All Law & Courts
Supreme Court agrees to review Oklahoma abortion pill caseAt issue is whether an Oklahoma law requires women and their doctors to follow a protocol that effectively limits access to chemically induced abortions. But first, the Supreme Court wants clarification on what, exactly, the state law outlaws.
Trayvon Martin case: Prosecution's star witness proves to be a challengeRachel Jeantel, who testified that she was talking on the phone with Trayvon Martin moments before he was shot, returns to the stand Thursday in the George Zimmerman trial. She has not been an easy witness to understand, literally and figuratively.
'Boy's voice' called for help, testifies eyewitness in Trayvon Martin caseThree witnesses in the Trayvon Martin shooting offered testimony Wednesday that appears to contradict defendant George Zimmerman's account of events. Two said they believed a boy's voice was the one yelling for help.
Gay marriage: Supreme Court strikes down DOMA, dismisses Prop. 8 appealUS Supreme Court said Wednesday, 5 to 4, that DOMA (federal Defense of Marriage Act) had been enacted with an apparent attempt to harm gay couples. Its actions set stage for legal battles state by state over gay marriage.
Trayvon Martin case: Jury can hear five 911 calls from George ZimmermanThe nonemergency 911 calls George Zimmerman has made to local police will help prosecutors in the Trayvon Martin case sketch Mr. Zimmerman's character for the jury. Of the 50 calls he made over eight years, five can be played in court, the judge said Wednesday.
Baby Veronica: Supreme Court rules for adoptive parents in wrenching caseThe Supreme Court decided that since the father never had custody of Baby Veronica prior to litigation in the case, a federal law upholding the rights of Native-American parents offered him no protection.
Was Florida landowner victim of government 'shakedown'? Supreme Court rules.The Supreme Court expanded protections for property owners, siding with a Florida landowner who said that in return for a development permit, officials were demanding he pay for work on unrelated government land.
Supreme Court voids key portion of Voting Rights Act as outdatedObama 'deeply disappointed' by the 5-4 Supreme Court ruling on the landmark civil rights legislation. Justice Ginsburg, in dissent, decries 'hubris' in 'demolition' of the Voting Rights Act.
Clarence Thomas compares affirmative action to Jim Crow lawsClarence Thomas, Supreme Court justice, explains his legal reasoning for rejecting affirmative action in the latest court ruling. Clarence Thomas admits that he was a beneficiary of affirmative action.
Supreme Court makes it harder for workers to win discrimination lawsuitsThe Supreme Court issued a pair of 5-to-4 rulings on workers' lawsuits. Justice Ginsburg filed a dissent in both cases calling for Congress to overturn the decisions by passing new legislation.
Informant or not, Whitey Bulger still making FBI look badThe trial of James 'Whitey' Bulger is now focusing on FBI evidence claiming that Bulger was an informant – a claim he refutes. The court proceedings are showing an ugly side of the FBI.
Supreme Court sends Texas affirmative action case back to lower courtThe 7-to-1 Supreme Court decision requires the lower court to apply a new, tougher test to the case: Schools challenged on race-based admissions policies must show that there are no workable, race-neutral alternatives to achieve diversity.
Were Obama recess appointments constitutional? Supreme Court takes caseThe Supreme Court will weigh in on a major flash point between President Obama and Senate Republicans, who challenge his use of recess appointments while their chamber is holding 'pro forma' sessions.
Why prosecutors aren't done charging alleged Cleveland captor Ariel CastroEarlier this month, a grand jury indicted Ariel Castro on 139 counts of rape and 177 counts of kidnapping. Prosecutors say they expect to add more charges within two weeks.
Zimmerman jury of peers is jury of (mostly white) womenZimmerman jury selection was completed in the racially charged case. Six women, five of them white, will decide whether the shooting death of Trayvon Martin constituted second-degree murder.
- Supreme Court: Anti-prostitution pledge in AIDS law violates free speech
A 2003 US law providing funding to fight AIDS required recipients to explicitly oppose prostitution. The Supreme Court, by a 6-2 margin, rejected the pledge of 'allegiance to the government's policy.'
- Slavery: US gives bad marks to China and Russia in its annual report
The State Department report on slavery notes that more countries are prosecuting traffickers and providing services to rescued victims. But China and Russia are failing to make progress, the US says.
George Zimmerman trial: Second Amendment bubbles beneath jury selectionThe George Zimmerman trial has stoked passionate debate about race in America. But in the end, it could end up saying more about Americans' evolving views of the Second Amendment.
Whitey Bulger defense: Star witness lied before, could be lying nowThe defense for crime boss James 'Whitey' Bulger might have poked some holes in the testimony of key witness John Martorano, but it still faces an uphill battle.
Supreme Court limits judges' discretion on minimum sentencesAny fact that increases the mandatory minimum sentence for a crime must be determined by a jury, not a judge, the Supreme Court rules in an important Sixth Amendment case.
