All Law & Courts
- Obamacare contraception: Could religious exemption be headed to Supreme Court?Sharp disagreement between US appeals courts suggests the issue of religious exemptions for the Obamacare contraception requirement could be on a fast track to the Supreme Court.
How Bradley Manning's 'aiding the enemy' charge could jolt journalismIf publishing sensitive government information online, even with the intent of exposing perceived wrongdoing, is 'aiding the enemy,' investigative journalism could be seriously affected. But that could be the big takeaway from the Bradley Manning trial.
Voting Rights Act fallout: Holder signals tough stance on TexasAttorney General Eric Holder announced Thursday that the Justice Department would urge a federal judge to order Texas to continue to submit all election law changes to Washington for preapproval. Last month, the Supreme Court struck down a portion of the Voting Rights Act.
Bradley Manning trial closing arguments ask: Why did he do it?Closing arguments in the Bradley Manning trial began Thursday. Prosecution and defense lawyers paint very different pictures of why the intelligence analyst leaked classified documents.
Russian hackers got 160 million bank card numbers, but that wasn't worst partFederal prosecutors say they've blown open the largest hacking ring in US history, indicting four Russians and a Ukrainian. The biggest worry: One of them hacked into NASDAQ.
Senate urged to close Guant谩namo and bring terror suspects to USThe president of Human Rights First, which has campaigned to shut down Guant谩namo, testified at the聽hearing, the first time in five years the issue has been debated by Judiciary Committee members.
Whitey Bulger trial: Are underworld figures reliable witnesses?Stephen 'The Rifleman' Flemmi, James 'Whitey' Bulger鈥檚 former crime partner, is spending days in the witness chair, pitting one less-than-reputable character against another.
Appeals court: Congress overstepped with its 'Jerusalem, Israel' designationThe ruling, in the case of parents who wanted their son's US passport to read 'Jerusalem, Israel' as his place of birth, said Congress intruded on the exclusive power of the executive branch in passing a 2002 law.
Same-sex marriage: Ohio judge opens new frontier for gay activistsA federal judge gave a same-sex couple married in Maryland but living in Ohio, which has banned gay marriage, the right to some marriage benefits. Similar lawsuits are expected to follow.
Whitey Bulger trial reveals sordid gang underworld in shocking detailThe testimony of Stephen Flemmi Tuesday in the James 'Whitey' Bulger case marked some of the most sordid moments in a trial filled with them as the defense sought to discredit Bulger's former associate.
Whitey Bulger trial: 'Rifleman' Flemmi describes 'death house' murdersStephen 'the Rifleman' Flemmi, in a third day of testimony, told of four murders he said聽Boston crime boss Whitey Bulger聽carried out himself, three at the same South Boston home.
How will Obama defend secret NSA program in court? Letter offers clue.The ACLU is challenging the NSA's secret data-collection program in court. The Obama administration responded with a letter making its case for why the program is constitutional and necessary.
Whitey Bulger trial: 'Rifleman' Flemmi details murder after grisly murderThe graphic testimony by Stephen 'the Rifleman' Flemmi, Whitey Bulger's former partner in the Winter Hill Gang, may be the most important for prosecutors trying to build an iron-clad case.
Cellphone tracking: Police must obtain warrants, N.J. court saysState courts and legislatures are grappling with the murky legal principles governing police surveillance and privacy. One point of concern: GPS-enabled smart phones can now reveal razor-sharp details about a person鈥檚 movements.
Zimmerman won't get his gun back yet, per Justice Department. What's up?The US Justice Department wants the George Zimmerman gun and other physical evidence in the Trayvon Martin shooting to be held intact, pending its civil rights probe. That might signal stepped-up activity by the feds, but analysts see reason to doubt they will ultimately file charges.
Feds target 'stand your ground' laws, but what can they do?Neither Congress nor the executive branch can force states to change their laws, and courts have been skeptical about attempts to strike down stand your ground legislation. At least one juror has said this law was a key factor in the George Zimmerman verdict.
'Rifleman' Flemmi's opening salvo: Whitey Bulger was FBI informantThe former crime partner of James 'Whitey' Bulger testified Thursday that the two were FBI informants 鈥� and that Bulger took the lead in managing the relationship with the bureau. Meanwhile, in a bizarre twist, a potential witness turns up dead.
Snowden leaks give new life to lawsuits challenging NSA surveillance programsDocuments Edward Snowden leaked about sweeping NSA surveillance programs have emboldened privacy advocates and government watchdog groups to file a new round of lawsuits challenging the programs' constitutionality.- Bradley Manning trial: 'Aiding the enemy' charges stand, but hard to proveThe judge in the military trial of Bradley Manning ruled Thursday she would not dismiss the 'aiding the enemy' charges. But prosecutors so far have proved neither intent nor harm, observers say.聽
Whitey Bulger to face 'The Rifleman,' his right-hand man, in courtStephen 'The Rifleman' Flemmi is expected to testify in the James 'Whitey' Bulger case Thursday. As Bulger's former partner in crime, Flemmi could be crucial to the prosecution.
