All Law & Courts
First LookCash bail: Illinois to end 鈥榩rice tags on people鈥檚 freedom鈥�Illinois will be the first state to eliminate cash bail as a condition of pretrial release on Sept. 18. Critics of cash bail argue that the system disproportionately and unfairly affects Black people and other communities of color.
First LookMaui fires: TV and phone companies share responsibility, say lawyersLawyers for residents and business owners of Lahaina, Hawaii told a court that cable TV and telephone companies share in responsibility for last month鈥檚 fires. Power poles were overloaded with cables, they alleged, which caused them to break in high winds.
First LookJan. 6 sentencing: Proud Boys Enrique Tarrio gets 22 yearsFormer Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio has been sentenced to 22 years in prison for orchestrating a failed plot to keep Donald Trump in power. Mr. Tarrio鈥檚 sentence is the longest so far among more than 1,100 Capitol riot cases.聽聽
Proud Boys leaders sentenced for their role in Jan. 6 Capitol attackTwo former leaders of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group have been sentenced to more than a decade each in prison for their involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.聽
Police reform: Nurturing female recruits long before they applyIn a reform effort to change the male-dominated police profession, the Santa Ana, California, department intensely mentors potential female recruits.
First LookHunter Biden probe ramps up as DOJ appoints special counselAttorney General Merrick Garland has named David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware, as special counsel in the Justice Department鈥檚 investigation into Hunter Biden. Mr. Garland聽said Mr. Weiss will have 鈥渁ll the resources he requests鈥� to probe the matter.
First LookTrump pleads not guilty to charges he tried to overturn 2020 electionFormer President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty in court Thursday to four felony charges that he tried to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss. The magistrate judge set the next hearing on this case for August 28.
First LookDeath sentence for Pittsburgh synagogue gunmanA federal jury recommended Wednesday that 50-year-old Robert Bowers be sent to death row for perpetrating the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. A judge must formally impose the sentence.聽
First LookTrump facing new charges in classified documents caseProsecutors allege former President Donald Trump asked an employee to delete security footage at his Florida estate. He also faces a new count of willfully retaining national defense information.
First LookWhy seeking asylum at US-Mexico border may soon be easierA federal judge blocked a rule that required migrants seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border to seek protection in a country they had passed through. The ruling won鈥檛 take effect immediately, giving the Biden administration time to appeal.
The ExplainerShoplifting is on the rise. So are solutions.Across the United States, retailers are undertaking extraordinary聽measures to combat a rise in shoplifting. So are lawmakers and police.
First LookTransparent Supreme Court? Judiciary Committee to vote on ethics code.The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on a new ethics code for the Supreme Court. While Democrats are pushing the legislation, Republicans are strongly opposed, arguing the ethics bill could 鈥渄estroy鈥� the high court.
First LookTeaching gigs or luxe vacations? Justices鈥� ethics under scrutiny.Sen. Dick Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the Supreme Court should follow the standards of other government branches.聽
The legal principle behind a more restrained Supreme Court termThere were death threats, ethics scandals, and polls showing that Americans lost trust in the Supreme Court. But this term, the opinions themselves offered a return 鈥� in several cases 鈥� of more modest rulings and unwillingness to entertain controversial theories.
First LookJudge rules White House overstepped with social media COVID messagingA judge on Tuesday prohibited several federal agencies and officials of the Biden administration from working with social media companies in response to a lawsuit alleging the government overstepped in efforts to quell hesitations about COVID-19 vaccines.聽
How religious liberty became the Roberts court鈥檚 North StarThis week, the Supreme Court added two more rulings to its growing list of pro-religion decisions, which continue to profoundly reshape the nation鈥檚 religious jurisprudence.
First Look'What about our culture?': Copper-rich town debates Native rightsResidents of a small Arizona town are grappling with history colliding with industry in their backyard. Native American groups and a mining聽company are engaged in a tug-of-war over a proposed copper聽mine on national forest land.
First Look'They should care about us': Former Facebook moderators sue MetaNearly 200 former content moderators for Facebook in Kenya have filed a lawsuit against Meta, which could have implications for the work worldwide. They allege poor working conditions and insufficient mental health support for viewing harmful content.
Upholding democracy? Supreme Court strikes down election theory.The Supreme Court seems to be avoiding adding stress to democracy with its decision striking down the 鈥渋ndependent state legislature鈥� theory in setting federal election rules.
First LookSupreme Court allows Biden policy on deportations to standThe Supreme Court voted 8-1 to allow a Biden policy on deporting only those immigrants who pose the greatest public safety risk to take effect.
