All Law & Courts
Whitey Bulger defense: Star witness lied before, could be lying nowThe defense for crime boss James 'Whitey' Bulger might have poked some holes in the testimony of key witness John Martorano, but it still faces an uphill battle.
Supreme Court limits judges' discretion on minimum sentencesAny fact that increases the mandatory minimum sentence for a crime must be determined by a jury, not a judge, the Supreme Court rules in an important Sixth Amendment case.
Whitey Bulger trial: Star witness tells of bungled murdersJohn Martorano, a close associate of James 'Whitey' Bulger, testified Monday, saying that Bulger was involved in numerous murders, including at least one that went badly wrong.
Arizona can't ask voters for proof of citizenship, Supreme Court rulesBy 7 to 2, the Supreme Court justices struck down Arizona's Proposition 200 as violating the National Voter Registration Act, which requires only a written declaration of US citizenship.
Alleged Minnesota Nazi: Could 94-year-old US citizen be deported?A notorious Nazi unit was commanded by Minnesota resident Michael Karkoc, according to the Associated Press. The US has tried to deport ex-Nazis in the past, with mixed success.
Minnesota Nazi: How did Nazi hunters miss Michael Karkoc?Minnesota Nazi:聽US, German, and Polish authorities are now taking a look at 94-year-old Michael Karkoc鈥檚 reputed past as a Nazi commander. 鈥楴azi hunters鈥� have had major successes and notable failures in finding and deporting Nazis.
Fort Hood shooting: Judge nixes Nidal Hasan defense strategy. What now?Army Maj. Nidal Hasan cannot use the defense that he acted to protect Taliban leaders from US soldiers deploying to Afghanistan, a military judge ruled Friday. His challenge now is to come up with another explanation to argue at his court-martial.
Edward Snowden: Whistle-blowing protections most likely won't helpWhile Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor, and others portray him as a heroic whistle-blower, his decision to make top secret documents public severely limits his legal protections, analysts say.
Obama, in surprise move, wades into NYPD 'stop and frisk' lawsuitA federal judge is poised to rule soon on the constitutionality of the NYPD's controversial 'stop and frisk' policy. The Obama administration this week said nothing on that point, but it did state its preferred remedy if the city loses the case.
Prospective Juror E-81: George Zimmerman is innocentAs lawyers questioned prospective jurors in the George Zimmerman murder trial, Juror E-81's responses highlighted why jury selection in the Trayvon Martin shooting is proving difficult, and exhausting.
Supreme Court rules that human genes cannot be patentedA medical breakthrough that isolates a genetic mutation does not amount to an invention meriting a patent, the US Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The decision makes it easier for researchers to engage in genetic research.
Free speech outside Supreme Court: Ban on protests in plaza struck downA 60-year-old statute barring all protest on the marble plaza outside the US Supreme Court is 'irreconcilable with the First Amendment,'聽a federal judge in Washington ruled.
Whitey Bulger trial opens with startling statement from defenseThe trial of James 'Whitey' Bulger began Wednesday, with the defense admitting Mr. Bulger was a criminal, but saying he was not guilty of two key murders and did not act as an informant.- Progress WatchChicago violence abates after 2012 homicide spikeThe city has boosted foot patrols in high-crime areas and is adding again to a downsized police force. It's too soon to say whether that explains a 33 percent drop in the homicide rate 鈥� or whether the improvement can be sustained.
- How well do you know your mob bosses and gangsters? Take our organized crime quiz.
Crime groups including the Mafia have long provoked both fear and fascination. Sometimes mob bosses have risen to wield extraordinary power 鈥� seemingly out of reach of the law 鈥� in cities in the US and beyond. And often they fall just as spectacularly. Here's a quiz that will test (and elevate) your street smarts in the world of "wise guys."
Trayvon Martin case: What does each side want in a jury?Jury selection in the Trayvon Martin case, in its third day, is now expected to last two weeks. Prosecutors, as well as lawyers for defendant George Zimmerman, are probing into prospective jurors' news habits, as well as their views about local crime.
Planned Parenthood, ACLU file suit to block new Alabama abortion lawAn Alabama abortion law passed this spring is an unlawful attempt to shut down abortion clinics in the state, say Planned Parenthood and the ACLU.
Cleveland kidnap case: Will the 3 women have to testify to ordeal?Ariel Castro, facing 329 criminal counts in connection with the kidnap and abuse of three Cleveland women, is back in court Wednesday. If he contests the charges, the women will need to testify, no matter how difficult that challenge.- Supreme Court rules in dispute over federal sentencing guidelinesThe Supreme Court ruled that a businessman was entitled to be sentenced under a version of sentencing guidelines in effect at the time he committed bank fraud, not the guidelines later enacted.
- Are Calif. labor-protest laws constitutional? Supreme Court turns away caseMembers of a labor union picketed a non-union grocery store in Sacramento, Calif. The US Supreme Court declined an appeal challenging the constitutionality of two state laws that allow such picketing.
