All Law & Courts
Boston Marathon bombing: US seeks death penalty for Dzhokhar TsarnaevAttorney General Eric Holder authorized federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. In most such cases, the result is life imprisonment.
Missouri execution: Supreme Court lifts execution stay in lethal drug disputeMissouri execution: The Supreme Court rejected an 11th-hour appeal to block the execution of Herbert Smulls, a Missouri death row inmate. Wednesday night, state officials administered a lethal dose of the drug pentobarbital.- Did airline unfairly report angry pilot to TSA? Supreme Court rules.A jury decided that Air Wisconsin was reckless in telling the TSA that one of its pilots could be armed and mentally unstable, resulting in his detainment. But the Supreme Court reversed the ruling.
Judge orders end to life-support for 'brain-dead' Texas womanA Texas judge has ordered hospital authorities to remove life-support devices from Marlise Mu帽oz, a pregnant woman who has been declared 'brain-dead.' It's an important test of laws written to protect unborn children.
Obamacare and contraceptives: Supreme Court hands nuns temporary victoryThe Supreme Court blocked enforcement of Obamacare's contraceptive mandate and said the nuns were not required to use the procedure set up by the government as an accommodation for religious groups.
Once the hunter, Chris Christie is now the prey in Bridge-gate probeChris Christie's successor as US Attorney for the District of New Jersey has expanded the probe of Bridge-gate,聽issuing subpoenas to his reelection campaign and the New Jersey Republican State Committee.
Case of brain-dead pregnant Texas woman takes complicating turnA Texas hospital says state law requires it to keep a pregnant brain-dead woman on life support. Lawyers for the family, who want life support removed, now say the fetus has suffered trauma.
Virginia attorney general drops defense of gay marriage banVirginia Attorney General Mark Herring says his office will not defend the state's voter-approved ban on gay marriage in court, following similar moves by two other states and the Obama administration.- Child porn: $3.4 million for two photos? Court grapples with restitution.The US Supreme Court hears arguments on whether consumers of child pornography should pay full restitution for the harm caused the child victim 鈥� or some proportional share.
Documents offer rare inside look at Chicago priest sex abuseThousands of documents from the Archdiocese of Chicago dealing with child sex abuse by members of the Catholic Church were released Tuesday.
Same-sex couples challenge Florida ban on gay marriageSame-sex couples claim that the Florida ban on gay marriage is a 'government-imposed stigma' that fosters 'private bias and discrimination.' Same-sex marriage is banned in 30 states.
FocusWhen does life end? Two emotional cases probe the complexities.Two young women 鈥� teenager Jahi McMath in California and mother Marlise Munoz in Texas 鈥� have both been deemed brain-dead, a final state according to statutes. But both cases have spawned legal fights.
NSA reform? Obama faces headwinds in a Congress divided on surveillance policy.Views on Capitol Hill over reforming NSA policies aren't breaking along party lines, as libertarian Republicans join with leftist Democrats to oppose the mass collection of phone records.
Can police search suspect's cellphone with no warrant? Supreme Court to rule.The Supreme Court has allowed police to search closed containers found on a suspect, but defense lawyers say cellphones now hold so much data that a warrant must be obtained.
Ohio executes killer: Was untested lethal injection 'cruel and unusual'?Ohio execution of killer used an untested form of lethal injection, and it took almost 25 minutes for the inmate to die.聽Opponents of capital punishment want a ban on such executions.
Pennsylvania judge guts voter ID law, calling it burdensomeThe photo ID provisions of the Pennsylvania voter ID law 'violate the fundamental right to vote,' the judge wrote, but he found no evidence it sought to intentionally disenfranchise Democratic voters.
'Net neutrality' ruling will turn Internet into cable TV, critics sayAs a result of the court ruling, telecommunications giants are now free to charge higher rates for certain content providers. Critics say it will create a system of online haves and have-nots.聽
Keep your distance: Supreme Court takes up protesters outside abortion clinicsMassachusetts requires protesters to stay 35 feet away from abortion clinics. Opponents arguing before the US Supreme Court Wednesday said the law hinders the free speech of antiabortion counselors.
New Mexico school shooting: Were some students warned ahead of time?Police in Roswell, N.M., are investigating reports that the alleged 12-year-old shooter at聽Berrendo Middle School聽may have told some students to stay away. Experts say this could be a typical bid for social status.
US judge strikes down Oklahoma gay marriage ban as 'arbitrary, irrational'Oklahoma's 2004 ban restricts marriage to a union between one man and one woman. The judge said it 'intentionally discriminates against same-sex couples,' violating equal protection guarantees.
