Criminal Justice

SAN FRANCISCO — The California Supreme Court on Thursday rejected attempts from two men to block prosecutors from seeking the death penalty against them, indicating the court will not stop new death sentences from being imposed, even as Gov. Gavin... Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that just because an inmate feels like he’s being suffocated after a lethal injection, that doesn’t amount to cruel and unusual punishment. A three-judge panel of the court,... Read More

PHILADELPHIA — What’s the meaning of “life?” That’s a question Pennsylvania’s highest court will ponder Wednesday, as it follows other courts around the country in grappling with the question of how many years in prison constitute a life sentence. And... Read More

FORT WORTH, Texas — The legal team for a Texas woman sentenced to five years in prison for illegal voting in Tarrant County argued her conviction should be overturned at an appeal hearing Tuesday. Crystal Mason, 44, was arrested for... Read More

WASHINGTON - When it comes to opposition talking points, the myth that Democrats advocate for "open borders" is both the most preposterous -- and persistent -- assertion of the still-young 2020 campaign season. Even Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a self-described... Read More

WASHINGTON - Federal prosecutors accused a high-powered Washington, D.C. lawyer in court this week of engaging in illegal foreign lobbying by helping to craft a report critical of the Ukraine’s former prime minister. Gregory Craig, White House counsel during the... Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Erika Rocha was 15 when she was accused of shooting the operator of a Southern California group home in February 1996. She was charged with attempted murder and set to be tried as an adult when she... Read More

The apparent suicide of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein has not only derailed the pursuit of justice for his alleged victims, it also highlighted a slew of problems within America’s federal prison system.  In the aftermath of Epstein’s death on... Read More

U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., confirmed he spoke with President Donald Trump and his acting chief of staff just before the president backed off of his consideration of commuting former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’ prison sentence. Trump had brought up... Read More

WASHINGTON - In the wake of the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, the Blue Dog Coalition of House Democrats announced its endorsement Tuesday of H.R. 1931, Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2019, a bill aimed at... Read More

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is willing to forego his summer vacation to work on gun control legislation if freshly injured Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — injured Sunday during a fall in his Louisville, K.Y., home — will join... Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Wednesday that state prison officials can’t find any company willing to supply drugs as an execution alternative to one that essentially has been declared cruel and unusual. He said he would talk... Read More