All Law & Courts
First LookFederal judge declares Ohio鈥檚 execution process unconstitutionalThough Magistrate Judge Michael Merz鈥檚 ruling is likely to be appealed, it points to a broader trend in concerns about the death penalty. New justice and economic arguments are also coming to the fore.
President Trump narrows Supreme Court nomination down to three judgesA person familiar with the selection process said the three judges, all white men who sit on federal appeals courts, were on the list of 21 potential high court picks Trump announced during the presidential campaign.
Emoluments lawsuit: Political maneuvering or a viable tactic?At issue is the seldom-litigated Foreign Emoluments Clause, which the plaintiffs say President Trump began violating Friday upon taking the oath of office.
First LookSupreme Court declines to hear appeal of Texan voter ID law, one of the nation's strictestThe Court's refusal to hear the appeal lets stand a lower court's 2016 decision that the statute violated federal laws against voter discrimination.聽
First LookOn Obama's last day in office, a final act of mercyPresident Obama punctuated his legacy of clemency and criminal justice reform on Thursday, commuting the sentences of 330 federal inmates convicted of drug crimes.- What鈥檚 in a name? Supreme Court to decide 'offensive' band name caseThe Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday about trademarking the name of Asian-American band 'The Slants.' Perceived as offensive by some, the band鈥檚 leader sees it differently.
Can Washington's Democrats and Republicans come together on capital punishment?Washington State's top officials proposed a bipartisan bill that would repeal capital punishment, marking a unified effort on an issue that historically has found more favor in the liberal camp.聽
Obama grants clemency to Chelsea Manning, taking decades off the former soldier's sentenceA former Army intelligence analyst, Manning has been serving a 35-year sentence for leaking more than 700,000 classified government and military documents to WikiLeaks, along with some battlefield video.
Widow of Orlando nightclub shooter charged: What does it mean to aid and abet a terrorist?Noor Salman, whose husband Omar Mateen rampaged through an LGBT nightclub last summer, killing 49, faces the possibility of life in prison.
FocusTerror and the Mexico border: How big a threat?Conservatives and the Obama administration have long disagreed about the threat of terrorists coming across the Mexico border. Data suggest the threat is not insignificant. Now, the Trump administration is poised to make it a priority.聽
Are terrorists crossing the US-Mexico border? Excerpts from the case file.There have been no terror attacks in the US homeland linked to the Mexico border, but the idea of terrorists using the frontier to gain access to the US is not merely hypothetical.
Police see shifts in what it means to wear the badgeMany police are starting to think about their jobs differently, so when it comes to police reform, police and civilians are largely on the same page, a survey finds. 聽
How Chicago could become first test for Trump on police reformThe Obama administration on Friday put the Chicago Police Department on path toward aggressive reform. But the Trump administration might have the last word.
First LookArmed citizen saves ambushed Arizona trooper: Argument for looser gun laws?A motorist is being hailed as a hero after coming to the aid of a state trooper. Arizona laws are some of the most friendly to gun owners.
First LookSan Diego police shooting deemed justified: Why?The officer who shot and killed Alfred Olango in a San Diego suburb last year will not face criminal charges, authorities announced Wednesday.
First LookTwo years after death of Freddie Gray, Baltimore set to announce reform planOn Thursday, Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh and US Attorney General Loretta Lynch will announce details of an agreement to reform the city's police department.聽
First LookDeath sentence for Dylann Roof: Charleston grapples with hate and graceCharleston's black community, especially, has struggled with a special kind of anguish and tribulation with racist roots and recent wounds.
North Carolina redistricting case sees another turn after Supreme Court ruling TuesdayThe US Supreme Court temporarily blocked a lower court ruling that had directed North Carolina legislators to redraw state legislative districts by March 15 and hold special elections within the altered districts this fall.
Fort Lauderdale shooting: Evidence of gaps in the mental health system?The Fort Lauderdale shooting may ignite fresh debates over whether聽law-enforcement and mental-health authorities could have done more to protect public safety.
Dylann Roof trial: In black Charleston, a struggle to find both justice and mercyWith the sentencing trial of Dylann Roof near, black Charlestonians weigh the punishment for his appalling crime against a deep-seated desire to find grace in the darkest moments. 聽
