All Law & Courts
- Arizona reaches settlement on controversial immigration lawThe state concluded a drawn out legal battle with rights groups this week, after years of debate about requirements that law enforcement officials check the immigration status of individuals suspected of being illegal immigrants.聽
- Top cop retires, ending tough-on-crime era in NYC. What's next?Commissioner Bratton steps down after four decades of reducing crime in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles. But in the wake of protests and shootings, many police departments are now working on rebuilding trust with their communities.聽
- First LookCinemark drops bid to recoup $700,000 in litigation costs from Aurora victimsCinemark, having successfully fought a lawsuit brought on by victims of the 2012 Colorado theater shooting, will not pursue incurred legal costs.
- Inmates on strike: Will it shift the conversation about US prisoners' rights?A nationwide inmate strike could lead to more public conversations about reforming America's criminal justice system.
- Muslim leaders say suspect's arson doesn't 'speak on behalf of his religion'A 32-year-old Florida man has been arrested and is facing a charge of arson and hate crime in a fire that heavily damaged a mosque that Orlando nightclub gunman Omar Mateen attended, authorities announced Wednesday.
- Prosecutor: Occupiers being tried for actions, not beliefsAttorneys for the seven defendants countered in opening arguments that the occupiers were engaged in a peaceful, legitimate protest.
- Why two police departments stopped using body camerasAbout a third of the nation's 18,000 police agencies are either testing body cameras or have embraced them. But police in Indiana and Connecticut suspended their body camera programs citing high video-storage costs.
- John Hinckley Jr.: How Reagan assassination attempt changed gun controlJohn Hinckley, Jr., a mentally ill would-be assassin spurred gun control with the 1993 Brady Act. How much has the Brady law really changed gun control in the United States?
- National anthem protest and Sept. 11: Why Brandon Marshall lost a sponsorBrandon Marshall loses sponsor. Why more NFL players now say they will also protest the national anthem 鈥 this time during the Sept. 11, 2001 commemoration events on Sunday.
- Why red state voting laws keep getting struck downA Michigan law banning 'straight-ticket voting' is the latest example, with the Supreme Court allowing it to be struck down Friday. Concerns over minority voting rights 鈥 and big data to back them 鈥 are having an effect.
- Straight-party voting can continue in Michigan: How many states allow it?So-called straight-party voting allows voters to聽support all candidates from one party with a single mark.
- Is Alabama鈥檚 judiciary too white?Appellate judges in Alabama are elected through an 'at-large' system that critics say discriminates against black judicial candidates in a state still struggling with a racially-charged past.
- Nevada native American tribes fight 'unequal' voting lawsTwo tribes have filed a lawsuit saying that the state refuses to open balloting stations close to their reservations.
- Obama nominates Muslim judge: Does diversity matter to justice?President Obama nominated Abid Riaz Qureshi, a Pakistan-born lawyer, to the US District Court for the District of Columbia. If confirmed, he would be the first ever Muslim judge to serve on the federal bench.
- With nomination of a Muslim federal judge, is Obama baiting Trump?The nomination of Abid Qureshi, who could potentially become the first Muslim American federal judge, highlights Obama's views about the importance of a diverse judiciary. But political strategy may be a factor as well.聽
- Bundy wildlife refuge occupation: How the trial breaks the legal moldThe trial of Ammon and Ryan Bundy and others for their armed occupation of聽Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon will begin Wednesday.聽
- Should adultery be a crime? It鈥檚 a felony in Idaho.Though rarely prosecuted, adultery is illegal in 21 states.
- Cold case revived: Suspect charged 25 years after teen鈥檚 deathFifteen-year-old聽Cateresa聽Matthews was kidnapped and murdered in 1991. Her case was reopened five years ago, after the five men who had been convicted in her death were exonerated by DNA evidence.
- First LookAmid record violence, Chicago's Rahm Emanuel to hire more police officersChicago has historically had a high per capita rate of police officers, but after the deadliest month in 20 years, city officials are asking if more might still be needed.
- First LookBrock Turner released: California considers mandatory sentence for rapeAs California law currently stands, prison time is not required if the victim was unconscious or unable to give consent.