Law

A Tea Party supporter rings a bell in protest of the health care law in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, as Obamacare supporters shout behind her.

Drama On The Docket: High Court's Term Set To End With Slate Of Big Cases

3:25pm June 15, 2015

by Ron Elving

It's crunch time for the U.S. Supreme Court, as consequential decisions will be coming soon. The biggest issues left: same-sex marriages, subsidies under Obamacare and lethal injection drugs.

National

Supporter Says Woodfox Is 'Very Cautious' When It Comes To Judicial System

2:19pm June 15, 2015

NPR's Audie Cornish talks to Angela Allen-Bell, a professor at the Southern University Law Center. She got to know and became an advocate for Albert Woodfox during her work on solitary confinement.

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Clinton Correctional Facility, where two prisoners escaped last week, was built in the 1840s in Dannemora, N.Y. The prison historian says inmates have frequent access to tools, supplies, and information about how the prison works.

National

Inside Clinton Correctional: Power Tools And Barbecue Grills

2:04pm June 15, 2015

by Brian Mann

Inmates at the prison where two murderers escaped a week ago regularly use power tools for maintenance chores, and when they behave, can earn tiny plots of land for cookouts and gardens.

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Brandon Coats works on his computer at his home in Denver in December 2012.

National

Colorado Supreme Court Says Employees Can Be Fired For Marijuana Use

11:27am June 15, 2015

by Eyder Peralta

The court said while pot use is legal in the state, it is still a federal crime, so employees are not protected by a statute that bars employees from being fired for partaking in lawful activities.

National

Los Angeles Police Board Says Officers Involved In Ezell Ford Shooting Violated Policy

10:04pm June 14, 2015

by Frank Stoltze

Civil rights leaders and the family of Ezell Ford welcomed Tuesday's decision by the Los Angeles Police Commission finding fault with the officer who shot and killed the mentally ill black man. But they are waiting to see what punishment, if any, the department imposes.

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Dawn at the now closed Camp X-Ray, which was used as the first detention facility for al-Qaida and Taliban militants who were captured after the Sept. 11 attacks at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba.

6 Yemeni Prisoners Released From Gitmo

1:05pm June 13, 2015

by Scott Neuman

It is the first such release in five months from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the first to be approved by Defense Secretary Ash Carter.

A number of state lawmakers have passed bills to bolster body cameras or have more streamlined investigations of police shootings. But State Rep. Michael Butler (D-St. Louis) says, "Folks in Missouri are afraid to have the race conversation."

National

Missouri Slow To Advance A Post-Ferguson Agenda

11:22am June 13, 2015

by Jason Rosenbaum

While several states have passed new laws aimed to curb excessive force by police, there's been surprisingly little traction in Missouri, where Michael Brown's death spurred international protests.

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NPR reporter Carrie Johnson runs through a target practice drill with instructor Bryan Patterson as part of the Use of Force simulation at the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund in Virginia.

Experiencing The 'Realities Of Being A Police Officer'

11:22am June 13, 2015

by Carrie Johnson

A group that raises money for police officers subjected to investigation or lawsuits is using a simulator program to help outsiders understand the challenges of the job.

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National

N.Y. Prison Worker Joyce Mitchell Arrested Over Killers' Escape

4:21am June 13, 2015

by Bill Chappell

The arrest of Mitchell comes after several days of speculation that a prison employee might have helped Richard Matt and David Sweat pull off their escape from the Clinton Correctional Facility.

Republican political operative Tyler Harber admitted in federal court to illegally coordinating between a campaign and superPAC. He was sentenced to two years in prison and two years' probation.

Crossing The Line: Political Operative Gets 2 Years In Prison

11:05pm June 12, 2015

by Peter Overby

For the first time ever, a political operative got prison time for illegally coordinating between a superPAC and a campaign. It could have implications for the 2016 presidential race.