Law

A row of Secure Housing Units at the Corcoran State Prison in California in 2013. The prison has a separate facility built for inmates held in solitary.

California Prisons To Limit Number Of Inmates In Solitary Confinement

1:47pm September 02, 2015

by Carrie Johnson

Under a new settlement, state authorities will send inmates to isolation only if they commit new and serious crimes in prison, like murders or violent assaults. The move could have wide effects.

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Former Eutawville police Chief Richard Combs (left) agreed to a deal Tuesday in which he'll avoid jail time over the 2011 shooting death of Bernard Bailey.

National

Former Police Chief In S.C. Sentenced To House Arrest Over Unarmed Man's Death

1:14pm September 02, 2015

by Bill Chappell

More than a month after his second trial on murder charges ended in a mistrial, former Eutawville, S.C., police chief Richard Combs agreed to plead guilty to misconduct in office Tuesday.

As different as their backgrounds were, and even their approaches to judging, when it came to women's rights, Ruth Bader Ginsburg (left) and Sandra Day O'Connor were allies.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg And Sandra Day O'Connor, 'Sisters In Law'

11:17am September 02, 2015

by Nina Totenberg

A new book explains that the women were not personal friends, but they were strong allies on the Supreme Court bench, especially in the legal fight for women's equality.

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Investigators stand next to evidence markers in front of the house of Matthew Stewart, who was shot and injured by Ogden police during a drug raid, in Ogden, Utah, Jan. 5, 2012. One police officer was killed and five were wounded in the shootout that erup

National

Why Utah Is The Only State Trying To Track And Limit SWAT-Style Tactics

8:07pm September 01, 2015

by Martin Kaste

For all the talk of police militarization, no reliable statistics exist on the number of raids by SWAT or other heavily armed tactical teams. There are no federal or state tallies — except in Utah.

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Law Professor: Davis Can't Evoke Religion To Deny Marriage Licenses

6:25pm September 01, 2015

NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Columbia Law professor Katherine Franke about Kim Davis, the elected clerk of Kentucky's Rowan County, who is refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

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California has agreed to revise its rules on solitary confinement. This file photo shows a cell in the Secure Housing Unit of Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, California.

California's Prisons Will Change Solitary Confinement Rules

3:46pm September 01, 2015

by Bill Chappell

The state agrees to stop placing inmates in solitary confinement solely because of a gang affiliation. The changes could move more than 1,500 inmates out of solitary.

National

Wichita Man Sentenced To 20 Years In Airport Bomb Plot

6:58pm August 31, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Terry Loewen, who pleaded guilty to attempting to drive an explosives-laden vehicle and detonate it at an airport in Wichita, Kan., has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.

Courtroom artist Jane Rosenberg presents a more pleasant sketch of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brad. An earlier sketch of Brady by Rosenberg caused a sensation on Twitter and beyond.

Brady, Goodell Don't Reach Deal; Judge Will Rule On 'Deflategate'

6:36pm August 31, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Also, Jane Rosenberg, the sketch artist whose vision of Brady at his first appearance in federal court sparked a flood of commentary, issued a new sketch of the quarterback.

Sholonda Jackson works at Operation Dignity, a nonprofit in Oakland, Calif., that provides housing to homeless veterans. California's Proposition 47 enabled the former crack addict to seek a reduction of her drug felonies to misdemeanors. She has earned a

National

Their Crimes Reclassified, Some Californian Felons Get A Second Chance

2:47pm August 31, 2015

by Marisa Lagos

Approved by voters last year, Proposition 47 lets people with some nonviolent felonies petition to reduce their crimes to misdemeanors. It's giving former offenders access to better opportunities.

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Associated Press Files Suit; Demands FBI Arrest Records

11:53pm August 30, 2015

by Carrie Johnson

The Associated Press has filed suit against the Justice Department, accusing the FBI of creating fake news in order to entrap a criminal suspect. The AP is demanding more information about the ruse.

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