Public Interest

Man accused of threatening to kill federal judge set to face trial

A man accused of threatening to kill a federal judge in California failed to get his charges dismissed and will now face trial.

Sep 15, 2026 11:49 AM CDT

Trump slams his own Supreme Court appointees over mail ballot ruling

President Donald Trump on Tuesday blasted the Supreme Court justices he appointed after they ruled against him on mail ballots, tariffs and birthright citizenship, portraying their decisions as a personal betrayal.

Sep 15, 2026 11:09 AM CDT

Sorority sisters ask 10th Circuit to revive challenge to definition of ‘women’

A group of sorority sisters asked the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Denver on Monday to revive its challenge to Kappa Kappa Gamma’s definition of “women” that currently allows transgender students identifying as women to join.

Sep 15, 2026 10:20 AM CDT

Supreme Court blocks sweeping mail ballot restrictions for midterm elections

The Supreme Court on Monday blocked the Trump administration from moving forward with unprecedented new restrictions on mail ballots for the pivotal midterm elections.

Sep 15, 2026 10:17 AM CDT

Judge disciplined for requiring COVID-19 vaccination for parents in custody case

A Texas judge was publicly admonished last week for requiring that parents in a family law custody dispute receive the COVID-19 vaccination or produce a negative test 72 hours before the father visited his children.

Sep 15, 2026 9:41 AM CDT

Ex-‘Crypto King’ Samuel Bankman-Fried asks Supreme Court to overturn conviction

FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder Samuel Bankman-Fried, the ex-“Crypto King” who was convicted on multiple counts of fraud and money laundering in connection to the former cryptocurrency exchange, has filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.

Sep 14, 2026 11:43 AM CDT

Lawyer accused of stealing more than $400K from minor clients

An Illinois lawyer is facing 15 federal charges for bank and mail fraud in connection with his guardian ad litem appointment for four minors.

Sep 14, 2026 10:10 AM CDT

District attorneys, state bar defend law banning legal advice from paralegals in this state

Five North Carolina district attorneys and the president of the North Carolina State Bar are defending a state law banning paralegals from offering legal advice as the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at Richmond, Virginia, reviews a First Amendment challenge to the law.

Sep 14, 2026 9:50 AM CDT

UC Berkeley Law discriminated in admissions, DOJ says

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the Department of Education is accusing the University of California at Berkeley School of Law of discriminating against white and Asian applicants while prioritizing Black applicants.

Sep 10, 2026 2:52 PM CDT

Is there a religious right to abortion? State supreme court will weigh in

An Indiana advocacy group and two Jewish women are preparing to tell the Indiana Supreme Court on Thursday that they should be exempt from the state’s near-total ban on abortion because it violates their exercise of religion.

Sep 10, 2026 10:31 AM CDT

Federal judges’ interns may accept stipends from law firms, ethics panel says

The U.S. Judicial Conference’s Committee on Codes of Conduct has determined that law students who work as unpaid interns for federal judges may accept stipends from law firms looking to recruit them as summer associates—so long as the payments meet certain requirements.

Sep 10, 2026 10:12 AM CDT

The Burton Book Review: ‘Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws that are Ruining America,’ by Elie Mystal

Laws reflect society’s priorities and preoccupations. In Bad Law: Ten Popular Laws That Are Ruining America, Elie Mystal, legal analyst/justice correspondent at The Nation, takes readers on an expletive-laden romp through the legislative history of our country’s so-called “bad laws,” showing how they summoned support and sharing their shortcomings.

Sep 9, 2026 1:34 PM CDT

Catholic groups sue state over new assisted-suicide law

The state of Illinois is being sued over a new law that would allow medically assisted suicide, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Sep 9, 2026 10:46 AM CDT

How post-9/11 pop culture helped push Americans to embrace torture

Historically, torture scenes in pop culture signaled villainy. James Bond villains devised elaborate death traps, Big Brother tried to break Winston Smith in 1984, and the bad guys in Star Wars and Star Trek tormented heroes like Han Solo and Captain Picard. Torture was a bright line only evildoers crossed. Even when torture scenes were parodied in Monty Python skits or in movies such as Dude, Where’s My Car? or Shrek, it was typically the antagonists doing it. Then 9/11 happened.

Sep 9, 2026 10:25 AM CDT

Appeals court hears ‘The Pitt’ producers’ plea to kill ‘ER’ lawsuit

A medical TV show’s drama has spilled over to the courtroom, as an attorney for the producers of The Pitt told a California appeals court on Tuesday that the popular show is a unique work that cannot be sued on free speech grounds.

Sep 9, 2026 9:59 AM CDT