All Law & Courts
Boston bomb suspect called 'lucid,' but how much does he know?A US judge read Dzhokhar Tsarnaev his rights at a hospital bedside hearing, finding him 'mentally competent.' The Boston bombing suspect reportedly called his brother the attack's mastermind.
In US affidavit on Boston bombing, new details about what happenedThe criminal complaint, attested to by FBI Special Agent Daniel R. Genck, is the first official on-the-record account by federal agents of key details in the Boston bombing investigation.
US charges against Boston bombing suspect allow for death penaltyDzhokhar Tsarnaev, Boston Marathon bombing suspect, was charged Monday with using an IED to destroy lives and property, a federal crime that carries a potential death sentence. The affidavit outlines why the FBI believes it has the right man.
Argument over NRA T-shirt gets eighth-grader jailed. Dress code run amok?A student at a West Virginia middle school was suspended and arrested after a confrontation with a teacher over an NRA T-shirt with a picture of a rifle on it. Public schools have some leeway in setting dress codes, the Supreme Court has found.
Boston bombings: Prosecution readies its case, seeks answers on motiveIn the Boston Marathon bomb attack, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev could face federal terrorism charges punishable with the death penalty. He could also face murder charges from Massachusetts prosecutors.
'No more hurting people.' Will a safer future follow Boston tragedy's wake?Martin Richard, the 8-year-old boy killed in the Boston Marathon bomb attack, once held a sign that said 'peace' and 'no more hurting people.' Research finds a pattern of lessening violence as human history moves forward.
- Supreme Court: forced blood tests in drunk-driving cases not always OK
The Supreme Court decision Wednesday means that sometimes police will need to obtain a warrant in drunk-driving cases before administering a forced blood test – and that sometimes they won’t.
Supreme Court puts limits on reach of human rights lawThe decision undercuts what had been a growing area of international human rights litigation in US courts. The federal statute allows foreign residents to file civil lawsuits in US courts for violations of international law.
In Boston Marathon bombing case, significant progress and mass confusionMedia reports suggest that a surveillance camera at a store near the Boston Marathon finish line might have caught a glimpse of the bomber. But reports that he was already in custody were refuted by law enforcement.
Enough media attention for Dr. Kermit Gosnell murder trial?The trial of abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell offers the latest example of the power of social media to draw attention to an issue and drive coverage. Conservative bloggers claim that mainstream news sources were ignoring the case.
- What US did to terrorism suspects after 9/11 was torture, report finds
It's 'indisputable' that the US engaged in torture during its post-9/11 war on terrorism, a nonpartisan report by the Constitution Project finds. The group wants federal officials to acknowledge 'a grave error.'
In Boston Marathon bombings, spectators' pictures could hold crucial cluesInvestigators into the Boston Marathon bombings note that hundreds of spectators were taking pictures and videos at the time, and surveillance and network cameras were rolling, too. They hope one of those images could help crack the case.
Audrie Pott family to sue teens and their families for 'wrongful death'Audrie Pott's family plans to sue the three boys charged with raping their daughter and texting photographs in a bid to curb an 'epidemic of sexual assault and cyberbullying amongst teens.'
Supreme Court to hear child custody fight; at crux is law on tribal rightsUS Supreme Court on Tuesday hears an appeal of an adoptive couple seeking the return of the girl they raised for two years. The child now lives with her father, a member of the Cherokee Nation, per order of a lower court.
Supreme Court refuses e-mail privacy case, leaving divergent opinions intactDoes federal privacy law protect personal e-mail from prying eyes? Lower courts conflict, but the Supreme Court on Monday declined to take a case that might have clarified the extent of protections.
- Supreme Court declines potential major gun rights case, leaving limits intact
A New York law requires residents who want to carry a concealed handgun in public to demonstrate a need for self-protection beyond that of the general public. The Supreme Court turned aside a gun rights challenge to that law.
Trayvon Martin targets: Fired cop fires back, saying it's a conspiracyTrayvon Martin targets were not for target practice but were a 'no-shoot training tool,' says the Florida cop who was fired Friday for showing them to colleagues.
Can medical companies patent human genes? Supreme Court hears key case.The US Supreme Court on Monday takes up a case with widespread implications for scientific innovation and health care in the US. The question: Are human genes patentable?
Teen suicides linked to disturbing trend: online images of sexual assaultAudrie Pott, 15, from California, and Canadian Rehtaeh Parsons, 17, killed themselves, their families say, after images of their being sexually assaulted were posted online.
Cuba agrees to return fugitive dad, wife, and two kids to USCuba is not granting asylum to a Florida couple charged with kidnapping their two kids, after a Louisiana judge ended parental rights. The 2000 Elian Gonzalez case may have played a role.
