All Law & Courts
Judges hammer attorneys on both sides of travel ban caseThe hearing before the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judges was the greatest legal challenge yet to the ban, which has upended travel to the U.S. for more than a week and tested the new administration's use of executive power.
In Trump's orders, a test of America's checks and balancesThe rollout of President Trump's travel ban led to no small amount of chaos and confusion. But the system has stood firm so far.
First LookTrial begins for supporters of Nevada rancher Cliven BundyThree years after rancher Cliven Bundy's standoff against federal officials, jury selection has begun for six of his supporters. His and his sons' armed protests have raised questions about federal land management and the limits of legal protest.
A hostage standoff over better education and rehabilitation. Why?Inmates at Delaware's largest correctional facility called out President Trump in a phone-call manifesto on Wednesday. But the federal government has limited control over state prisons.
With Supreme Court pick, Trump takes a more traditional roadIn nominating Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, President Trump chose competence and credibility, not shock and awe.
Did FBI overstep its bounds in requesting information from Twitter?The FBI regularly issues secret National Security Letters that require companies to release information about their users without a warrant.
Supreme Court picks: What does Trump's shortlist say about diversity?Members of the US high court have criticized their own lack of geographic and professional diversity. Sometimes, this background matters on the Supreme Court. Other times, it doesn't.
First LookChicago turns to tech to curb murder rate: Will it work?On Friday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Chicago PD announced a tech surge designed to respond swiftly to crime and predict future incidents. But the technology has limitations.
First LookFederal judge declares Ohio’s execution process unconstitutionalThough Magistrate Judge Michael Merz’s ruling is likely to be appealed, it points to a broader trend in concerns about the death penalty. New justice and economic arguments are also coming to the fore.
President Trump narrows Supreme Court nomination down to three judgesA person familiar with the selection process said the three judges, all white men who sit on federal appeals courts, were on the list of 21 potential high court picks Trump announced during the presidential campaign.
Emoluments lawsuit: Political maneuvering or a viable tactic?At issue is the seldom-litigated Foreign Emoluments Clause, which the plaintiffs say President Trump began violating Friday upon taking the oath of office.
First LookSupreme Court declines to hear appeal of Texan voter ID law, one of the nation's strictestThe Court's refusal to hear the appeal lets stand a lower court's 2016 decision that the statute violated federal laws against voter discrimination.
First LookOn Obama's last day in office, a final act of mercyPresident Obama punctuated his legacy of clemency and criminal justice reform on Thursday, commuting the sentences of 330 federal inmates convicted of drug crimes.
- What’s in a name? Supreme Court to decide 'offensive' band name case
The Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday about trademarking the name of Asian-American band 'The Slants.' Perceived as offensive by some, the band’s leader sees it differently.
Can Washington's Democrats and Republicans come together on capital punishment?Washington State's top officials proposed a bipartisan bill that would repeal capital punishment, marking a unified effort on an issue that historically has found more favor in the liberal camp.
Obama grants clemency to Chelsea Manning, taking decades off the former soldier's sentenceA former Army intelligence analyst, Manning has been serving a 35-year sentence for leaking more than 700,000 classified government and military documents to WikiLeaks, along with some battlefield video.
Widow of Orlando nightclub shooter charged: What does it mean to aid and abet a terrorist?Noor Salman, whose husband Omar Mateen rampaged through an LGBT nightclub last summer, killing 49, faces the possibility of life in prison.
FocusTerror and the Mexico border: How big a threat?Conservatives and the Obama administration have long disagreed about the threat of terrorists coming across the Mexico border. Data suggest the threat is not insignificant. Now, the Trump administration is poised to make it a priority.
Are terrorists crossing the US-Mexico border? Excerpts from the case file.There have been no terror attacks in the US homeland linked to the Mexico border, but the idea of terrorists using the frontier to gain access to the US is not merely hypothetical.
Police see shifts in what it means to wear the badgeMany police are starting to think about their jobs differently, so when it comes to police reform, police and civilians are largely on the same page, a survey finds.
