Court upholds total population count in electoral districts
The United States Supreme Court has unanimously upheld a Texas law that counts everyone, not just eligible voters, in deciding how to draw electoral districts.
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High court rejects challenge to Mississippi campaign finance law
The Supreme Court of the United States won’t hear an appeal challenging the constitutionality of a Mississippi campaign finance law that requires reporting by people or groups spending at least $200 to support or oppose a ballot measure.
Indianapolis house blast convict says informant set him up
An Indianapolis man convicted on 53 counts in a house explosion that killed two people and devastated the southside Richmond Hill neighborhood said testimony from a jailhouse informant and undercover officer saying he tried to have a key witness killed never should have been presented at his trial.
Mississippi governor gets bill allowing denial of service to gays
The Mississippi House is sending Republican Gov. Phil Bryant a bill that would let government employees and private businesses cite religious beliefs to deny services to same-sex couples who want to marry.
Companies reconsidering North Carolina over LGBT rights
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory met with gay-rights advocates bearing a letter signed by more than 100 corporate executives urging him to repeal the nation’s first state law limiting the bathroom options for transgender people. The law also excludes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from anti-discrimination protections and blocks municipalities from adopting their own anti-discrimination and living wage rules.
George Mason University names its law school for Scalia
George Mason University plans to name its law school for the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, following an anonymous $20 million donation from a Scalia admirer and a $10 million donation from the foundation of industrialist and philanthropist Charles Koch.
Obama to push Supreme Court nominee at University of Chicago
President Barack Obama heads to law school next week to push his nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court.
Jury convicts 7th person in fatal shooting of South Bend boy
Jurors have convicted a seventh person of involvement with gunfire during a gang fight that resulted in a South Bend toddler being fatally wounded by a stray bullet.
Ex-judge must take anger-management classes
A former Maryland judge who pleaded guilty to a civil rights violation for ordering a defendant to be physically shocked in his courtroom will have to take anger-management classes as part of his sentence.
Lawsuit: Fort Wayne cleanups violate rights of the homeless
Indiana's second-largest city faces a federal lawsuit alleging that it is violating homeless residents' constitutional rights by destroying tents, coats, blankets and other property seized during sweeps of homeless camps.
5 players accuse US soccer federation of wage discrimination
Five stars from the World Cup-winning U.S. women's national team have accused the U.S. Soccer Federation of wage discrimination in an action filed with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
2 years after New Jersey’s Super Bowl, ticket suit goes on
More than two years after New Jersey's first Super Bowl, a lawsuit over how tickets were distributed is still playing out in court.
Hospital cyberattack highlights health care vulnerabilities
A cyberattack that paralyzed the hospital chain MedStar this week is serving as a fresh reminder of vulnerabilities that exist in systems that protect sensitive patient information.
Jury: GM car’s bad ignition switch not to blame in crash
A New York City jury found Wednesday that a flawed General Motors ignition switch was not to blame in a 2014 accident on an icy New Orleans bridge, handing the carmaker its second victory in a row in trials meant to help lawyers settle dozens of similar claims.
South Bend council votes in favor of expanded smoking ban
The South Bend Common Council has voted in favor of an expanded smoking ban, which may lead to a lawsuit if signed by the mayor.
States look to provide lawyers for the poor in civil cases
A flood of poor defendants representing themselves — often ineffectively — in dire cases involving eviction, foreclosure, child custody and involuntary commitment has led to a push in legislatures to expand rights to free lawyers in certain civil proceedings.
Garland holding first meeting with Republican senator
Merrick Garland was set to meet Tuesday with Republican Sen. Mark Kirk, marking the U.S. Supreme Court nominee's first courtesy call on a senator whose party leaders have vowed to hold no hearings or vote until a new president is chosen.
Report: Prosecutors rarely disciplined for misconduct
Prosecutors are rarely held accountable for misconduct and mistakes that have left innocent people imprisoned for crimes they didn't commit, according to report Tuesday by a nonprofit group that investigates possible wrongful convictions.
Supreme Court tie upholds win for unions in fee case
A tie vote from the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday handed a victory to labor unions in a high-profile dispute over their ability to collect fees from public employees.
Murder charge filed against man in Indiana toddler’s death
An Indiana man drank whiskey with the uncle of a 1-year-old girl and then waited until the family fell asleep before abducting, raping and killing the toddler, prosecutors said Monday in court documents.