Law

Lawsuit Aims To Change How Alabama's Appeals Court Judges Are Elected

9:08am October 13, 2016

Civil rights activists say the process violates the Voting Rights Act. Renee Montagne talks to Vanzetta McPherson, a retired federal magistrate judge, about how the imbalance impacts the community.

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National

FCC Fines Comcast $2.3 Million For Improperly Charging Customers

4:33pm October 12, 2016

NPR's Audie Cornish talks to reporter Adrianne Jeffries about the fine brought against Comcast by the Federal Communications Commission, which is billed as the largest ever fine against a cable company.

How The 'Cannabis Catch-22' Keeps Marijuana Classified As A Harmful Drug

4:18pm October 12, 2016

Author John Hudak says federal law makes it hard to prove the medicinal value of marijuana. "As a Schedule 1 drug, it is very difficult to do research on the plant," he explains.

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Appeals Court Orders Restructuring Of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

1:17pm October 12, 2016

by Yuki Noguchi

A federal appeals court ruled the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau must be restructured because its current setup is unconstitutional. The decision will require an immediate agency restructure.

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National

Albuquerque Police Shooting Trial Ends In A Hung Jury

11:48am October 12, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

Two former officers were on trial for murder in the 2014 shooting of a homeless man. The DOJ cited the shooting in its finding of a pattern of excessive force within Albuquerque's police department.

Science

Nobel Prize-Winning Thoughts On Incentives And The Importance Of Contracts

10:10am October 12, 2016

Two economists who figured out the underlying patterns to make better contracts won this year's Nobel Prize in economics. Steve Inskeep talks to Bengt Holmstrom of MIT, who was one of the winners.

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National

Comcast Fined $2.3 Million For Improperly Charging Customers

7:33pm October 11, 2016

by Richard Gonzales

Federal regulators say Comcast charged customers for gear and services they didn't order. Officials say the fine is the largest civil penalty assessed against a cable operator.

National

Feds Will Press Criminal Contempt Charges Against Ariz. Sheriff Arpaio

7:20pm October 11, 2016

by Richard Gonzales

Sheriff Joe Arpaio faces a misdemeanor charge of defying a court order to stop racial profiling of Latinos suspected of being in the U.S. illegally.

National

Supreme Court Hears Arguments In Case Testing Juror Discrimination Rules

4:31pm October 11, 2016

by Nina Totenberg

The Supreme Court heard arguments Thursday in a case testing the constitutionality of rules that bar courts from examining evidence of racial bias in jury deliberations.

Federal Court Rules Consumer Watchdog's Structure Is Unconstitutional

2:12pm October 11, 2016

by Eyder Peralta

An independent federal agency should not be run by a single person, the court found. It decided to remedy the situation by giving the president the authority to fire the agency head at will.