All Law & Courts
First LookJudge overrules 1931 Michigan abortion ban, November vote loomsA Michigan judge has struck down a long-dormant law that criminalized abortion. The Michigan Supreme Court will decide this week whether to add a constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights to the Nov. 8 ballot.聽
First LookEx-cop who attacked Capitol police officer on Jan. 6 gets 10 yearsA retired New York cop who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, the longest sentence handed down to a rioter so far. The former officer used a metal flagpole to attack law enforcement defending the capitol.聽
First LookFBI鈥檚 document finds prompt question: Did Trump obstruct DOJ probe?In their search of former President Trump鈥檚 Florida residence, agents found classified documents not only in the storage room but also in his office. The Department of Justice is investigating whether Mr. Trump鈥檚 team intentionally聽mishandled classified information.
First LookNew York declares Times Square a 'gun free zone' under new banFollowing a Supreme Court decision that undid New York's previous gun control legislation, a new, more limited ban takes effect in the state as officials navigate the balance between residents鈥� safety and civil liberties.
First LookRioter who came face-to-face with Schumer gets 4+ years in prisonA Maryland Proud Boy associate has just received a four year, seven month sentence for his part in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The man had encountered Sen. Chuck Schumer before a security detail hurried the senator to safety.聽聽
The ExplainerHow blue 鈥� and red 鈥� cities are resisting state abortion lawsAs decisions about the right to abortion return to states, cities are testing their limited leverage against abortion laws.
First LookSalman Rushdie stabbing suspect pleads not guilty to attempted murderDistrict Attorney Jason聽Schmidt called the attack "preplanned" and alluded to the 1989 fatwa against Mr. Rushdie's life while arguing against bail.
FocusUS is trying to stop mass shootings. How about other gun crimes?For the first time in 30 years, Congress passed bipartisan gun legislation after the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Will it help with the day-to-day violence that causes far more gun deaths?
First LookFederal judge: Ahmaud Arbery's killers get a second life sentenceTravis McMichael and Greg McMichael were sentenced by a U.S. District Court judge to a life sentence Monday for chasing down and killing Ahmaud Arbery whom they wrongfully suspected of burglary. William Bryan, who recorded a video of the event, was sentenced to 35 years in prison.聽
First LookJury tells Alex Jones to pay Sandy Hook victim's family $4M+A jury ordered conspiracy theorist Alex Jones to pay more than $4 million to parents who lost their child in the Sandy Hook shooting. The award is far less than what the parents sought, but Mr. Jones may still pay millions more in punitive damages and in other lawsuits.
First LookJustice for Breonna? Louisville police officers charged by DOJ.The U.S. Justice Department has charged four Louisville, Kentucky, police officers involved in the deadly Breonna Taylor raid with civil rights violations. Ms. Taylor was shot to death by Louisville officers who had knocked down her door while executing a search warrant.
First LookA reckoning for truth: Alex Jones revokes conspiracy theory in trialParents of a Sandy Hook shooting victim are seeking $150 million in compensation from from far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones who claimed the shooting was a hoax. Mr. Jones now admits the attack was real. The jury began deliberations on Wednesday.
Supreme Court is US 鈥榙ecider.鈥� Here鈥檚 how other nations check judiciary.By default, the Supreme Court has become the decider of many U.S. issues. Other nations have different systems that lessen the friction a high court decision can cause.
First LookDepartment of Justice challenges Idaho anti-abortion lawsThe US Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Idaho claiming the state鈥檚 anti-abortion laws conflict with a federal law requiring doctors to provide pregnant women with medically necessary treatment that could include abortion.
First LookJan. 6 rioter gets 7 years, longest prison sentence yet by farA Jan. 6 rioter who brought a gun to the Capitol and vowed to personally drag House Speaker Nancy Pelosi out of it has been sentenced to seven years in prison. That鈥檚 by far the longest penalty handed down so far to anyone who took part in the attack.
First LookDOJ defends minority homebuyers in Philadelphia from discriminationThe Department of Justice says that a Warren Buffett-owned company avoided offering mortgages in certain areas, blocking African Americans and other minorities from obtaining housing. Now, following a legal settlement, the company will have to make it right.
First LookPenalties for Floyd ex-cops bring hard questions about responsibilityGeorge Floyd鈥檚 family members and activists are frustrated over sentences for the ex-cops who took part in Mr. Floyd鈥檚 arrest that are shorter than federal guidelines recommend. Yet, a legal expert says even this level of legal responsibility is 鈥済roundbreaking.鈥�
First LookJudge in Capitol riot case gives 63-month sentence, ties longest yetA Jan. 6 rioter, who violently attacked police officers, has received a prison sentence of more than 5 years. He is one of more than 200 rioters sentenced so far, as legal consequences continue to pile up even as the congressional Jan. 6 inquiry winds down.聽
FocusUvalde aftermath: In this policing era, what does leadership look like?The operational inertia during the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting is emblematic of a larger struggle in policing to internalize not just the nature of courage, but what defines a leader.
First LookSentence for ex-officer involved in George Floyd鈥檚 death: 2.5 yearsFormer Minneapolis police Officer Thomas Lane聽has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in federal prison for his role聽in George Floyd鈥檚 death. Mr. Floyd鈥檚 family says that鈥檚 not long enough. The defense argued that Mr. Lane was the least culpable of the officers involved.
