9th Circuit judge shines light on Justice William O. Douglas’ environmental campaigns

U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas could be known for his fiery opinions, turbulent personal life and longtime presidential ambitions. But Judge M. Margaret McKeown is shining a light on his groundbreaking environmental advocacy in her new book.

Sep 7, 2022 9:00 AM CDT

Mississippi scrubbed racial taint from its constitutional ban on voting by some felons, 5th Circuit rules

The lifetime ban on voting for some felons in Mississippi’s 1890 constitution no longer has a racist taint following later changes that added additional crimes to the list, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at New Orleans has concluded.

Aug 26, 2022 10:10 AM CDT

Full Congressional Record in searchable format offered on law school’s website

Although the U.S. Congressional Record has been in a digital format for some time, a version that can easily be searched is now available on an online platform—offered by the Brigham Young University J. Reuben Clark Law School.

Aug 17, 2022 9:00 AM CDT

‘Bad People Like Him’: An interview with master negotiator and former governor Bill Richardson

On Dec. 13, 1996, President Bill Clinton, in a White House ceremony, announced the nomination of Bill Richardson as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Just a few days earlier, the congressman from New Mexico had been using his diplomacy skills in a much less stately setting.

Aug 15, 2022 8:36 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Legal sector gains 34,700 jobs in a year; judge unseals Trump search warrant

Legal sector adds 3,000 jobs or more, 3 months in a row The legal services sector added 3,100 jobs in July following a June gain of 3,300 jobs and a May gain of 3,000 jobs, according to seasonally adjusted, preliminary figures released Aug. 5 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor…

Aug 12, 2022 2:19 PM CDT

Thanks to civics teacher’s efforts, last convicted witch in Massachusetts is exonerated

An eighth grade civics teacher, working with her students, helped win the exoneration of the last convicted witch in Massachusetts.

Aug 5, 2022 9:42 AM CDT

Aug. 2, 1790: US conducts first constitutional census

Aug 1, 2022 12:05 AM CDT

Board of UC Hastings law school recommends name change in response to founder’s role in massacres

The University of California’s Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco would get a name change under a recommendation approved Wednesday by the school’s board of directors.

Jul 29, 2022 8:38 AM CDT

Courtroom sketch artist Art Lien retires after momentous SCOTUS term

It wasn’t the momentous U.S. Supreme Court term ending in June that spurred courtroom sketch artist Art Lien to retire.

Jul 25, 2022 10:32 AM CDT

Chemerinsky: This SCOTUS term moved the law ‘dramatically in a conservative direction’

The U.S. Supreme Court's October 2021 term was one of the momentous in history. The only analogy I can think of is 1937 for its dramatic changes in constitutional law. This is the first full term with Justice Amy Coney Barrett on the high court, and we saw the enormous effects of having a 6-3 conservative majority.

Jul 7, 2022 8:46 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Old arrest warrant found in Emmett Till case; former White House counsel subpoenaed

Emmett Till’s family seeks arrest after warrant found Researchers have found an unserved 1955 arrest warrant in the basement of a Mississippi courthouse that accuses Carolyn Bryant Donham in the kidnapping of 14-year-old Emmett Till, who was lynched after the white woman accused the Black teenager of making improper advances.…

Jul 1, 2022 1:35 PM CDT

America’s Lost Children

When researchers began the painstaking work of identifying Indigenous children who died at the Genoa U.S. Indian Industrial School in Nebraska, they kept making chilling discoveries.

Jun 1, 2022 3:30 AM CDT

June 30, 1983: Closing the books on Peoples Temple

On June 30, 1983, attorney Robert H. Fabian literally closed the books on one of the most painful proceedings in American jurisprudence: the court-ordered liquidation of assets owned by Peoples Temple, the organized following of the Rev. Jim Jones.

Jun 1, 2022 12:05 AM CDT

John Lennon’s lawyer turns paperback writer to recount little-known case

Jay Bergen’s representation of Lennon always made for a good story, last month he shared the case on a grander scale. He published Lennon, the Mobster & the Lawyer—The Untold Story, which recounts his representation of Lennon.

May 31, 2022 2:39 PM CDT

Could SCOTUS leaker be charged with crime? Espionage Act wouldn’t apply, but other laws might

Could the person who leaked U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s draft abortion opinion be charged with a crime? It’s possible, even though the Espionage Act wouldn’t apply, according to experts.

May 12, 2022 1:46 PM CDT