Judge won’t bar Parkland dad from ex-school monitor’s case

Justice Thomas calls for re-examining landmark libel case

WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Clarence Thomas says the Supreme Court should consider overturning a 55-year-old landmark ruling that makes it hard for public figures to win libel suits, writing in a case involving a woman who says Bill Cosby raped her. Thomas took aim at New York Times v. Sullivan and similar cases that followed... Read More

Criminal Justice News, Entertainment, News, Sexual Abuse

Bill Cosby

Man pleads guilty in rape, murder of Pennsylvania teen

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty on Tuesday in the rape, murder and dismemberment of a 14-year-old girl, and the victim’s adoptive mother has agreed to plead guilty and serve a life sentence. Jacob Sullivan, 46, pleaded guilty to all charges in the 2016 death of Grace Packer. A jury outside Philadelphia... Read More

Jacob Sullivan

Judge OKs suit aimed at halting Obama library in Chicago

CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge gave the green light Tuesday to a parks-advocacy group’s lawsuit that aims to stop for good the delayed construction of former President Barack Obama’s $500 million presidential center in a Chicago park beside Lake Michigan. Supporters of the project had hoped the court would grant a city motion to... Read More

Trump chooses Jeffrey Rosen for deputy attorney general

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he intends to nominate Jeffrey Rosen, a longtime litigator and deputy transportation secretary, to replace Rod Rosenstein as deputy attorney general. In his current post, the 60-year-old Rosen serves as the Transportation Department’s chief operating officer and is in charge of implementing the department’s safety and... Read More

Donald Trump, Jeffrey Rosen

Legal hurdles would look familiar in any new R. Kelly case

CHICAGO (AP) — Prosecutors will have to clear a series of high legal hurdles if they intend to charge R. Kelly and convict him, even if there’s video evidence. One case illustrates the difficulties: The R&B star’s own 2008 trial at which he was acquitted. At the heart of that child pornography trial was a... Read More

Criminal Justice News, Entertainment, News, Sexual Abuse

R. Kelly

Border wall, bullet train: California vs. Trump escalates

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Disputes over President Donald Trump’s border wall and California’s bullet train are intensifying the feud between the White House and the nation’s most populous state. The Trump administration on Tuesday said it plans to cancel or claw back $3.5 billion in federal dollars allocated to California’s high-speed rail project, a move... Read More

California, Donald Trump

Feds share watchlist with 1,400 private groups

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — The federal government has acknowledged that it shares its terrorist watchlist with more than 1,400 private entities, including hospitals and universities, prompting concerns from civil libertarians that those mistakenly placed on the list could face a wide variety of hassles in their daily lives. The government’s admission that it shares... Read More

Criminal Justice News, National Security, News

Supreme Court says Ginsburg to attend court’s public session

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is making her public return to the bench, eight weeks after surgery for lung cancer. Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg says the 85-year-old justice will join her eight colleagues on Tuesday when the court meets for a public session. Ginsburg returned to the Washington building... Read More

GInsburg, Supreme Court

Iowa governor opts not to appeal fetal heartbeat law ruling

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s governor said Monday she decided against appealing a judge’s ruling last month that struck down Iowa’s “fetal heartbeat” abortion law, which would have been the most restrictive anti-abortion law in the nation. Gov. Kim Reynolds called it an extremely difficult decision but the right one for the state. “Rather... Read More

Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault trial delayed until June

NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault trial in New York City is being delayed until June 3. Court spokesman Lucian Chalfen confirmed the delay on Monday. The fallen film mogul is still expected to appear at a pretrial hearing March 8. Weinstein’s trial had been slated for May 6, but that date was... Read More

Criminal Justice News, Entertainment, News, Sexual Abuse

Harvey Weinstein

16 states sue Trump over emergency wall declaration

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California and 15 other states filed a lawsuit Monday against President Donald Trump’s emergency declaration to fund a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra released a statement Monday saying the suit alleges the Trump administration’s action violates the Constitution. “President Trump treats the rule of law with... Read More

Criminal Justice News, Immigration, News

Border Wall

Roger Stone apologizes to judge for Instagram post about her

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s longtime confidant Roger Stone has apologized to the judge presiding over his criminal case for an Instagram post featuring a photo of her with what appears to be the crosshairs of a gun. Stone and his lawyers filed a notice Monday night saying Stone recognized “the photograph and comment... Read More