Supreme Court to hear insanity defense, employment discrimination cases
The US Supreme Court on Monday granted certiorari in two cases, including one involving the insanity defense in criminal trials. In Clark v. Arizona, the Court will consider the constitutionality of an Arizona law that limits admission...
The US Department of Justice said Tuesday that it is backing an attempt by congressional Republicans to split up the largest federal appeals court in the US, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [official...
The US Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in IBP Inc. v. Alvarez that meat packing companies must pay their workers for the time it takes to change into and out of protective clothing and other...
New House bill would split Ninth Circuit, add federal judges
Rep. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI) , chairman of the US House Judiciary Committee , introduced new legislation Thursday to split the US Ninth Ciruit that would create a new US Twelfth Circuit Court of Appeals covering Alaska,...
Dora B. Schriro, Director, Arizona Department of Corrections v. Robert Douglas Smith, Supreme Court of the United States, October 17, 2005 [ruling that death row inmates do not have an automatic right to a jury trial to determine whether or...
High court rules against automatic jury determination of mental retardation
The US Supreme Court ruled Monday that death row inmates do not have an automatic right to a jury trial to determine whether or not an inmate is mentally retarded and therefore ineligible...
Nebraska high court overrules legislature on amended murder sentence
The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled Friday that members of the Nebraska Legislature overstepped their authority when they changed the minimum sentence for first-degree murder from life in prison to life in prison without parole in...
Federal judge affirms rejection of 'choose life' license plates
A federal judge has ruled that a decision by the Arizona License Plate Commission to reject "choose life" license plates supported by pro-life groups in the state did not violate the constitutional rights of the groups....
The rate of illegal immigration into the United States has increased despite tighter security measures in place since the September 11 terror attacks, but only at a pace that parallels the rate of economic growth, according to a report...
Environmental brief ~ States sue USDA over invasive beetle control
In Friday's environmental law news, four states have sued the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for failing to impose effective controls against invasive wood-eating beetles. New York, California, Connecticut and Illinois filed a lawsuit [PDF...
