Law

Little-Known Laws Help Sex Trafficking Victims Clear Criminal Records

5:34pm February 26, 2015

by Carrie Johnson

"I'm not ever going to forget what I've done," says a woman once convicted of prostitution. "But, at the same time, I don't want it thrown in my face every time I'm trying to seek employment."

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Samantha Elauf outside the Supreme Court Wednesday.

High Court Leans Toward Religious Protection In Headscarf Case

2:16pm February 26, 2015

by Nina Totenberg

Did Abercrombie & Fitch violate a prohibition against religious discrimination by not hiring a woman who wears a hijab? The company contends it just has a neutral policy against wearing caps.

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Some colleges and police departments are starting to use software that scans social media to identify local threats, but most tips still come from members of the public.

National

Awash In Social Media, Cops Still Need The Public To Detect Threats

1:47pm February 26, 2015

by Martin Kaste

It's hard to know when to take violent language seriously online. But when Jonathan Hutson saw an anonymous threat to an unnamed school on Twitter, he couldn't let it go.

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A central figure in videos released by the self-declared Islamic State has been identified as a man from West London. He's seen here dressed in black, threatening Japanese captives Haruna Yukawa (right) and Kenji Goto.

World News

ISIS Extremist Who Beheaded Prisoners Is Identified As Man From London

1:44pm February 26, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Intelligence sources say the militant known as "Jihadi John" has been identified as Mohammed Emwazi and that he is a college-educated, British citizen of Kuwaiti descent.

The legal case of the alleged Sept. 11 terrorists is slowly grinding its way through a war court at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

'No End In Sight' For Sept. 11 Proceedings At Guantanamo Bay

1:27pm February 26, 2015

by David Welna

Endless preliminary motions, official shenanigans and a lack of legal precedent have mired the recently created war court in fitful proceedings. It could be years before the case ever goes to trial.

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Closing loopholes in background checks for gun purchases would reduce the risk of death and injury, doctors' and attorneys' groups say.

Doctors Join Forces With Lawyers To Reduce Firearms Deaths

11:51am February 26, 2015

by Nancy Shute

More than 32,000 people die each year in the United States in gun-related suicides, violence and accidents. The physicians seek universal background checks and other measures to reduce the toll.

National

Supreme Court Sides With Fisherman In Case Of The Missing Fish

3:18pm February 25, 2015

by Krishnadev Calamur

At issue was whether discarding fish after a raid for undersized red grouper violated the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The justices said the law, passed in the wake of the Enron scandal, didn't apply to fish.

National

Sniper Trial Could Be In Jury's Hands Soon

7:16pm February 24, 2015

by Wade Goodwyn

Eddie Ray Routh has been charged with killing former Navy Seal Chris Kyle, the subject of the film American Sniper, and another man. Routh has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity

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Why Finding A Jury For Death Penalty Cases Is Complicated

3:25pm February 24, 2015

by Emily Green

Jury selection continues in the trials of the Boston marathon bombing and the Aurora, Colorado theater shooting. The prosecutors in both are seeking the death penalty. The process could take months.

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Leaders of the Alaska Cannabis Club share a joint at their medical marijuana dispensary in Anchorage. On Tuesday, Alaska became the third state in the nation to legalize recreational marijuana use.

National

Marijuana Is Now Legal In Alaska, The 3rd U.S. State With Legal Pot

1:33pm February 24, 2015

by Bill Chappell

The new law means people over age 21 can consume small amounts of pot — if they can find it. It's still illegal to sell marijuana in Alaska.