Courts
Manhattan D.A. Said This Woman Acted in Self-Defense. He Prosecuted Her For Almost a Year Anyway.
Alvin Bragg has finally moved to stop prosecuting Tracy McCarter for murder.
How a Gorsuch LGBT Ruling May Doom Affirmative Action in College Admissions
The link between Bostock v. Clayton County and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina
'Arbitrary and Capricious': Judge Blocks U.S. From Expelling Migrants Under COVID-Era Title 42 Order
The judge granted the Biden administration a stay, which will keep the policy in place through late December.
The Originalist Debate About Affirmative Action
The Supreme Court grapples with the original meaning of the 14th Amendment in Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina.
Resistant Jurors Can Help Protect Abortion Rights (No Matter What the Law Says)
In the event of prosecution, jury nullification allows regular people to exercise a veto over the power of the state.
Cryptotoken LBC is Legally a Security, Federal Judge Declares, and Requires Regulation by the SEC
This is bad news for any virtual currency that was pre-mined, including ethereum.
Lawsuits Keep Rolling Back Unconstitutional Vegan 'Meat' Bans
No one is confused about whether Tofurky is turkey.
Study: Text Message Reminders Can Help Stop People from Missing Parole or Probation Meetings
It’s a little thing, but thousands of people end up in jail over these types of avoidable technical violations.
This Court Case Could Make It a Crime To Be a Journalist in Texas
Priscilla Villarreal found herself in a jail cell for publishing two routine stories. A federal court still can't decide what to do about that.
The Supreme Court Could End Affirmative Action
In the two cases, brought against Harvard and the University of North Carolina, anti-affirmative action group Students for Fair Admissions argues that race-conscious admissions violate the Civil Rights Act
What Happens When a County Employee Acts Like a Police Officer?
A highway engineer got qualified immunity for detaining drivers—despite not being a cop.
Adnan Syed's Exoneration Shows How Hard It Is To Free Innocent People
Convincing evidence of his innocence has been available for years. But the criminal legal system prioritizes procedure and bureaucracy over liberty.
A Jury Acquitted Them of Various Charges. They Served Prison Time for Them Anyway.
The Supreme Court may soon consider if acquitted conduct sentencing is illegal.
Manhattan D.A. To Prosecute Domestic Violence Victim for Murder After Saying It Wasn't Murder
Alvin Bragg campaigned on Tracy McCarter’s innocence. Once in office, that was apparently less politically expedient.
A Case That Pits Gun Rights Activism Against Federalism
Gun control advocates may embrace the 10th Amendment.
Judges Who Sent Kids to Detention Centers for Financial Kickbacks Ordered To Pay Over $200 Million
Former Judges Mark A. Ciavarella and Michael T. Conahan are now serving lengthy prison sentences for what became known as the "kids-for-cash" scandal.
A Florida Appeals Court Denied a Parentless Minor a Waiver of Parental Consent for an Abortion
The case shows the power given to judges when parental consent or notification is required for a minor's abortion.
Walgreens 'Helped Fuel' Opioid Crisis in San Francisco, Says Judge
Plus: Americans want to vote on abortion, why the housing crisis has gone national, and more...
Does This Woman Have a Constitutional Right to Her 'FCANCER' License Plate?
The Delaware DMV recalled Kari Overington’s plate over “perceived profanity.” Now the ACLU is helping her take on the state.
He Was Arrested for Promoting Jury Nullification. A Federal Court Says That Was Illegal.
Michael Picard's free speech rights were violated when he was booked for telling passersby to "Google Jury Nullification."
Federal Courts Greenlight State Abortion Bans While State Courts Halt Enforcement
Plus: Video game play time doesn't affect well-being, crypto groups applaud the Virtual Currency Tax Fairness Act, and more...
House Democrats Revive Their Court-Packing Push
Adding progressive justices to the bench would eventually backfire.
Supreme Court Makes It Effectively Impossible To Sue Federal Cops, Smashing a 51-Year-Old Precedent
A federal badge will now serve as an impenetrable shield against civil liability.
Judge Can't Add 6 Years to a Prison Sentence Because the Defendant Called Him Names, Says Court
Plus: Coverage of Section 230 is overwhelmingly negative, Arizona cops who watched a man drown have been placed on leave, and more...
California Court Rules That Bees Are Fish
Insects aren't a category protected by the California Endangered Species Act. So state officials classified four bumblebee species as fish to get them listed.
Delta-8 Cannabis Compound Is Legal, Says Federal Appeals Court
Plus: Libertarian Party changes abortion and bigotry planks, the FDA's weird rejection of fluvoxamine for treating COVID-19, and more...
He Was Arrested for Criticizing the Cops. A Federal Court Says He Can Sue.
Jerry Rogers Jr. complained that police hadn't solved a murder yet—and found himself in a jail cell.
Are Elephants People? New York's Highest Court Hears Case for Animal Personhood
Plus: School voucher program survives lawsuit, Biden invokes Defense Production Act for formula, and more...
He Was Sentenced to Death After Law Enforcement Fabricated Evidence. A Federal Court Says He Can Sue.
A conservative judge expressed skepticism at the panel's conclusion before issuing a strong rebuke of prosecutorial immunity.
Cops Who Arrested Man Over Fake Facebook Page Get Qualified Immunity
Anthony Novak's arrest and subsequent lawsuit set up a debate around overcriminalization and free speech.
'They Just Took Me Away'
Adults declared "incapacitated" by the courts can lose everything—their homes, their savings, their freedom—to Florida's sprawling guardianship system.
He Didn't Use the 'Magic Words' To Get Access to a Lawyer. Were His Rights Violated?
A recent court decision has reinvigorated the debate around just how specific the accused has to be in asking to speak with an attorney.
Texas Court Stays Execution of Mom Sentenced for Child's Death
The state claimed she beat a 2-year-old to death. But evidence may show it was the result of a fall down stairs.
Cop Who Arrested High Schooler on 'Terrorizing' Charges for Class Joke Gets Qualified Immunity
A judge's blistering dissent is a reminder that this issue does not have to be a partisan one.
For 20 Years, This Prosecutor Had a Secret Job Working For the Judges Who'd Decide His Cases
One of Ralph Petty's victims is trying to hold him accountable, but she will have to overcome prosecutorial immunity.
Two Cops Will Not Face Discipline For Pushing a 75-Year-Old to the Ground. You Can Thank the Police Union.
The ordeal highlights how collective bargaining in the public sphere has stacked almost every factor against alleged victims of police misconduct.
The Supreme Court Says You Can Sue Cops Who Frame You on False Charges
The previous standard barring such lawsuits made “little sense," wrote Justice Brett Kavanaugh for the majority.
One Cheer for Stephen Breyer
Breyer led the charge against the court packers, denouncing them as shortsighted ideologues who threatened both judicial independence and bedrock liberal values.
Police Seized Almost $10,000 From Him. A Court Ruled He Had No Right to an Attorney.
Terry Abbott couldn't afford representation, because the state took the cash he'd use to pay for it.
He Spent 28 Years Behind Bars for a Murder He Didn't Commit and Died Before Seeing Justice
The police officers who allegedly framed William Virgil were denied qualified immunity. But they're still trying to delay a trial.
Judge Tosses Maryland's Highly Gerrymandered Congressional Map
Advanced statistics and redistricting reformers combined to kill one of the country's worst gerrymanders.
CDC To Stop Using COVID as Excuse To Expel Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors
There are no public health gains from booting kids out of the country.