All Law & Courts
Judge could decide whether Mississippi will become 'abortion-free'Mississippi’s only abortion clinic may close if a federal judge allows a state law to take effect. The decision could become 'a road map for how to close abortion clinics in other states.'
Attorney General Eric Holder, in Texas, slams state's voter ID lawEric Holder, addressing a national NAACP convention in Houston, pledged to aggressively enforce voting and other civil rights laws and compared the Texas voter ID law to an illegal poll tax.
Model plane plot: Physics grad intent on attacking US 'snake' to plead guiltyThe Massachusetts resident, who planned to use explosive-laden model planes to attack the US Capitol and Pentagon, told undercover FBI agents he hoped to 'severely disrupt … the head and heart of the snake.'
'Fast and Furious': US offers reward for info on border agent's killersA federal indictment, unsealed Monday, names four Mexican nationals wanted in the 2010 shooting of border agent Brian Terry. His death is linked to the notorious 'Fast and Furious' gun-smuggling operation.
George Zimmerman, the Constitution, and the shifting politics of self-defenseGeorge Zimmerman’s lawyer says at the heart of the Trayvon Martin murder case lies a constitutional prerogative: The right of Americans to carry guns and use them in self-defense. Is he right?
Judge's rebuke to George Zimmerman: turning point in Trayvon Martin case?The judge presiding over the Trayvon Martin murder case issued a harsh rebuke this week of George Zimmerman's dealings with the court. That probably won't serve the defendant well at his Stand Your Ground hearing, analysts say.
Massachusetts health-care reform tests impact of employer 'tax' on jobsAfter six years of reform, Massachusetts has the highest rate of health-care coverage in the US, but effects of its 'tax penalty' on employers are less clear. Some fear penalties are hamstringing job creation.
George Zimmerman to leave jail again as judge sets $1 million bondThe judge in the Trayvon Martin case set the new bond for George Zimmerman at $1 million. But Zimmerman needs to post only a percentage to be freed. His lawyer says he has the money.
Questions about chief justice's health-care ruling could have lasting impactSpeculation persists over why Chief Justice John Roberts joined liberals to uphold the President Obama's signature health-care reform law, and that could affect the Supreme Court.
What will Twitter do in the case of the subpoenaed tweets?Prosecutors want records of tweets from Malcolm Harris, who was at a disruptive Occupy protest, and a New York judge says Twitter must turn them over. The case may help define the line between privacy rights and prosecutorial authority in the online realm.
Did Penn State coach Joe Paterno help cover up Jerry Sandusky sex abuse?CNN reports an apparent effort to go slowly on a report that Sandusky had sexually assaulted a boy in a locker room shower. Coach Joe Paterno had discussed the incident with other officials.
Congress v. Holder: Despite 'bombshell' wiretap, feds decline to investigate top copThe US Department of Justice declined to investigate its own chief, Eric Holder, after the House cited him for criminal contempt over the Fast and Furious scandal. But House Republicans say they’ve found a ‘bombshell’ document that suggests DOJ officials knew more than they let on.
Zimmerman’s attorney: Trayvon Martin killed 'because of his own doing'Mark O’Mara, George Zimmerman’s attorney, suggested at a bond hearing Friday that the state’s case against him in the Trayvon Martin murder case is so weak that it doesn’t warrant more punishment from the court. Prosecutors disagree.
Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction saga ends: Supreme Court refuses appealThe FCC had fined CBS $550,000 for the Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction in 2004, but an appeals court had sided with CBS. On Friday, the Supreme Court declined to take the case.
How John Roberts upheld health-care law while limiting congressional powerSupreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts was with the majority on both sides of the ruling on the health-care reform law, upholding the law while finding that Congress had overstepped its authority.
Obama health-care law: Supreme Court upholds it in entiretyA 5-to-4 Supreme Court majority – including Chief Justice John Roberts – determined that the Obama health-care law was authorized under Congress’s power to raise and collect taxes.
In win for Obama, EPA regulations on emissions upheld by appeals courtSince a 2007 Supreme Court decision, the EPA has issued four regulations to curtail carbon emissions. Big industry groups and lawmakers from coal-mining and other energy-producing states have objected.
Not all states with immigration laws will backpedal after Supreme Court rulingStates with tough immigration laws – like the one the Supreme Court mostly invalidated from Arizona – are assessing adjustments they may need to make. Not all foresee changes.
Giant cross on government land: Supreme Court declines cases, for nowThe Supreme Court refused to take two cases in a longstanding church-state dispute over the 43-foot Mt. Soledad cross on federal lands in La Jolla, Calif. The court expects that lower courts may yet resolve the issue.
- Supreme Court strikes down Montana law, reaffirming Citizens United
Voting 5 to 4, the justices found, in a two-paragraph opinion, that the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling applied to a 100-year-old Montana anticorruption law barring corporate money in elections.
