All Law & Courts
First LookCongressional sources name Merrick Garland as Obama's Supreme Court pickPresident Obama says he will announce his Supreme Court nominee at 11 am Wednesday morning. But with pushback from the Republican-controlled Senate, will any candidates stand a chance?
Accused Kalamazoo shooter says Uber app took him overJason Dalton told police that the ride-hailing app had taken control of him when he shot and killed six people in southwestern Michigan last month.聽
Why many black voters don't blame Hillary for tough-on-crime lawsLong-time residents in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood say they remember the high crime of the 1990s. How they've changed since points to broader shifts within the black community.聽
First LookS.C. trooper pleads guilty in shooting of unarmed black man. How common?Sean Groubert faces up to 20 years in prison for the 2014 shooting of Levar Jones. More police officers have been charged in fatal shootings in recent years, but they are still rare, with convictions even rarer still.
Justice Dept. tells state judges to stop targeting the poorIn a letter to state judges nationwide,聽the DOJ 聽condemned the practice of jailing people over failure to pay traffic tickets, court fees, or fines for petty offenses.聽
Armed citizen stops hatchet attack in Wash. state. How common is that?A concealed carry permit holder fatally shot a masked attacker in a Washington state 7-Eleven store on Sunday.
First LookDOJ to state judges: time to end 'pay or stay' imprisonmentThe Justice Department is concerned that some local court systems are levying excessive fees and fines on poor defendants in order to raise revenue, creating a system of modern-day debtors' prisons.
First LookThird suspect arrested in Maryland police ambush. Are attacks on cops rising?Three men, all brothers, have been arrested in connection with Sunday's fatal attack on a Maryland police station.聽Police ambushes aren't necessarily increasing, but fatal attacks do seem to be on the rise.
First LookStaging begins for the second biggest political battle of 2016: replacing ScaliaWith President Obama expected to announce a nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia as early as this week, both political parties are preparing judicial campaigns of an unprecedented size and scale.
Polygamous sect verdict: Why religion is no longer a shield for crimeThe verdict against two FLDS-run towns this week shows Americans are drawing a deeper distinction between religious and criminal activity, especially against women and children.
First LookUtah legislator abandons push to end death penalty, but attempt is tellingThe fact that such a push came from a Republican senator is emblematic of the shifting views of the death penalty, given the party's historic staunch support of the practice.
First LookWhy Mark Zuckerberg is defending Obama's immigration actionsAs of Thursday morning, some 5,000 people have signed the Facebook founder's brief urging the US Supreme Court to greenlight President Obama's聽Deferred Action for Parents of Americans.
First LookFlorida police urge parents to secure guns after 4-year-old shoots momA gun control advocacy group estimates that in 2015, there were 265 children who accidentally shot themselves or someone else with a firearm.
Baltimore video sheds new light on police violence in schoolsFew school police officers are arrested. But a video of an incident involving two Baltimore school police officers is raising questions.
First LookHow would religious freedom bill affect gay marriages in Missouri?The proposed law is the latest attempt to solidify religious liberties of individuals opposed to same-sex marriage at the state level following a landmark US Supreme Court ruling.
First LookWere police justified in shooting an Oregon occupier in the back?Prosecutors say the shooting death of聽Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupier聽Robert 'LaVoy' Finicum was justified by his actions, despite objections from his family.
Are gun permits an affront to freedom? West Virginia says yes.Drastically different views of rights and responsibilities separate pro- and anti-gun perspectives, leading to today's impasse. Could a 'responsible middle' find its voice?聽- First LookFlint families seek financial compensation for lead crisisA federal lawsuit alleges that tens of thousands of residents of Flint, Mich., have suffered physical and economic injuries and damages as a result of exposure to lead in the city's drinking water.
Judge to rule on two polygamous towns in Arizona and UtahIn Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, the judge has several options, including disbanding the towns' shared police force, one of the targets in the Monday's verdict.
First LookIt just got a bit harder to sentence convicts to death in FloridaThe new law is a nod to the slow but steady shift away from capital punishment nationwide 鈥� even as it maintains Florida鈥檚 status as one of a handful of states that does not require a unanimous jury decision for an execution.
