Law

National

With Expanded Definition, Rape Is Reported More Often

7:00pm February 23, 2014

Two years after the Justice Department rewrote the official definition of rape, reports of rape have increased in most cities. Under the old definition, however, the number of rapes between 2012 and 2013 were down.

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National

New Law Stubs Toe On A Tough Unknown: Who Owns The Guns?

7:53pm February 21, 2014

by Jeff Cohen

Tens of thousands may have failed to comply with a Connecticut law that requires gun owners to register their weapons. As WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports, the state faces a few problems enforcing the law.

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Deborah Parker, vice chair of the Tulalip Tribes of Washington state, reacts to President Barack Obama signing the Violence Against Women Act in 2013 in Washington.

National

For Abused Native American Women, New Law Provides A 'Ray Of Hope'

8:07pm February 20, 2014

by Hansi Lo Wang

Starting Thursday, three American Indian tribes can prosecute non-Indians for some domestic violence crimes. The change stems from a provision included in the Violence Against Women Act.

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National

New York Backs Off Controversial Punishment For Juveniles

8:02pm February 20, 2014

by Carrie Johnson

In response to a lawsuit, New York has offered to limit its use of solitary confinement, including prohibiting its use for prisoners under 18. This may be a potential watershed in prison policy.

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Once Neglected, Secretaries Of State Step Into The Spotlight

7:58pm February 18, 2014

by Peter Overby

There was a time when secretaries of state were seen as little more than functionaries. That view changed in 2000's Florida presidential election recount, which starred Katherine Harris. Now, secretaries of state are involved in implementing new state laws that have been making it either easier or harder for non-traditional voters to cast ballots — with decidedly partisan implications.

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National

Florida's 'Santa Claus' Of Speeding Tickets Gets Clipped

7:58pm February 18, 2014

The small town of Hampton, Fla., will soon be no more. Lawmakers plan to shut down the town after a disastrous audit, prompted by an excess of speeding tickets, revealed its scandal-ridden history. Robert Siegel speaks with Aaron Deslatte, the Tallahassee Bureau Chief of the Orlando Sentinel.

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National

Missouri Execution Stalled Over Lethal Drugs In Short Supply

7:58pm February 18, 2014

by Laura Sullivan

A pharmacy in Tulsa, Okla., has decided not to provide the Missouri Department of Corrections with the drugs needed to execute an inmate on death row. Securing access to necessary drugs has become a common problem in states trying to carry out the death penalty.

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National

Flood Of Gay Marriage Cases Releasing Stream Of Federal Rulings

10:48pm February 16, 2014

by Richard Gonzales

A federal judge in Virginia struck down the state's same-sex marriage ban this week. Similar rulings have come down in other conservative states, like Kentucky, Oklahoma and Utah, indicating the strategy for winning marriage equality in federal courts is moving faster than many expected.

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Virginia's Ban On Gay Marriage Is Struck Down

7:18am February 14, 2014

U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen has ruled Virginia's same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional. Steve Inskeep talks to Mark Herring, Virginia's attorney general, about the ruling.

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National

The Ins And Outs Of Local IDs

7:58pm February 13, 2014

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is announcing a plan to implement local IDs regardless of legal status. To learn how local IDs have worked in other places, Robert Siegel speaks with Patricia Sollami Covello, clerk of Mercer County, N.J. They discuss the community ID program that Mercer County began in 2010.

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