All Law & Courts
First LookFour-year-old girl shot in road rage incident, police 'desperate' for leadsPolice said the shooting was related to a road rage incident in New Mexico. The girl's parents were in the car but were uninjured, leaving police searching for answers about the shooter's car and why the incident occurred.
First LookWhat happened to stranded motorist Corey Jones? Police accounts emerge.Police in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., say Corey Jones was carrying a recently-purchased gun when he was聽shot by a plainclothes officer. But his family says that isn't the man they knew.
Supreme Court battle on assault weapons looms. But do bans do anything?A federal court upheld assault weapons bans in New York and Connecticut. But there's debate over what the laws actually accomplish.聽
Congress's big, bipartisan success that might be just beginningCongress is backing criminal justice reforms in a bipartisan way, reflecting what appears to be a broader shift that began in states.聽
First LookIs it legal to tell defendants to donate blood or go to jail?An Alabama judge allegedly told defendants who could not afford bail that they would receive a 'discount' and avoid imprisonment if they donated blood, according to an ethics complaint filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
First LookPost-Newtown gun laws pass federal court, not quite unscathedA federal court left most, but not all, of the gun control laws passed by New York and Connecticut after shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School intact, and gun advocates plan to appeal the decision.
First LookMystery surrounds fatal roadside shooting of Florida man by policeTroubling mystery surrounds the death of a Florida man who was fatally shot by a plainclothes police officer on Sunday.聽
First LookFederal judge temporarily halts Jindal's plans to defund Planned ParenthoodA US District Judge has ruled that Louisiana must continue funding Planned Parenthood for the next 14 days.
First LookChicago mayor to invest $250,000 in gun buyback events. Will it work?Experts say buybacks tend to result in the collection of hunting rifles and old revolvers, not the kind of automatic weapons that criminals use.聽
How a federal judge navigates immigrant birth rights in TexasThe 14th Amendment says anyone born on US soil is granted citizenship. But in Texas, if your parents have a Mexican ID, you can be denied a birth certificate, ruled a federal judge Friday.
First LookWhy Oklahoma won't perform any executions until next yearOklahoma executions have been in the national spotlight since the botched execution of Clayton Lockett in April, 2014. On Friday, the state's attorney general has requested an extension on all existing stays.
First LookWhy Virginia's death row inmates have more privileges than ever beforeAt a time when the role of the death penalty and treatment of prisoners in American justice is facing heightened scrutiny, one state has taken steps to make time spent on death row a little bit easier.
First LookConfederate flag still contentious, as states weigh emblem on license platesSeveral Southern states are reconsidering the option of featuring the Confederate battle flag on license plates.
Baltimore's conundrum: Should police commissioners be elected?Following months of unrest in Baltimore, some citizens are calling for the next city police commissioner to be elected. But experts say that may not be the best idea.
First LookThe vigil is over: Judge rules parishioners must end 11-year occupationMassachusetts' top court has upheld a ruling that the parishioners of a church have been trespassing throughout the 11-year vigil protesting its closure.
First LookBaltimore Uprising: Why protesters faced arrest over City Council voteA dozen activists were arrested early Thursday morning after engaging in an overnight sit-in at Baltimore City Hall.
Violent inmates have fought California fires for decades 鈥� and done wellEvidence suggests that inmates convicted of violent crimes have long been on California fire crews. A plan to expand their presence was scrapped.聽
Philly Police Commissioner to retire after 47-year careerPhiladelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey has announced his retirement after a 47-year career in law enforcement as the administration of the mayor that brought him to the city comes to an end.
First LookMassive FBI sting frees 149 children from sexual exploitationThe sting was the ninth such effort to crack down on under-age prostitution in 135 cities, with officials saying the goal of the stings was to provide services to victims of human trafficking.
Milwaukee gun shop found liable: Outlier or new normal?For the first time since Congress shielded gun shops from liability in 2005, a jury found a gun shop liable for damages in the shooting of two police officers.聽
