All Law & Courts
First LookHuman rights group petitions on behalf of Hawaii's fishermenAn investigation revealed hundreds of men from impoverished Southeast Asian and Pacific nations working as fishermen are exempt from basic labor protections due to a federal loophole. Many may make as little as 70 cents an hour.
How cities are helping former felons get stable housingProvidence, R.I., and New Orleans have begun to rethink 'one strike' rules that have prevented ex-offenders from getting into public housing.
South Carolina debuts a new model for bridging racial dividesThe South Carolina Collaborative for Race and Reconciliation, based at the University of South Carolina, will launch 'welcome tables' around the state this fall.
Cover StoryMeet a new breed of prosecutorFrom Texas to Florida to Illinois, many of these young prosecutors are eschewing the death penalty, talking rehabilitation as much as punishment, and often refusing to charge people for minor offenses. While their numbers are small, they are taking over DA offices at a crucial moment.
One test case for voter fraud vs. suppression: Sparta, Ga.Georgia has become a major test case for a nation seeking to balance fraud concerns against the constitutional right to vote.
First LookNew opioid court uses rigorous intervention methods to address epidemicThe nation's first opioid crisis intervention court in Buffalo, N.Y., gets users into treatment faster in efforts to simply keep defendants alive. The program could provide a model for other cities searching for solutions to rampant drug addictions.
Justice Gorsuch's running start: What that may mean for Supreme CourtThe seven separate opinions Justice Neil Gorsuch has written so far equals the number that Justice Elena Kagan wrote in her first two terms.
How Russia and others use cybercriminals as proxiesUS adversaries are offering cyber criminals a bargain: Use your talents for spy agencies, in exchange for legal immunity. One such cybercriminal was involved in the 2016 US election interference.
How Supreme Court may redefine 'wall of separation' on religionThe clash over differing conceptions of religious liberty and the idea of ‘a wall of separation’ was on full display in Monday’s Trinity Lutheran decision, and more cases are on the docket for next term.
First LookThree Chicago officers accused of covering up teen shootingAppointed special prosecutor Patricia Brown Holmes announced accusations against one current and two former police officers suspected of covering up evidence to protect each other and other officers after the shooting of Laquan McDonald.
Travel ban, playground case bring a big finish to sleepy Supreme Court termMonday became the most headline-generating day of an otherwise modest term – with the White House's travel ban largely allowed to take effect and a case with implications for religious liberty.
What Philando Castile verdict says about path of police reformSettlements may be provoking a form of private sector oversight on police departments – namely through the pressures liability insurers impose on the departments they’re covering.
First LookFlint public health and safety officials charged in water contamination caseMichigan health official Nick Lyon could face up to 15 years in prison for 'failing to alert the public' about lead contamination of the Flint water supply.
Are the courts treating Trump differently than other presidents?The 9th Circuit handed down the Trump administration's latest legal defeat Monday, ruling unanimously to maintain a block on the revised travel ban. Is President Trump being denied the 'presumption of regularity' extended to other presidents?
First LookUtah anti-cyberbullying law faces criticismThe law would allow online bullies to be sent to jail for a year, but vague language in the law has led many to raise concerns about the implications of the legislation.
First LookFollowing loss in appeals court, travel ban faces final challenge in Supreme CourtIt could be several months until the high court hears arguments in the case but the justices almost always have the final say when a lower court strikes down a federal law or presidential action.
First LookNorth Carolina racial gerrymandering ruling may create strong precedents for similar casesThe ruling found that two re-drawn congressional districts in the state relied on race rather than political makeup.
Does US need a new crime crackdown? Prosecutors see generational divide.Attorney General Jeff Sessions is among those who say tough sentencing brought down crime before, and can do so again. For a younger generation, what's more visible is the human toll of mandatory minimum sentences on small-time violators.
First LookWhy a Georgia prisoner wants to be executed by firing squad, not lethal injectionThe death row inmate is the latest to raise concerns about botched lethal injections.
Travel ban: Is a nationwide injunction on behalf of one person overkill?Some experts, including judges, believe nationwide injunctions – like the one blocking the White House's revised travel ban – circumvent the fundamental deliberative role of the American judiciary.
