Law

National

For High Court's First Black Justice, Road To Confirmation Wasn't Simple

5:28pm August 30, 2015

It's been 48 years since Thurgood Marshall was confirmed as the first black Supreme Court justice. Author Wil Haygood talks about the fight for that confirmation and how it shaped American history.

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National

Motive Still Sought In Fatal Shooting Of Texas Sheriff's Deputy

3:50pm August 30, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Authorities have charged 30-year-old Shannon J. Miles in the "execution-style" murder of Deputy Darren Goforth, but investigators have yet to make public any motive for the killing.

Black Lives Matter Publishes 'Campaign Zero' Plan To Reduce Police Violence

1:33pm August 28, 2015

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks to Brittany Packnett about the campaign to create a policy agenda out of the Black Lives Matter movement.

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National

U.S. Appeals Court Overturns Decision That NSA Metadata Collection Was Illegal

12:57pm August 28, 2015

by Eyder Peralta

The three-judge panel threw out a lower court ruling that found the practice unconstitutional. Congress has passed a law that will change the collection process in a few months.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, has been used for decades as a painkiller in the operating room.

How The Prescription Painkiller Fentanyl Became A Street Drug

11:23am August 28, 2015

by Nadia Whitehead

The synthetic opioid fentanyl is used for surgery and to treat severe pain. Abuse has always been a problem. Now that it's being used to cut heroin, the risk of overdose or death has soared.

The Justice Department building in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015.

National

Department Of Justice Sued For Fake News Story

7:11am August 28, 2015

by Lauren Hodges

The Associated Press has filed a lawsuit against the DOJ for a government sting operation in 2007 in which the FBI created a fake news story and impersonated a journalist.

James Yates (left) and William Smith Jr. walk to the Rowan County Courthouse in Morehead, Ky., on Aug. 13 hoping to get a marriage license. They were turned away for a third time Thursday morning.

National

Kentucky Clerk's Office Continues To Refuse Marriage Licenses

1:54pm August 27, 2015

by Lauren Hodges

A same-sex couple was denied a license Thursday morning, even after a federal appeals court denied Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis' bid to refuse to issue marriage licenses for religious reasons.

National

Deputies In Oregon Town Go On Leave As State DOJ Investigates Sheriff

1:05pm August 27, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Citing an attorney who represents the Klamath County Peace Officers Association, Oregon Public Broadcasting says the deputies feared retaliation from the sheriff.

National

Street Where Sandra Bland Was Arrested Named After Her

12:15pm August 26, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Bland's mother and other supporters were present for Tuesday night's council vote. The roadway named in her honor leads to the college where she was about to begin a new job.

Nicklas Trujeque in his solitary confinement cell in New Mexico State Penitentiary. Inmates spend 23 hours a day in these cells, with a one-hour period in an open cell outside. According to the New Mexico ACLU, until recent state reforms, the average leng

National

Amid Backlash Against Isolating Inmates, New Mexico Moves Toward Change

8:08pm August 25, 2015

by Natasha Haverty

The heavy reliance on solitary confinement in New Mexico went unquestioned for decades. Now, the state is gradually shifting away from the practice, though it probably won't ever fade from the system.

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