All Law & Courts
First LookJudge challenges Native American custody lawA Texas judge has declared the Indian Child Welfare Act unconstitutional. It is the most serious challenge to the law since its passage in 1978, but several high-profile cases have questioned the legality of the law, which was originally designed to give Native American families preference in adoption proceedings.
First LookCalifornia governor takes aim at death penaltyGov. Gavin Newsom plans to sign a moratorium on executions, granting聽reprieve for the state鈥檚 737 death-row inmates. The moves counter a 2016 ballot measure in which Californians voted to speed up death-row punishments.
First LookPlaying up substance abuse: Indictments call out prison rehab scamsIndictments in Connecticut spotlight the unregulated world of prison consulting, where ex-convicts and former prison employees charge thousands of dollars for know-how on scamming the system. White-collar convicts have made increasing use of the schemes.
First LookVerdict: Paul Manafort to serve four years in jail for tax and bank fraudFormer Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort has been sentenced to 47 months in prison for tax and bank fraud related to his work advising Ukrainian politicians. Defending attorneys and the judge agreed Mr. Manafort would never have been charged if it were not for special counsel Robert Mueller's probe.
It鈥檚 not a bust, 鈥榠t鈥檚 a rescue鈥�: Florida sting shows shift on traffickingAn eight-month investigation uncovered a clandestine operation that trafficked Asian sex workers through four counties, two states, and involved more than 200 alleged johns, including New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
A tale of two hate crimes: a hoax unraveled and a plot foiledCriminologists say a hoax should not be used to dismiss the atmosphere that prosecutors say actor Jussie Smollett sought to manipulate. Hate crimes increased for the third year in a row in 2017, up 17 percent, according to the FBI.
How New Orleans police went from 鈥榤ost corrupt鈥� to model forceCan the federal government really fix corruption in police departments, or do federal monitors increase crime by lowering officer morale? New Orleans 鈥� once known as the most abusive cop shop in the US 鈥� shows that lasting reform is possible.
First LookUnder new laws, San Francisco works to lift prior pot convictionsWhen Californians voted to allow adult use of marijuana in 2016, an estimated 200,000 past pot convictions became eligible for erasure or reduction. Now a tech nonprofit, Code for America, is solving the biggest hurdle to identifying those cases.
Cover StorySolving the unsolved: How cities are turning up heat on cold casesIn 1965, US detectives routinely cleared nearly 90 percent of murder cases. Today, 40 percent of homicides go unsolved, according to the FBI Uniform Crime Report.- One year after Parkland, what has 鈥� and hasn鈥檛 鈥� changedSince the shooting in Parkland, Fla., one year ago today, nine states (for a total of 14) have implemented 鈥渞ed flag鈥� laws that allow temporary seizure of weapons for a range of reasons, from domestic battery to social media threats.
Beyond guilt or innocence, should jurors weigh if law is worth enforcing?Advocates for reviving 鈥榡ury nullification鈥櫬爏ay it could help make the criminal justice system fairer, but critics argue it might give juries too much power to simply ignore the rule of law. 聽聽
First LookJudge: Manafort lied to investigators in Russia probeA judge has ruled that Trump's former campaign chairman misled the FBI, prosecutors, and a federal grand jury about a co-defendant linked to Russian intelligence. The revelation largely rejects attorneys' argument that Paul Manafort hadn't intentionally mislead investigators.
First LookNotorious drug lord Joaqu铆n 'El Chapo' Guzm谩n convictedMexico's near-mythical outlaw, who spent years running an industrial-scale smuggling operation, could spend decades in a聽maximum-security US prison. The complex trial lasted three months.
First LookSupreme Court halts Louisiana abortion clinic lawPresident Trump made a campaign promise to appoint "pro-life" justices. But in a first test,聽Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's four liberals in putting a hold on a law聽that would require abortion providers to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals.
A storied New England school lets in a watchdog to curb sexual assaultWhy N.H. Attorney General created new job to protect prep school students
First LookPuerto Rico's bleak finances brighten with debt restructuringFour years after Puerto Rico defaulted on聽billions of dollars in bonds, a federal judge has approved a debt restructuring deal that will help bondholders recoup their losses and help the island's government gain credit 鈥� both with investors and Puerto Ricans.
鈥榃e鈥檙e all border counties now.鈥� Sheriffs鈥� new role as immigration expertsAs border security and immigration have become the foremost political and policy issue of the Trump administration, the reaction from sheriffs has been as mixed 鈥� and polarized 鈥� as the general public鈥檚.
First LookDOJ's Whitaker: Russia probe 'close' to completionActing Attorney General Matthew Whitaker's words are a departure for the Justice Department, which rarely comments on the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The two-year probe has charged 34 individuals, including several close to the president.
First LookDrug company founder on trial for prescription bribery schemeInsys Therapeutics Inc. founder John Kapoor, accused聽of scheming to bribe doctors into prescribing a powerful painkiller, will be tried in Boston's federal court. The case is聽putting a spotlight on the nation's deadly opioid crisis.
First LookSupreme Court permits transgender restrictions in militaryIn a reversal of Obama-era rulings, the Supreme Court gave the Trump administration permission to bar transgender men and women from future military enrollment. Lower courts still continue to hear cases on the issue, but the ruling likely portends the ultimate outcome.
