All Law & Courts
First LookSupreme Court OKs exemptions to Obama-era birth control policyThe U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of allowing certain employers to opt out of providing no-cost contraceptive. The ruling is a victory for the Trump administration, but critics say it could leave tens of thousands of women without access to affordable birth control.
First LookDakota Access pipeline halted pending environmental reviewA judge ordered the Dakota Access pipeline, the target of major protests in 2016 and 2017, to stop operations for environmental review. The move is a win for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, whose reservation sits just south of the pipeline.
First LookJustices rule states can back popular presidential voteWith less than four months before the 2020 election, the Supreme Court ruled states can require electors to back the state's popular vote winner in the Electoral College. A state's electors "have no ground for reversing the vote of millions of its citizens," Justice Elena Kagan wrote.
How George Floyd鈥檚 death united Africans and African-AmericansAfrican immigrants have not always felt at home in African-American communities. Black Lives Matter protests may be changing that.
Principle over politics? Why Chief Justice Roberts upheld abortion rights.Chief Justice Roberts鈥� opinion on abortion adds to a throughline in his jurisprudence indicating conservative goals have to meet base legal standards.
First LookSupreme Court rules public funds can go toward religious schoolsIn a 5-4 ruling, the Supreme Court decided that if聽a state chooses to subsidize private education, it cannot differentiate between religious and secular schools. Tuesday's decision is the latest of several rulings to validate claims of religion-based discrimination.聽
First LookSupreme Court rules on executive power, abortion rightsOn Monday, in the first big abortion case of the Trump era, the court struck down a Louisiana law regulating abortion clinics. The court also ruled on the president's executive powers.聽
The ExplainerWhy are bad cops so hard to bring to justice? Three questions.After the killing of George Floyd, the 鈥渜ualified immunity鈥� doctrine and the shield it gives police accused of excessive force has been under scrutiny.
First Look#Justice4Elijah: In Colorado, a new BLM rallying cry emergesColorado is reopening its investigation into the death of Elijah McClain in police custody nearly a year ago. The chokehold used on Mr. McClain has been banned in several cities following George Floyd's death, and his story is finding new momentum online.
First LookTrump applauds court's decision to drop Michael Flynn caseIn a 2-1 decision, a D.C. circuit court of appeals ruled to drop the case against Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI. The court's decision comes as Democrats on Capitol Hill question whether the Justice Department has become too politicized.
Why even 鈥榯he Atlanta way鈥� faces a reckoning on policingThe arrest of former officer Garrett Rolfe on murder charges for shooting Rayshard Brooks has put Atlanta at the forefront of a wrenching debate.
First LookNearly all Americans want criminal justice reform, poll findsAfter weeks of demonstrations, Americans overwhelmingly favor significant changes to the country鈥檚 criminal justice system, according to a new poll from the The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.聽
First LookWhat a shift in public opinion means for powerful police unionsPolice unions historically have had strong political influence over local U.S. police departments. But facing protests and shifting attitudes on law enforcement, Minneapolis leaders are signaling support for legislation denounced by the city's union.
First LookTop Manhattan prosecutor leaves job after standoff with BarrAs the Trump administration moved to replace him, Geoffrey S. Berman, a powerful U.S. attorney in New York, at first resisted and then stepped down.
Cover Story鈥業t鈥檚 way past time to try something new鈥�: The push to defund policeCan today鈥檚 drive to reimagine policing address what decades of incremental reforms have failed to do?
How rule of law saved DACA, for nowThe Supreme Court, with its second major ruling this week, voted 5-4 to block the termination of the DACA program.
Violent racism: Can Floyd protests break an old cycle? (video)Cycles of racial violence, protest, and progress mark 20th- and 21st-century America. What will it take to move forward?聽
First LookHow will Floyd protests impact prosecutor-police relationships?On Wednesday, Fulton County prosecutors charged Atlanta officer Garrett Rolfe with murder for聽Rayshard Brooks' death. Amid George Floyd protests,聽"the politics of not wanting to appear to go against the police union are over," said Chicago's top prosecutor.聽
First LookSupreme Court rejects Trump's promise to end DACAIn the second big liberal victory at the Supreme Court this week,聽the court rejected President Donald Trump鈥檚 effort to end legal protections for 650,000 young immigrants. "We'll keep living our lives in the meantime," one DACA recipient said after the ruling.聽
Why Gorsuch upheld civil rights for LGBTQ AmericansMonday鈥檚 6-3 Supreme Court ruling granting workplace protections to LGBTQ Americans immediately ranks among the court鈥檚 blockbuster opinions.
