raise questions about how notions of self-defense are evolving and whether, under such laws, race-based fears are more likely to influence juries.
Whitey Bulger's last stand: attacks on 'evil' witnesses, FBI corruptionIn closing arguments, Whitey Bulger's lawyers made little attempt to suggest he wasn't a criminal, instead accusing the prosecution of covering up for the FBI and of using 'despicable' men as witnesses.
Too mentally ill for death? Florida executes man who lost Supreme Court appeal.The case of John Errol Ferguson, executed Monday in Florida, raised the thorny question of how much mental illness is too much for someone facing execution. But the US Supreme Court declined to intervene.
Whitey Bulger prosecution sums up case against one of Boston's 'most vicious'Almost 19 years after Whitey Bulger was first indicted, the prosecution summed up its case, calling him 'one of the most vicious, violent, and calculating criminals ever to walk the streets of Boston.'
Gina DeJesus gets six-foot fence – and lots of love – to protect the heartGina DeJesus now has a privacy fence to let her go into her yard in peace. But it was her statement at the sentencing of Ariel Castro that showed how the three Cleveland victims are recovering.
Supreme Court: 'Baby Veronica' to return to adoptive parentsThe Supreme Court's refusal to take up the case opens the door for Veronica, now 3, to transfer from her birth father, a member of the Cherokee nation, back to her adoptive parents.
Sex offenders awarded $1 in liability suit over N.Y. illegal 'civil commitments'Six sex offenders got no damage awards from former New York Gov. George Pataki and other officials who had confined to mental institutions after they served their sentences. One official is liable for $1 to each, a federal jury decided in a case that tested attitudes toward social outcasts.
Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro blames porn addiction. Credible?Research is sparse on whether there's a link between addiction to pornography and violent sexual behavior, and defense lawyers usually shy away from asserting one. But it does crop up in criminal trials, as it did this week during sentencing for Ariel Castro.
- Same-sex couples file suit challenging Virginia gay marriage ban
Class-action lawsuit filed Thursday asks a federal judge to declare unconstitutional Virginia's ban on gay marriage. It is the latest such suit to be filed since the US Supreme Court struck down part of DOMA in late June.
Michelle Knight confronts Ariel Castro in court as emotional case endsAt the sentencing hearing Thursday in Cleveland, Ariel Castro made a rambling statement, and Michelle Knight delivered a victim impact statement. Amanda Berry was represented in court by her sister.
