Law

National

70 Years Later, Memorial Held For Unarmed Black Man Fatally Shot By Police

6:24pm April 28, 2018

by Jesse Hardman

It's a familiar headline: An unarmed black man is shot and killed by police. Community members are upset and demand justice. But this isn't a story that happened last month. It was 70 years ago.

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Texas voters will be required to show government-issued identification in the 2018 election. The law accepts handgun licenses as proof of identification, but not college student IDs.

Texas Voter ID Law Stands For Midterm Elections, Court Rules

11:05am April 28, 2018

by Rebecca Feldhaus Adams

Arguments that the law disproportionately affected black and Latino voters were deemed insufficient in the U.S. Circuit Court's decision.

National

#MeToo And The Law

7:54am April 28, 2018

Was Bill Cosby's conviction a victory for the #MeToo Movement? NPR's Scott Simon speaks with lawyer Carrie Goldberg about how the movement has potentially changed the courtroom.

Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, who authorities suspect is the so-called Golden State Killer responsible for at least a dozen murders is arraigned in Sacramento, Calif., on Friday.

In Hunt For Golden State Killer, Investigators Uploaded His DNA To Genealogy Site

7:31pm April 27, 2018

by Laurel Wamsley

After failing to find a match within criminal databases, law enforcement uploaded the killer's DNA profile to a no-frills website used to trace ancestry. The tactic has spurred privacy concerns.

National

Why Prosecutors In Bill Cosby's Case Focused On Addressing Misconceptions About Rape

4:23pm April 27, 2018

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Dr. Barbara Ziv, the forensic psychiatrist who testified at the retrial of Bill Cosby, about the focus that the prosecution put on educating the jury about common misconceptions around rape.

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Bill Cosby leaves the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pa., on Thursday after being convicted of aggravated indecent assault.

'Allegedly' No More: Cosby Conviction Marks A New Chapter For #MeToo

12:47pm April 27, 2018

by Eric Deggans

As pop culture critics and onetime fans try to sort out Bill Cosby's legacy, it's possible this all boils down to a simple message: What was once overlooked, will be overlooked no longer.

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., speaks to reporters in front of the courthouse in Newark, N.J., on Nov. 16, 2017. The federal bribery trial of Menendez ended in a mistrial when the jury said it was deadlocked on all charges against him.

Senate Ethics Panel Admonishes Sen. Menendez

7:25pm April 26, 2018

by Susan Davis

The bipartisan panel unanimously agreed that Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., violated Senate rules and codes of conduct in his relationship with a longtime friend who was convicted of Medicare fraud.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley confers with ranking member Dianne Feinstein at a committee hearing on April 19. The committee has approved legislation to protect special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

Bill To Protect Mueller Investigation Approved By Senate Judiciary Committee

5:20pm April 26, 2018

by Kelsey Snell

While the bill lacks support from GOP leaders in the House and Senate, it's intended to send a message to President Trump that he avoid interfering with special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation.

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A sketch of the Golden State Killer, an individual associated with a spree of rapes and killings between 1976 and 1986. On Tuesday, police arrested Joseph James DeAngelo and named him as the suspect.

National

After Arrest Of Suspected Golden State Killer, Details Of His Life Emerge

4:32pm April 26, 2018

by Laurel Wamsley

Joseph James DeAngelo has been charged with eight murders, and is suspected in dozens of other crimes. He had recently retired after working 27 years in a supermarket distribution center.

Bill Cosby walks after it was announced a verdict is in at the Montgomery County Courthouse for day fourteen of his sexual assault retrial on April 26, 2018 in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

When What Was Good For Bill Cosby Was Good For Black America

4:00pm April 26, 2018

by Gene Demby

The few, tepid defenses of Bill Cosby during his criminal trial for sexual assault are an illustration of just how much his influence as Black America's emissary to the wider world has waned.