Law

National

New Orleans Public Defenders Refuse New Cases To Highlight Underfunding

4:29pm January 29, 2016

NPR's Audie Cornish interviews Derwyn Bunton, chief public defender in New Orleans, about why the lawsuit against his department could be a good thing. The ACLU is suing because the public defender's office stopped accepting new cases due to underfunding.

National

'Affluenza Teen' To Remain In Juvenile Detention For Now

3:17pm January 29, 2016

by Laura Wagner

The decision by a judge in Texas was a blow to prosecutors. They wanted Ethan Couch, who was deported Thursday from Mexico, to be held in an adult jail while he awaits a hearing next month.

President Obama speaks about the gap in pay between men and women on Friday, as he introduced a new proposal that would require large companies to disclose data about employee pay by race, gender and ethnicity.

To Shine A Light On Salary Gaps, Obama Wants Companies To Disclose Pay Data

2:20pm January 29, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

The proposal would require companies with more than 100 employees to submit data, affecting more than 63 million workers.

Beyonce performs onstage in 2013 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Can't Buy A Ticket To That Concert You Want To See? Blame Bots

7:36pm January 28, 2016

by Jim Zarroli

A report from New York's attorney general points to abusive practices in the market for live-event tickets on sites such as StubHub. Computer programs snap up seats faster than humans can.

Queue Listen Now

Sen. Grassley: Lawmakers Must 'Compromise' On Criminal Justice Reform

5:47pm January 28, 2016

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley about how his position on reform has changed and how lawmakers will have to come to a compromise on mandatory minimum sentences.

Police operate a checkpoint as part of a containment strategy around the Malheur Wildlife Refuge near Burns, Ore., on Wednesday. Although leaders of the group that occupied the federal site were arrested, armed militants remain at the refuge.

National

4 Militants Remain In Oregon Wildlife Refuge, As FBI Negotiations Go On

3:31pm January 28, 2016

by Bill Chappell

"We all want to leave," says Sandy Anderson, a militant who's still in the refuge. "We're here, and we're worried we're going to die."

Maine Gov. Paul LePage took aim at drug dealers in his state, saying that carrying a concealed weapon is legal in Maine and suggesting citizens shoot drug dealers. He followed up saying he did not advocate for vigilante justice.

National

Maine Governor To Citizens: 'Load Up And Get Rid Of The Drug Dealers'

3:07pm January 28, 2016

by Laura Wagner

Gov. Paul LePage's comments follow remarks earlier this month in which he characterized drug dealers as men named "D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty" who come to Maine and "impregnate young white girls."

This photo released by Mexico's Jalisco state prosecutor's office shows Ethan Couch, after he was taken into custody last month in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

'Affluenza Teen' Is Back In The U.S. To Face Charges

2:25pm January 28, 2016

by Laura Wagner

Mexican authorities said they put Ethan Couch on a plane in Mexico City. The 18-year-old, who was on probation for killing four people while driving drunk, had fled to Mexico with his mother.

Ammon Bundy speaks to the media in front of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters on Jan. 6 near Burns, Ore. Bundy was arrested on Tuesday.

National

Ammon Bundy Tells Remaining Oregon Occupiers To Go Home

8:52pm January 27, 2016

by Laura Wagner

The militant, who is under arrest, released a statement Wednesday calling on the people still occupying a federal wildlife refuge near Burns, Ore., to "stand down."

Cars like this DeLorean that was used in the 1980s sci-fi Back to the Future movies may be back on the roads next year.

National

'Back To The Future' Cars For Sale? (Flux Capacitor Not Included)

7:15pm January 27, 2016

by Laura Wagner

Starting in 2017, the DeLorean Motor Company plans to build several hundred new replicas of the stainless steel, gull-winged car made famous for it's role in the sci-fi movie trilogy.