All Law & Courts
First LookNotorious drug lord Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán convictedMexico's near-mythical outlaw, who spent years running an industrial-scale smuggling operation, could spend decades in a maximum-security US prison. The complex trial lasted three months.
First LookSupreme Court halts Louisiana abortion clinic lawPresident Trump made a campaign promise to appoint "pro-life" justices. But in a first test, Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's four liberals in putting a hold on a law that would require abortion providers to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.
A storied New England school lets in a watchdog to curb sexual assaultWhy N.H. Attorney General created new job to protect prep school students
First LookPuerto Rico's bleak finances brighten with debt restructuringFour years after Puerto Rico defaulted on billions of dollars in bonds, a federal judge has approved a debt restructuring deal that will help bondholders recoup their losses and help the island's government gain credit – both with investors and Puerto Ricans.
‘We’re all border counties now.’ Sheriffs’ new role as immigration expertsAs border security and immigration have become the foremost political and policy issue of the Trump administration, the reaction from sheriffs has been as mixed – and polarized – as the general public’s.
First LookDOJ's Whitaker: Russia probe 'close' to completionActing Attorney General Matthew Whitaker's words are a departure for the Justice Department, which rarely comments on the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The two-year probe has charged 34 individuals, including several close to the president.
First LookDrug company founder on trial for prescription bribery schemeInsys Therapeutics Inc. founder John Kapoor, accused of scheming to bribe doctors into prescribing a powerful painkiller, will be tried in Boston's federal court. The case is putting a spotlight on the nation's deadly opioid crisis.
First LookSupreme Court permits transgender restrictions in militaryIn a reversal of Obama-era rulings, the Supreme Court gave the Trump administration permission to bar transgender men and women from future military enrollment. Lower courts still continue to hear cases on the issue, but the ruling likely portends the ultimate outcome.
What really happens behind bars? Insiders make videos to show you.Part of a wider media initiative at California’s San Quentin State Prison, FirstWatch gives participants the opportunity to tell their stories – and be held accountable – through the lens of a camera.
Once a nation of joiners, Americans are now suspicious of those who doThe erosion of social groups in the United States is a widely recognized trend. But when distrust of membership spreads to faith groups, misunderstanding can breed fear and jeopardize constitutional protections.
Trafficking survivors shed an unjust label: ‘criminal’As attitudes about justice in sex trafficking cases change, more states are giving survivors a chance to clear away convictions for prostitution. But the victim-centered approach is still in its early stages.
Why the Supreme Court may be taking a ‘go slow’ approachThe justices have declined to take several controversial cases and refused White House requests to bypass lower courts.
First LookCriminal justice reform bill moves forward in the SenateA criminal justice bill that would ease federal sentencing laws for some offenses passed an initial vote Dec. 17. While it received wide bipartisan support, debate continues on which inmates should be ineligible for reduced sentences.
First LookMcConnell greenlights Senate vote on federal sentencing reformIn the first wide-ranging bipartisan reform to the criminal justice system in more than 20 years, the Senate majority leader will allow voting on the First Step Act. The measure has support in both chambers of Congress and with President Trump.
First LookSystemic challenges keep Mississippi inmates in jail long-termA MacArthur Justice Center survey found that while the number of inmates in Mississippi jails is decreasing, almost half of the inmates stay in jail for three months are longer, and the vast majority of them have not be indicted or received a trial.
Revival of a high-profile sex-crime case offers hints of a deeper justiceThe investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's 2008 plea deal raises concerns about how perpetrators are held accountable. But incremental change since that time suggests progress on prosecution of sex crimes and fairness for victims.
First LookTried twice for the same offense? Supreme Court to hear double jeopardy caseThough the Constitution states that no person "shall be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb," people are regularly sentenced by both state and federal government. The Supreme Court is set to make a decision on whether that practice should continue.
Is it safe for a black man to be the ‘good guy with a gun’?Whom do Americans think of when they think of heroes? That’s one of the questions raised by recent tragedies in which black men tried to stop active shooters and police killed the good Samaritan rather than the criminal.
Voting after Shelby: How a 2013 Supreme Court ruling shaped the 2018 electionCries of voter disenfranchisement took center stage throughout the 2018 election season, particularly in Georgia, where more than half a million voters had been purged from rolls. But for many voters, these challenges have hardened rather than diminished their resolve.
First LookJudge strikes down Trump's asylum restrictionsA federal judge declared that President Trump could not order that immigrants who cross the border without authorization be prevented from applying for asylum in the United States after civil liberties groups filed a lawsuit.
