All Law & Courts
First LookIn unsolved Oklahoma child-abduction case, DNA evidence leads to arrestPolice in Midwest City, Okla. arrested a neighbor who lives two doors down from the house of Kaitlin Hatfield, an 8-year-old who was abducted from her bedroom in 1997, charging him with first-degree murder and kidnapping.
First LookJudge denies request to bar officers' statements on Freddie Gray arrestThe six Baltimore police officers facing charges relating to the death of Freddie Gray will be tried separately, with the first trial scheduled to begin on Nov. 30.
Cleveland case shows how body cameras can help policeThe Cleveland Police Department is under intense scrutiny, but a video released last week shows how body cameras can help police and the public.
'Ferguson effect'? Chicago crime spike tells local storyChicago is one of several cities seeing a spike in violent crime. But local factors, not national trends, seem to be driving the increase.
First LookWhy Baltimore police officers want statements tossed in Freddie Gray caseSix police officers are scheduled to go on trial for charges relating to the death of Freddie Gray on Nov. 30. A judge will decide if jurors will hear the officers' initial statements.
First LookCan a gun shop be held responsible for customer crimes?Two police officers shot in the line of duty want the owners of a gun store to be held liable for the harm inflicted on them.聽
Behind one Supreme Court case, tale of forgiveness for sister's killerThe Supreme Court will hear a case regarding the 2,500 inmates in the US serving life-without-parole sentences for crimes committed as juveniles. Jeanne Bishop lost her sister to one of them.
Was fatal shooting of Tamir Rice justified? Expert reports say yes.A lawyer for the boy's family says the reports show that prosecutors are avoiding accountability.聽Tamir was killed by a police officer last November while holding a pellet gun.
First LookWhy Chicago is shuttering anti-violence programs amid spike in shootingsOperation CeaseFire deployed former gang members and felons to intervene in confrontations that can often lead to violence, but a political stalemate has left the program empty handed.- First LookTennessee jailers accused of keeping mail sent to prisoners: Is that legal?Prison Legal News says at least 147 items sent to prisoners by the advocacy group were not delivered because they were not on postcards.
First LookFederal judge forces NYC subway to post 'The Muslims are Coming!' adsThe MTA had rejected the ads on the grounds that they represented political speech. Judge Colleen McMahon disagreed.
First LookArizona campus shooting likely the result of an argumentOne person was killed and three others suffered gunshot wounds after a violent confrontation on Northern Arizona University's Flagstaff campus. A suspect is in custody.聽
First LookWhat cities can learn from one community's handling of police shootingAttorneys for the North Charleston, S.C., and the family of Walter Scott are hailing the city's response to police officer Michael Slager's fatal shooting of Mr. Scott as a blueprint for communities around the United States.
First LookOklahoma used wrong drug in January execution, autopsy showsThe same drug was delivered for the聽Sept. 30 execution of Richard Glossip, who received a last-minute stay because of the mistake.
Early release for 6,000 federal prisoners: A risk to public safety?The releases are the result of changes to federal sentencing guidelines. The first batch of releases is encouraging discussion about the purported benefits and drawbacks of unlocking prison doors early for drug convicts.
First LookMassachusetts man blamed for string of bomb threats in four statesA Massachusetts man was charged in federal court for sending four different bomb threats to four schools within the past year.聽
First LookArkansas lethal injection case highlights larger issue of secrecyAn Arkansas county court judge will weigh in on a lawsuit by death row inmates against the state's secrecy of lethal injection, as pharmaceutical companies tighten the reins on distribution.
First LookWhy a 15-second rap video set Los Angeles police on edgeA video of someone brandishing a loaded gun near an LAPD officer has been discovered to belong to an old hip-hop group. But many in law enforcement are remaining on high alert.
Texas inmate executed for killing man in $8 robberyTexas on Tuesday executed death row inmate Juan Martin Garcia, convicted for killing another man in a 1998 robbery, in the 11th lethal injection in the state this year.聽
First LookJustice Department plan to free thousands of inmates is just the beginningThe Justice Department plan to reduce sentences for some 6,000 nonviolent drug offenders in federal prisons is part of a larger effort to make US justice 'work smarter.'
