All Law & Courts
Florida theater shooting: Will suspect's age open door to 鈥榮tand your ground鈥�?Curtis Reeves was charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of a man in a Florida movie theater after officials decided 'stand your ground' didn't apply. But his age, 71, could create leeway.
Supreme Court justices question Obama's recess appointmentsThe Obama administration's top lawyer told justices that a ruling against the president would 'repudiate the constitutional legitimacy' of thousands of appointments. A lawyer for Senate Republicans calls the episode a 'complete abuse of the process.'- Abortion rights: Supreme Court leaves rejection of Arizona law in placeIn declining to take up the case, the Supreme Court let stand a Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that invalidated Arizona's law, which sought to restrict abortions after 20 weeks.
Obama's recess appointments: Supreme Court to hear landmark caseWho has the authority to decide when the Senate is officially in session, the president or senators themselves? The Supreme Court Monday will hear a case focusing on President Obama鈥檚 recess appointments.- Bridge scandal: Could Chris Christie face criminal charges?While Gov. Chris Christie defended himself at a press conference Thursday, the US attorney for New Jersey announced he's looking into whether the closure of lanes leading to the GW Bridge violated any federal laws.
US recognizes Utah same-sex marriages: What's behind Holder's unusual move?Saying the Supreme Court's stay had 'cast doubt' on the same-sex marriages performed in Utah, Attorney General Eric Holder said they would be fully recognized by the federal government.
No sexual assault charges in Maryville case, special prosecutor saysThe defendant in the Maryville, Mo., case, Matthew Barnett, 19, pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child. There was insufficient evidence for sexual assault charges, the prosecutor said.
JPMorgan to pay up for role in Madoff scheme. How much to the victims?JPMorgan, which never disclosed doubts about Madoff investments to US regulators, faces a $1.7 billion criminal penalty 鈥� the largest ever under Bank Secrecy Act. Madoff victims lost $18 billion.
Chicago gun laws rolled back again: US judge strikes down ban on gun storesChicago's ban on gun stores and private gun sales 'goes too far,' a federal judge says, another legal blow to the gun-control policies the city has employed in an effort to reduce crime.
Why Cuomo opened door, a bit, to medical marijuana in New YorkNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's shift on medical marijuana comes at the start of a reelection bid as progressives gain ground in a state known for its tough anti-pot enforcement.
'Jihad Jane,' who vowed to kill Swedish cartoonist, gets 10 years in prisonAn American woman who styled herself 'Jihad Jane' online was sentenced to 10 years for plotting to help Islamic militants and to kill a cartoonist who drew an offensive picture of the prophet.
Supreme Court halts gay marriages in Utah, pending appeals court decisionAn injunction by a federal judge in Utah last month has allowed more than 900 gay couples to marry. The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to block that injunction while litigation continues.
Lift stay of Obamacare contraception mandate in nuns' case, Supreme Court toldThe Obama administration argued that the stay of the Obamacare contraception mandate imposed by Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor is unneeded as the nuns are already entitled to a religious exemption.
Uighurs' release from Guant脿namo brings tragic ordeal to an endThree Muslims from China known as Uighurs were transferred from Guant脿namo to Slovakia Monday. They were the last of 22 Uighurs 鈥� all held without evidence of terror activity 鈥� to be released.
Terri Schiavo: how her family could affect Jahi McMath caseTerri Schiavo was taken off life support in 2005 despite her family's protests. Now, her family is intervening to try to keep Jahi McMath on a ventilator.
Justice Sotomayor blocks Obamacare contraception mandateSupreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor late Tuesday issued a temporary injunction preventing the government from requiring a group of nuns to comply with the contraceptive mandate included in 'Obamacare.' The mandate took effect at midnight.
Big question in Utah gay marriage battle: A fundamental right to marry?Friday is the next deadline in the gay marriage battle in Utah, as US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor considers how to handle the state's request to halt same-sex marriages pending appeal of a lower-court ruling allowing them. So far, she has asked gay couples to submit briefs.
Jahi McMath case: Does definition of 'death' need to be rethought?The family of Jahi McMath now has until Jan. 7 to move her from Children's Hospital Oakland, a California judge has ruled. Family members deem the teen to be alive, whereas six doctors have said death has occurred, as defined by law.
Why did Fort Hood shooter, a radical Muslim, request a Bible?Nidal Malik Hasan, convicted of killing 13 people in Fort Hood, Texas, in 2009, requested a Bible as he awaited trial. For a devout Muslim, it was not an odd request, scholars say.
Man who shot Tupelo police officers said to be bank robber killed in ArizonaLaw enforcement authorities believe the bank robber who shot two police officers in Tupelo, Miss., killing one, is the same man later killed in another attempted bank robbery in Phoenix.
