Law

National

State Of Emergency Declared After Violent Protests In Ferguson, Mo.

1:16pm August 11, 2015

by Rachel Lippmann

Ferguson, Mo., is bracing for another day of protests after violence Sunday night marred a day of largely peaceful demonstrations marking the first anniversary of Michael Brown's shooting death.

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National

How Much Has Ferguson, Mo., Changed Since The Death Of Michael Brown?

7:36pm August 10, 2015

NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with St. Louis Post-Dispatch political reporter Kevin McDermott who has been covering Ferguson, Mo., since the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown last August.

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A poll worker hands out "I Voted Today" stickers in Washington, D.C., in 2012. Journalist Ari Berman says a 2013 Supreme Court ruling opened the door for new voting restrictions that disproportionately affect poor people, young people and people of color

Block The Vote: A Journalist Discusses Voting Rights And Restrictions

3:37pm August 10, 2015

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed racial discrimination in voting. But author Ari Berman says a 2013 Supreme Court ruling blocks the act's enforcement — and opened the door for new restrictions.

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A 16-year-old refugee shows the scars he received while held on a human trafficking boat. Evidence of physical violence like this lends credence to the stories of those seeking asylum in the U.S. It's Dr. Katherine McKenzie's job to evaluate it.

Before Obtaining Asylum, Refugees Must Show The Scars Behind The Stories

5:17pm August 09, 2015

by NPR Staff

Like many medical professionals, Dr. Katherine McKenzie examines the wounds of her patients — but she doesn't treat them. The forensic physician evaluates asylum-seekers' claims of torture.

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National

5 Children Among 8 Found Dead After Police Standoff In Texas

4:09pm August 09, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Sheriff's deputies discovered the carnage after a tense standoff and exchange of gunfire with a man holed up in a Houston-area home.

National

For Friend Of Michael Brown, A Year Of Controversy And Scrutiny

3:13pm August 08, 2015

Dorian Johnson — the friend who was with Brown when he was killed by a Ferguson, Mo., police officer — recently offered an interview to the Riverfront Times.

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National

Aurora Theater Shooter James Holmes Sentenced To Life In Prison

3:13pm August 08, 2015

by Megan Verlee

A jury in Colorado had been weighing whether he'd get the death penalty after finding him guilty of first-degree murder last month. Twelve people were killed and 70 injured in the 2012 attack.

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This photo provided by the U.S. Government, presented during a trial, shows a photo of Irek Hamidullin surrendering after being wounded by U.S. forces in Afghanistan on Nov. 29, 2009.

Ex-Soviet Officer Who Became Taliban Commander Found Guilty In U.S.

1:46pm August 08, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Irek Hamidullin, 55, a one-time Soviet tank commander in Afghanistan, stayed behind after Moscow's forces were withdrawn in 1988. He went on to mastermind a 2009 attack on an Afghan base.

National

James Holmes Sentenced To Life For Colorado Theater Shooting

12:52pm August 08, 2015

by Ben Markus

Jurors spared the death penalty for James Holmes, the man convicted of killing 12 and injuring 70 in the Aurora, Colo., theater shooting. Holmes will serve life without the possibility of parole.

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Protesters arrive at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse on the first day of the trial of former Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Randall Kerrick in Charlotte. Kerrick is charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of Jonathan Ferrell.

National

Charlotte's Trial: How Jonathan Ferrell's Death Put A City's Self-Image At Risk

12:36pm August 07, 2015

by Mary C. Curtis

As a police officer is tried for manslaughter in the death of an unarmed black man, is Charlotte's reputation for progress on race on trial, too?