All Law & Courts
Florida mom to get new trial: Did court detect a 'stand your ground' inequity?Marissa Alexander, serving time for firing a warning shot in what she said was self-defense, will get a new trial, a Florida appeals court rules. Her defenders asked why the state's 'stand your ground' law didn't apply to her.听
Is California going too far to protect celebrity kids from paparazzi?A new California law toughens fines and jail time for paparazzi who harass children. But some groups say the law is too broad and could hurt more legitimate news gathering.
After Chicago shooting, should state police be sent in to help?Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn floated the idea of sending in state police, which has met with mixed reviews. Four men have now been charged in connection with the Chicago shooting that occurred last week.
Ex-FBI bomb expert pleads guilty to leaking terror plot secrets to APUnder a plea deal, the former FBI expert said he provided an AP reporter with secret information about a thwarted terrorist attack. He also agreed to plead guilty to child pornography charges.- Best yogurt ever! Fake online reviews targeted by N.Y. attorney general.Nineteen companies have agreed to pay more than $350,000 in penalties for breaking laws against false advertising and deceptive business practices, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced Monday.
Wisconsin union fight rumbles toward state Supreme CourtA county judge who had ruled in favor of unions 鈥� and against Wisconsin's collective-bargaining law 鈥� this week refused to issue a broad injunction before the state Supreme Court rules.
Danziger Bridge retrial takes New Orleans back to Katrina chaosProsecutorial misconduct cost New Orleans convictions in a case where police officers were accused of firing on unarmed storm victims and then charging a man with murder in a coverup.
Idaho man pleads guilty to firing assault rifle at White HouseA believer in several theories of government control, including via fluoride and aspartame, he聽fired several shots at the White House in 2011 with an AK-47-style assault rifle he bought privately.
Jerry Sandusky lawyers ask for a retrial. Do they have grounds?The legal team for convicted pedophile Jerry Sandusky argued Tuesday that he didn鈥檛 receive a fair trial because of an 鈥榓dverse comment鈥� by the lead prosecutor in his closing statement, among other things.
Obamacare: Court declines company request to block contraception mandateIn all, more than 50 companies have challenged the Obamacare contraception mandate on religious grounds. Given a split in how appeals courts have ruled, it鈥檚 likely the US Supreme Court will eventually take up the issue.
FISC judge orders review of secret court rulings on NSA phone surveillanceA judge on the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court set in motion a process that could give the public more information on the legal opinions behind the vast surveillance of phone records exposed by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
Same-sex marriage: Pa. judge orders clerk to stop issuing licenses to couplesMore than 100 couples wed in Pennsylvania after receiving licenses from a county clerk who declared, after the Supreme Court DOMA ruling, that the state ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. Only a court can make that ruling, the judge said.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel apologizes for two decades of police tortureChicago has already paid out about $85 million to compensate victims of police abuse, and it has set aside $27 million for 2013 alone. 'This is not who we are,' Mayor Rahm Emanuel said.
Sexual assault on campus: Yale tries to clarify 'consent'When Yale released its latest semi-annual report on sexual misconduct this summer it faced criticism for the phrase 'nonconsensual sex' and for punishments seen as too light.
NSA repeatedly ignored court surveillance rules, documents showThis latest document release marks a bid by the Obama administration, after massive leaks by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, to demonstrate transparency on surveillance policy and privacy safeguards.
Legal marijuana: US defends decision not to challenge two states' lawsThe Obama administration's stance on Colorado and Washington's marijuana laws is not an abdication of responsibility to uphold federal narcotics laws, a Justice official told senators.- Dear US lawyer: I'm overseas and need your help (and trust account)In a twist to the classic Nigerian scam offering to share a vast fortune over the Internet, a sophisticated ring found a way to mine lawyer trust accounts and come up with gold.
As Arizona woman exits prison pending retrial, questions about confessionsDebra Milke, who spent 23 years in an Arizona prison for the murder of her young son, was out on bond Friday to await a new trial. Her case revives questions about confessions to police.
Washington State issues how-to regs on growing, selling marijuanaWashington State voters approved legalizing marijuana. Now, state officials are working out the regulations for growing, distributing, and selling pot. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, so Uncle Sam is keeping a close eye.
Should undocumented immigrant get a law license? California court to decide.The California Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday about whether it should grant a law license to Sergio Garcia, who put himself through college and law school and passed the bar exam.
