All Law & Courts
First LookSessions rules domestic, gang violence not grounds for seeking asylumIn a 31-page decision Attorney General Jeff Sessions has ruled that judges cannot "generally" accept victims of domestic or gang violence to be given asylum. Immigration advocates say there could be tens of thousands of domestic violence cases in court backlogs.听 聽
Next up for prison reform: how best to use education as a path forwardWith high incarceration rates, the United States is focused on reducing recidivism. Providing access to education is one way to do so, offering a sense of engagement and value to those who are transitioning back into society.
With cake-shop ruling, high court urges respect for both sidesThe careful calibration of Monday's US Supreme Court ruling in the Masterpiece Cake Shop case resulted in no sweeping decision. Instead, it "invited us all to turn down the heat in the culture wars," says one legal scholar.
In Boston, pushback on controversial ICE tactic separating familiesA federal court is examining the legality of ICE's practice of detaining unauthorized immigrants with US spouses at their green-card hearings. Thomas Brophy, acting director for New England, testified last week that ICE agents in the seven-state region would stop the practice.
FocusDetained immigrant children bring scrutiny to Trump鈥檚 border policyPresident Trump, who campaigned on strengthening US borders, introduced a new policy early this month of separating children from parents who have crossed into the United States illegally. Separately, the government recently admitted that it was unable to locate 1,475 unaccompanied minors.
First LookIllinois becomes 37th state to ratify Equal Rights AmendmentThe Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), a ruling that would guarantee women equal rights in the United States Constitution, was passed Wednesday in the state of Illinois. One more state needs to pass the ERA for it to be included within the US Constitution.听
First LookSupreme Court upholds Arkansas law restricting medication-induced abortionsPlanned Parenthood attempted to appeal a decision to restrict medication-induced abortions in Arkansas, but was denied a hearing by Supreme Court justices. The decision has reinforced Republican-supported laws that aim to limit abortion services.听
First LookDischarged veterans work to end employment discriminationFor veterans who receive less-than-honorable discharges from the military, finding a job can be a major challenge. But a group of advocates have begun to push state and federal governments to prevent employers from considering discharge status in hiring.听
First LookStuck in legal limbo, Dreamers fight to practice lawDACA recipients have now had just enough time to graduate from high school, get a bachelor's degree, and now, in some cases, a law degree. Those who have聽are positioning themselves for a fight to be able to practice law.听
Setback for workers: What fallout as Supreme Court OKs forced arbitration?Some employers have faced allegations of widespread workplace discrimination or cheating workers on their pay. Yet increasingly workers are asked to waive any right to class-action lawsuits in order to be hired. A Supreme Court ruling now gives employers added leverage.
First LookSouth Dakota seeks to strengthen victim-centered criminal justiceMarsy's Law, which requires crime victims to be updated about developments to their cases, has seen growing support around the US. But in South Dakota, law enforcement has found unexpected burdens with the legislation 鈥� and is now pushing to amend it.听
First LookConcerns of court backlog intensifies as border prosecutions riseSome judges and attorneys worry that the courts are headed to backlogs due to lack of resources similar to those experienced seven years ago at the height of Obama-era crackdowns on immigrants illegally crossing the border.听
First LookLocal authorities struggle with ICE over bringing detainees to courtLast year, Massachusetts refused requests from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to send unauthorized immigrants with criminal charges to the department after they had been tried. Since then, ICE has largely denied detained people their day in court.听
An unprecedented effort to stem opioid crisis 鈥� and the judge behind itJudge Daniel A. Polster in Cleveland is overseeing some 700 lawsuits through a process that has been used to address everything from the Volkswagen emissions scandal to the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam.
First LookWith primaries approaching, states push for election security reviewsThe Department of Homeland Security has been working to review the election systems of states across the US. As many states are facing elections for hotly contested congressional seats, concerns over meddling by Russian hackers has increased.听
First LookSouth Dakota simulation explores pitfalls of reentry after prisonThe South Dakota National Guard Armory recently hosted an event in which 50 participants played the role of a person just leaving prison. The challenges they encountered taught the community about the difficulties former inmates face after serving their sentences.听
With dueling DACA cases, Supreme Court showdown seems inevitableTexas and six other states sued this week to end DACA; New York plus 15 states and the District of Columbia are suing to keep it. The end result is likely to be the Supreme Court weighing in on the breadth of presidential power in immigration.
First LookOklahoma, Kansas pass legislation allowing religious veto on LGBT adoptionsThe legislation allows faith-based adoption agencies to not place children in homes with LGBT parents. Supporters say the measures protect religious聽freedoms,聽while opponents see them as discriminatory.
First Look#MeToo advocates see Cosby conviction as validationBefore #MeToo became a global movement, a jury failed to return a verdict in Bill Cosby's first trial on sexual assault charges. Now, #MeToo advocates say his conviction will embolden other victims to seek justice.听
First LookJury finds Bill Cosby guilty in sexual assault retrialIn the first celebrity trial of the #MeToo era, Bill Cosby was convicted of drugging and molesting a woman in 2004. Five other women testified during the retrial that Cosby had assaulted them as well, a fraction of the more than 60 who have accused the former TV star.
