Law

Mapping The Effects Of The Sequester On Science

1:03pm March 01, 2013

On Friday March 1, automatic cuts known as the 'sequester' go into effect across the federal budget. Michael Lubell of the American Physical Society discusses what scientific programs will likely be affected, in fields from medical research to renewable energy development.

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National

Administration Asks Supreme Court To End Calif. Gay-Marriage Ban

8:47am March 01, 2013

by Nina Totenberg

The case before the court tests the constitutionality of a California referendum, narrowly passed by voters in 2008, that reinstituted a ban on gay marriage. The U.S. is calling on the court to declare the California law unconstitutional, a violation of the principle of equal protection.

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National

Obama Administration Brief Doesn't Call For End To Bans On Gay Marriage

7:29pm February 28, 2013

The Obama administration filed a friend-of-the-court brief Thursday urging the Supreme Court to overturn California's Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage. But the brief does not call for abolition of bans on same-sex marriage across the country. Nina Totenberg talks to Audie Cornish.

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Attorney General Eric Holder speaks before a meeting of the National Association of Attorneys General on Tuesday.

Justice Department Warns Of 'Pain' From Looming Cuts

6:30pm February 28, 2013

by Carrie Johnson

The Obama administration warns that the situation looks ugly for the department under the sequester. But for now, the most alarming claims — that prosecutors will drop cases and criminals will walk free — seem to be just that: alarms.

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National

Obama Administration To File Brief Urging Supreme Court To Strike Down Prop. 8

6:30pm February 28, 2013

The Obama administration is set to file a friend-of-the-court brief Thursday urging the Supreme Court to overturn California's Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage. Nina Totenberg talks to Audie Cornish.

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Plaintiffs accuse Anheuser-Busch of misleading consumers about the alcohol content in Bud Light, Budweiser and other products. The brewer denies the claims.

National

Budweiser May Seem Watery, But It Tests At Full Strength, Lab Says

3:14pm February 28, 2013

Class-action lawsuits accuse Anheuser-Busch of watering down Budweiser and other beers and then misleading consumers about their alcohol content. The company denies the claims; in tests commissioned by NPR, samples of Budweiser were found to be in line with their advertised alcohol content.

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The Conservative Case For Same-Sex Marriage

11:15am February 27, 2013

Dozens of Republicans signed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in support of gay marriage, just weeks before the Court is expected to hear arguments on a case challenging the legality of the Defense of Marriage Act. Some say this represents a significant shift within the Republican Party.

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Supreme Court Weighs Future Of Voting Rights Act

8:48am February 27, 2013

by Nina Totenberg

The provision at issue in Wednesday's case before the court applies to parts of the U.S. where discriminatory voting practices were once rampant. The formula that covers those areas hasn't changed since 1975. The crux of the case: whether times have changed so much that Congress violated the Constitution when it reauthorized the law in 2006.

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Witnesses To Take The Stand In BP Trial

9:44am February 26, 2013

A federal judge will hear testimony Tuesday in a civil suit over who is to blame and who should be financially liable for the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. On Monday, the court in New Orleans heard more than eight hours of opening statements from lawyers for the government and several defendants.

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Caitlin J. Halligan, shown in 2005, waited more than 700 days in the last Congress for a vote on the Senate floor before she was filibustered, the White House says. She was nominated again last month.

Would-Be Federal Judges Face The Washington Waiting Game

7:23pm February 25, 2013

by Carrie Johnson

The White House is calling out Congress for a slowdown in voting on judicial nominees, saying it has left 10 percent of judgeships unfilled. The president also faces criticism from the left on the pace of his nominations. But recent White House moves and a new Senate rule could help get things moving.

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