legal affairs

National

Three migrants win temporary block from potential transfer to Guantanamo

1:08pm February 10, 2025

It is the first legal hurdle thrown up to the Trump administration as it seeks to send thousands of migrants to a detention facility on the naval base near Cuba.

National

Trump's executive actions are getting challenged as 'arbitrary.' What does that mean?

5:00am February 08, 2025

At the center of legal challenges against Trump's executive actions is whether he's telling federal agencies to violate a key legal standard established nearly 80 years ago.

Former President Donald Trump Indicted In January 6 Investigation

National

Special counsel Jack Smith says evidence against Trump was enough to convict him

1:40am January 14, 2025

The report on federal charges against Trump for election interference in 2020 offers special counsel Jack Smith a last chance to explain his decisions after dropping the case.

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Amy Coney Barrett Is Sworn-In As New Supreme Court Justice At The White House

National

President-elect set to shape 'Trump judiciary' for next generation

5:01am November 22, 2024

Legal experts predict President-elect Donald Trump will move quickly next year to cement and extend his legacy in appointing federal judges.

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'Guilty But Mentally Ill' Doesn't Protect Against Harsh Sentences

1:25pm August 02, 2016

by Natalie Jacewicz

Jurors often are reluctant to acquit someone who committed a crime while mentally ill, or to find that person guilty. So they take a third option: guilty but mentally ill. It's far from perfect.

The Man Who Argued Health Care For Obama Looks Back As He Steps Down

6:00am June 25, 2016

by Nina Totenberg

The day after Solicitor General Donald Verrilli announced he was stepping down, he sat down with NPR's Nina Totenberg to reflect on his five years as the government's chief advocate.

Each year, between 8,000 and 9,000 people nationwide complain to the government about nursing home evictions, according to federal data. That makes evictions the leading category of all nursing home complaints.

Nursing Home Evictions Strand The Disabled In Costly Hospitals

12:57pm February 25, 2016

by Ina Jaffe

Federal rules mostly prohibit nursing homes from refusing to readmit residents after a hospital stay. But states rarely enforce the regulations. Some California families are now suing the state.

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Former Judge Urges Obama To Commute Sentence He Imposed A Decade Ago

1:33pm February 10, 2016

by Eyder Peralta

Following the law, Paul Cassell sentenced Weldon Angelos to a 55 years in prison for dealing marijuana and possessing weapons. Cassell said the case was "one of the most troubling" he ever faced.

New Pardon Chief In Obama Justice Department Inherits A Huge Backlog

6:45pm February 03, 2016

by Carrie Johnson

Veteran Philadelphia prosecutor Robert Zauzmer is heading up a key priority in the final year of Obama's presidency. He tells NPR he has seen too many unfair sentences levied for low-level offenders.

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"As far as I know ... there is no problem of over-incarceration for rich, white financial or environmental executives," defense lawyer Jeffrey Robinson of the American Civil Liberties Union said.

Obama Administration Says House Bill Would Give 'Cover' To White-Collar Defendants

1:29pm November 25, 2015

by Carrie Johnson

A bipartisan bill to overhaul the criminal-justice system has hit a snag. Its higher bar to prove guilt is something the Department of Justice says could benefit top-level executives.