All Law & Courts
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.
- Can protesters wave gruesome signs? Supreme Court declines free speech caseAntiabortion protesters waved the signs in public as they targeted a church in Denver. A Colorado court then barred the use of the signs, and on Monday the US Supreme Court refused to examine the free speech issues in the case.
Trayvon Martin shooting: Race hangs over case as trial beginsAs the trial of George Zimmerman begins Monday, the major legal question will be whether the defendant acted in self-defense. But the Trayvon Martin shooting also pokes at issues such as profiling, interracial crime fears, and vigilantism.
Who screamed? Limits of aural forensics in Trayvon Martin case could impact George Zimmerman鈥檚 defenseIn an unusual Saturday hearing, the judge is considering forensics evidence that could tie George Zimmerman聽鈥� or Trayvon Martin, the teenager Zimmerman shot and killed聽鈥� to cries heard on a 911 tape.
Arizona's Sheriff Joe Arpaio backs down on immigration. Will others follow?A federal judge ordered Sheriff Joe Arpaio to stop using race or ancestry聽to determine who is stopped for questioning. It聽could affect other states that followed Arizona's lead on illegal immigration.
Judge in George Zimmerman trial to rule: Can experts testify about 911 calls?The yells and pleas audible on several 911 calls could provide clues about whether George Zimmerman murdered Trayvon Martin. The judge in the case will decide whether audio experts can give the jury their analyses of the calls.
With Nidal Hasan bombshell, time to call Fort Hood shooting a terror attack?Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Army major facing court-martial for a mass shooting at Fort Hood in 2009, plans to argue that he acted in defense of the Taliban in Afghanistan. So much for the official US line that the shootings were an act of workplace violence, critics say.
Why military judge has hands full with Nidal Hasan court-martialWith Maj. Nidal Hasan defending himself during his court-martial for the 2009 Fort Hood mass shootings, the judge will have a difficult proceeding to manage to prevent a jihad 'circus.' Some expect to see parallels to trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, the missing 9/11 hijacker.
Jury selection begins in Whitey Bulger trial: Who can be picked?Some 225 people took part in the jury selection process Tuesday morning, with more pools to follow. There will be 12 jurors and six alternates for the Whitey Bulger trial.
Obama to Republicans: Don't block my judgesPresident Obama nominated three top lawyers to the D.C. Circuit, the nation's second most important court. The move signals a willingness to spend political capital on his legal legacy.聽
FocusWhitey Bulger trial and the FBI: How have rules about informants changed?James 'Whitey' Bulger is not the only one facing scrutiny as his trial begins Tuesday. So is the FBI, which infamously used Bulger as an informant for years. Today the FBI relies more heavily than ever on confidential informants, but under new rules.
