All Law & Courts
Defiance in Alabama, as same-sex marriage ruling takes effectMost county probate judges refused to issue marriage licenses in Alabama on Monday. Alabama's chief justice says that probate judges are not bound by a聽federal judge's ruling declaring the state's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional.
Does Ferguson run 'debtor's prison'? Lawsuit targets a source of unrest.A harsh regime of fees for minor violations landed many Ferguson, Mo., residents in jail and fueled last summer's unrest. Now a lawsuit is taking aim at the system as some signs of progress emerge.
Did Supreme Court justices tip their hand in Alabama gay marriage case?On Monday, Alabama became the 37th state to allow same-sex marriage, after the Supreme Court declined to issue a stay. The high court action provides perhaps the best indication yet that a majority of justices are preparing to uphold gay marriage.- Staged kidnapping of boy: why parents should avoid using fearA 6-year-old Missouri boy was subjected to a violent kidnapping arranged by family members who worried he was 'too nice' and who wanted to impart a 'stranger danger' lesson, police say.
Do recent Guantanamo releases put US at risk? GOP senators question policyThe Obama administration has accelerated transfers out of Guantanamo, with 27 detainees released in the past two months. On Thursday, lawmakers aimed to assess at a hearing the future of US terror detention policy.
Eleventh Circuit says it will wait for Supreme Court on same sex marriageA federal appeals court stated in a memo that it would take no further action in same-sex marriage cases in that circuit until the US Supreme Court decides the issue later this year. The decision does not affect same-sex couples in Alabama.- Will gay marriage be legal in Alabama? It's up to Supreme Court now.A federal appeals court Tuesday refused to block a ruling that the state's ban is unconstitutional, clearing the way for Alabama to become the next state to legalize same-sex unions. Also on Tuesday, the state attorney general asked the US Supreme Court to issue a hold.
As Somali-American fights no-fly list, FBI says his brother is most wantedA federal judge on Friday questioned the constitutionality of the US government's no-fly list. In a twist, the FBI one day earlier put the brother of Gulet Mohamed, who has been fighting the no-fly list for four years, on its list of most-wanted terrorists.
Ohio delays all 2015 executions, amid scrutiny of lethal injection drugsThe postponement was announced three weeks after Ohio said it would no longer use a controversial drug that was employed in a series of executions that went awry last year.
Republicans ask: Is Loretta Lynch just another Eric Holder?Day 2 of the Senate confirmation hearings for attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch centered on Republican questions about her willingness to rein in President Obama.
Loretta Lynch, attorney general nominee, fields GOP senators' barbed questionsWednesday's confirmation hearing seemed at times more like a forum for Republican complaints about the Obama administration than an examination of Loretta Lynch and her qualifications to become US attorney general.
Supreme Court halts Oklahoma executions pending lethal injection caseThe US Supreme Court stayed the executions of three Oklahoma death-row inmates challenging the state's lethal injection protocol. A fourth plaintiff was executed on Jan. 15, before the high court agreed to hear the case.
Judge clears 'Friendship 9,' who dared to sit at white lunch counter in 1961Nine young black men had been sentenced to 30 days of hard labor for sitting at McCrory鈥檚 white lunch counter in Rock Hill, S.C. On Wednesday, that ugly episode was officially rectified.
Georgia inmate executed after Supreme Court declines appealLawyers for Warren Lee Hill argued he had an intellectual disability that rendered his execution unconstitutional. Mr. Hill was sentenced to death after being convicted of the murder of his cellmate in a Georgia prison.
US car-spying program revealed: Are Americans now OK with some candid camera?As part of the federal program, cameras on key thoroughfares take snapshots of license plates to catch smugglers and other criminals. Americans may be more carefully weighing societal benefits versus privacy for such programs.- Appeals court denies lobbyist's bid to blow hole in campaign finance lawF. Harvey Whittemore was convicted of funneling $145,000 to Sen. Harry Reid's 2007 reelection campaign. Senator Reid was not charged in the case.
Supreme Court to review lethal injections used in Oklahoma executionsOn Friday, the Supreme Court agreed to consider whether the three-drug protocol Oklahoma uses in executions violates the Eighth Amendment's prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment.
Arizona driver's license ruling marks immigration victory for ObamaA federal judge issued a permanent injunction Thursday requiring Arizona to issue driver's licenses to immigrants who have been granted deferred action from deportation.
Nine-year-old brothers left home alone for 120 days: How did they survive?According to an affidavit, the situation arose when an uncle reneged on a promise to move in with the twins in New Hampshire for the duration of their parents' trip to Nigeria.
Ferguson shooting: why federal charges are unlikely, despite more scrutinyThe Department of Justice appears to be examining police conduct more closely. It opened 52 prosecutions into alleged civil rights violations by law enforcement in 2014, a 100 percent increase from the previous year.
