All Law & Courts
Wisconsin anti-union law: state Supreme Court ruling probably the final sayAct 10 essentially ended collective bargaining for most public workers, sparking court challenges and protests. But a ruling Thursday by the Wisconsin Supreme Court leaves opponents with little choice but to move on.
Abortion in the South: how Mississippi ruling could affect other statesA panel from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a 2012 Mississippi law mandating clinic doctors have admitting privileges at local hospitals deprived women of their rights.- Did Congress pass Obamacare the right way? Court dismisses lawsuit.The Supreme Court upheld the individual mandate citing Congress's tax-writing authority, the lawsuit noted. But the federal appeals court said Obamacare's purpose is not to raise revenue, so it did not have to originate in the House.
Why court rejected atheists' lawsuit against cross at ground zeroDisplaying the large steel cross pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center did not promote religion, the court ruled. This cross is also 'an inclusive symbol for any persons seeking hope and comfort in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.'
In Bible Belt, gay marriage rights increasingly in fluxAfter a federal appeals court on Monday ruled against state gay marriage bans, North Carolina's attorney general said 'there are no more arguments to be made' against same-sex marriage. Not all in the Bible Belt agree.
Virginia same-sex marriage ban violates fundamental right, appeals court saysThe 2-1 ruling from the Fourth US Circuit in Richmond is the third in recent weeks by a federal appeals court striking down a state same-sex marriage ban, making it more likely the Supreme Court will take up the issue.
Judge rules Washington D.C. handgun ban is unconstitutionalA federal judge released a decision Saturday that the Washington D.C. ban on carrying handguns outside the home is unconstitutional. Effectively immediately, registered D.C. gun owners may carry a firearm in public.
FocusObamacare for ex-inmates: Is health insurance an antidote to crime?Some jails and prisons are pushing to sign up exiting inmates for Medicaid, courtesy of Obamacare. The idea is that if ex-prisoners receive regular health care on the outside, fewer will reoffend. Not all experts are believers, however.
Florida doctors cannot discuss gun safety with patients, says courtThe Florida law bars doctors from discussing firearms safety with their patients. It was passed after several individuals perceived questions about gun ownership as intrusive and offensive. An appeals court upheld the privacy law.
Justice delayed: Texas man first to be cleared by DNA review of old rape kitsMichael Phillips, wrongfully imprisoned for 12 years, had given up trying to prove his innocence of a rape conviction. He is being exonerated because the Dallas Conviction Integrity Unit began a systematic review of DNA evidence in past cases.
Bring back firing squads, US judge says after prolonged Arizona executionWhile Sen. John McCain called the prolonged Arizona execution 'torture,' a US judge who had granted a stay, later overruled, said if Americans cannot stomach a firing squad, 'then we shouldn't be carrying out executions at all.'
Arizona execution takes two hours: how ethics of death penalty are changingThe execution took so long 鈥� one hour and 57 minutes 鈥� that Joseph Wood鈥檚 lawyers filed an appeal for a stay in the middle of what they called a 'horrifically botched execution.'
Trial begins in shooting of Renisha McBride. Does 'Castle Doctrine' apply?Theodore Wafer, of Dearborn Heights, Mich., is charged with second-degree murder for shooting Renisha McBride on his front porch last November. She was unarmed.
More suspensions after chokehold death, complaints grow about NYPD tacticsTwo paramedics and two emergency medical technicians who responded to the scene where Eric Garner was allegedly put in a police chokehold have been suspended without pay. His death is fueling community outrage.
Eric Garner death after police chokehold roils N.Y.C. minority communitiesThe apparent use of a police chokehold on New Yorker Eric Garner, who later died, has further strained NYPD relations with the city's minority residents. The incident is a test for new Mayor Bill de Blasio.
How minor crime questioning led to chokehold death of Eric GarnerNew York police officers questioning Eric Garner about an alleged minor crime 鈥� selling cigarettes on the street 鈥� subdued Mr. Garner using a chokehold banned more than 20 years ago. Soon after, he was dead.
Drug offenders in federal prisons can seek shortened sentencesUnder new US sentencing guidelines, 46,000 federal inmates would be able to shave about two years off stiff punishments meted out during America's 'war on drugs.'聽
Is FedEx a drug trafficker? Charges lift lid on drugs-through-mail pipeline.FedEx is facing $1.6 billion in possible fines after it was indicted for drug trafficking. It is accused of ignoring warnings that it was聽delivering illicit pharmaceuticals to customers around the US.
Mass. moves on abortion clinic bill: How is it different from buffer zone law?The US Supreme Court last month struck down Massachusetts鈥� 35-foot buffer zones. A new bill allows police to order individuals to withdraw if they substantially impede access to an abortion clinic.
Death penalty: Ruling in California finds long delays 'cruel and unusual'A federal judge struck down California's death penalty on Wednesday, ruling that death-row wait times are too long and the application of the sentence is too arbitrary, in violation of a constitutional ban on 'cruel and unusual punishment.'聽
