All Law & Courts
'Pink slime' lawsuit moves forward: Could ABC News be held liable?For many Americans, ABC News鈥檚 'pink slime' report was the kind of hard-hitting public interest piece that changes rules and punishes bad actors. But to critics, it became synonymous with media misconduct.
Closing arguments in major California education reform caseNine California public school students say the state's laws for hiring and firing teachers has led to substandard teaching and education. They want the laws thrown out.
Strict Texas abortion law gets reprieve, upheld by appeals courtA federal appeals court has upheld a strict Texas abortion law that a lower court had struck down. Similar laws passed in five other states have been blocked in courts.
Should Mississippi execute its first woman in 70 years?The Mississippi Supreme Court did not approve a March 27 execution date for Michelle Byrom, convicted of capital murder for a role in her husband's death. Questions about the handling of her case persist.
Is Secret Service 'above the law'? Supreme Court hears protest case.The Secret Service moved anti-Bush protesters behind pro-Bush protesters in 2004, citing a security concern. The plaintiffs charged discrimination in a case heard by the Supreme Court Wednesday.
Mich. same-sex marriages 'legal but not recognized.鈥� How did that happen?Some 300 same-sex couples wed in Michigan Saturday after a federal judge found the state ban on such marriages unconstitutional and before his ruling was stayed. The governor said the unions, while legal, won't be recognized by the state.
Bombing suspect friend dead: Report on FBI shooting leaves some unconvincedBombing suspect friend, Ibragim Todashev, was fatally shot by the FBI during an interrogation last May. Civil rights groups, among others, aren鈥檛 satisfied with the official summation of the incident, released Tuesday.
Bin Laden's son-in-law convicted in NYC: why case was so closely watchedSulaiman Abu Ghaith, bin Laden's son-in-law and the highest-ranking Al Qaeda member to be tried in a US civilian court, faces life in prison after his conviction on terror charges.
Supreme Court appears split in contraception case, with Kennedy in middleThe nine Supreme Court justices appeared split in a case about whether for-profit businesses must provide certain contraceptives under Obamacare. A question by Justice Anthony Kennedy, the usual swing vote, could signal trouble for the Obama administration.聽
Trial of Osama bin Laden's son-in-law 'uneventful.' Why that's a big deal.Osama bin Laden's son-in-law, Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, is being tried on charges of terrorism in a US civilian court. The lack of problems could suggest that civilian courts can handle terror trials.
Friend of alleged Boston bomber had no 'quit in him,' says report on his deathA Florida prosecutor's report about the death of Ibragim Todashev, during an interrogation last May, finds an FBI agent was justified in shooting him. It sheds light on what happened, including the role of a samurai sword.
Affordable Care Act and birth control: Can corporations assert religious rights?The US Supreme Court this week takes up a key question regarding the Affordable Care Act: Can businesses deny employees certain birth control methods based on religious beliefs?
Will report on FBI killing of Boston bomber pal quell conspiracy theories?Transparency has been a problem in the case of an associate of alleged Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev killed while in FBI custody. An independent report Monday may clear the air 鈥� or not.
Same-sex marriage: Court shoots down yet another state banFederal judges in Utah, Oklahoma, Virginia, and Texas have ruled that state amendments and laws banning gay marriage violate the US Constitution. Michigan now joins that group.
General Motors recall: How badly might it hurt GM's nascent turnaround?General Motors recall, linked to a dozen deaths going back more than a decade, is fueling more lawsuits as well as questions about whether GM misrepresented the issue in its 2008 bankruptcy.
Can military try sexual assault cases? Critics decry general's plea deal.Advocacy groups say the plea deal, in which sexual assault charges were dropped against Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair, shows why military commanders should not have authority over such cases.聽
Judge calls Tenn. gay marriage ban historical 'footnote': Do Southerners now agree?The South remains the most hard-line US region opposing same-sex marriage. But a recent shift in public attitudes 鈥� even in the Bible Belt 鈥� suggests聽that may be changing.- N.J. judge cites women's rights in barring unwed dad from child's birthPatients alone get to decide who is at their bedsides, a New Jersey judge has ruled. Fathers have no court-established right to be in delivery rooms 鈥� or even be notified 鈥� when their children are born, he said.
In CIA-Senate dispute, Feinstein levels serious legal charges against agencySen. Dianne Feinstein, long a champion of the US intelligence mission, said the CIA, in allegedly spying on Senate oversight staff, may have violated separation of powers principles and the Fourth Amendment.
State capitols turn into battlefields over the arming of AmericaWhile proponents of gun control have launched a 'spring and summer offensive' targeting stand-your-ground statutes, the NRA is putting its lobbying machine back in high gear.
