All Law & Courts
3-D plastic guns: How the political script has flipped on First AmendmentThe advent of 3-D-printable plastic guns raises far more than safety questions. It's unleashed a powerful debate over the free flow of information.
First LookTrump administration supports Obama's national monument expansionFormer President Barack Obama nearly doubled the size of Oregon's聽Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument during his final week in office. In an unusual turn events, the Trump administration is defending that expansion in court.
For immigration lawyers, legal and emotional tests in navigating changed systemDelays in reunifying separated migrant families underscore the hardened stance that their advocates now face. Immigration courts are becoming more adversarial as a result.聽
Outspoken death-row inmate calls Nevada鈥檚 bluffScott Dozier鈥檚 case could push states that have retained the death penalty but have virtually stopped carrying it out to make a choice: Abolish it or find an acceptable method of execution.
First LookAfter Helsinki fallout, Trump invites Putin to WashingtonAfter being widely criticized for his Helsinki summit performance, President Trump is organizing a second meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin who last visited the White House in 2005.
First LookLGBT activists sound alarms about KavanaughDespite little evidence of his views on LGBT matters, some gay-rights supporters worry Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's conservative聽voting history means he will vote against expansions of LGBT rights as a justice.
First LookJudge temporarily stops deportation of reunified familiesOn Monday, US District Judge Dana Sabraw halted deportations of immigrant families for at least a week. The ACLU had requested families have at least one week after reunification to pursue asylum, an issue the judge held off on deciding until next week.聽
First LookUS states change up suspect lineup policies to improve accuracyHalf of all US states have adopted new policies to prevent eyewitnesses from being swayed by police or other influences. Eyewitness misidentifications were a factor in 71 percent of the more than 350 wrongful convictions overturned by post-conviction DNA, according to聽The Innocence Project.聽
What new Mueller indictments say about his directionOn Friday, special counsel Robert Mueller鈥檚 team indicted 12 Russian military intelligence officers for allegedly hacking into the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign.
First LookDemocrats raise questions about Kavanaugh's views on executive powerSupreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has previously written that presidents should not have to face criminal investigations or civil lawsuits while in office, be exempt from subpoenas, and have the power to fire special counsels.
First LookFBI reopens Emmett Till murder case in light of possible new informationA book published last year, "The Blood of Emmett Till," may have inspired the FBI to reopen a closed murder case. The brutal murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in 1955 is thought to have been the spark that ignited the civil rights movement.聽
The last 'swing'? High court 'reliability' and rule of lawThe question of judicial impartiality may have been a veiled fiction, as some legal scholars say. But the removal of that veil when it comes to Supreme Court and other nominations could result in a polarized judicial branch.
First LookPoll: Americans have relatively high confidence in Supreme CourtA Gallup survey found that 37 percent of Americans have a great deal of confidence in the Supreme Court, while another 42 percent have "some" confidence. Fewer Americans 鈥� only 11 percent 鈥� have high confidence in Congress.聽
First LookTrump nominates GOP favorite Brett Kavanaugh for Supreme CourtPresident Trump's nomination of conservative Brett Kavanaugh has received聽mixed responses as Judge Kavanaugh聽is expected to be less progressive than his predecessor former Justice Anthony Kennedy on prominent social issues such as abortion and gay marriage.
FocusWith 'zero tolerance,' new strain on already struggling immigration courtsImmigration court judges have a bench-side view of the stresses already placed on the system. The Monitor's Texas bureau chief interviewed former and current judges about the effects of the Trump administration's changes.
First LookVermont rolls out a new idea to rehabilitate young offendersOffenders under 21 have the highest rates of recidivism and Vermont wants to end that cycle. The state became the first to pass a law, the first stage of which went into effect July 1, that allows some teenagers 18 and older to be persecuted through the juvenile justice system instead of the adult criminal system.
With departure of swing vote, a pivotal moment for the Supreme CourtJustice Anthony Kennedy was the crucial fifth vote on cases from Bush v. Gore, which gave the presidency to George W. Bush, to Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage.
Court ruling a blow, not a knockout, to public unionsBy ruling that public sector unions couldn't compel nonmembers to pay contributions, the US Supreme Court has presented new challenges to the political and economic clout of organized labor at a time of rising inequality.聽
First LookFederal judge orders for separated families to be reunited within 30 daysIf children are younger than 5, the judge in California said they must be reunited with their parents within 14 days, but it's unclear how border authorities will meet these deadlines issued by the federal judge.聽
In travel ban decision, Supreme Court shows judicial deference to presidencyIn a 5-to-4 vote along ideological lines, the high court reversed a lower court injunction blocking the order鈥檚 implementation.
