Capitol Hill lawmakers made a fresh push Tuesday to gain passage of a law that punishes those who lie about earning high military honors.
The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a federal law making it a crime to falsely claim military medals earned.
In what have become known as the "Jesus pencil" and "candy cane" cases, the Supreme Court refused Monday to consider appeals from the families of elementary school students over distribution of religious-themed gifts on campus.
Explain it to me: CNN's Tom Foreman explains how presidential hopefuls spend money.
Retired Justice John Paul Stevens had harsh words for his former conservative colleagues Wednesday, saying they have inconsistently applied the law two years after a sweeping ruling dealing with campaign finance reform.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This is the first line of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
A Muslim civil liberties group filed a lawsuit Friday against the federal government for allegedly violating the First Amendment rights of Michigan Muslims and violating a 1993 federal law that upholds the free practice of religion.
The new anti-smoking campaign launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a smart move.
A federal mandate requiring tobacco companies to place graphic images on their products warning of the dangers of smoking was tossed out Wednesday by a judge in Washington, with the judge saying the requirements were a violation of free speech.
President Obama talks about his struggle to quit smoking in an ad campaign by the American Cancer Society.
The Supreme Court took on the role of constitutional truth-seeker in an especially vigorous argument Wednesday, dealing with the harm from lies and the value of honor.
Xavier Alvarez ran for public office in California touting an impressive resume, including claims that he was a recipient of the highest military decoration awarded by the U.S. government, the Medal of Honor, for combat bravery.
The cigarette companies -- and, boy, it's hard to say this -- may turn out to be right.
Rep. Allen West says voters need continue to "restore conservatism" to Washington.
A trio of House Republican freshmen told an annual gathering of conservative activists on Friday that, far from backing down, they believe they should double down on the conservative principles that carried them into office in 2010 on a wave of tea party support.
Texas health officials began enforcing Tuesday a controversial law that requires doctors to provide a sonogram to pregnant women before they get an abortion.
A week after the mass arrests of Occupy Oakland demonstrators following clashes with police, a more muted protest played out Saturday in the northern California city.
Living in a public park as a means of protest is not protected by the First Amendment, a federal judge said Tuesday in rejecting an Occupy DC demonstrator's request to keep park police from enforcing a ban on camping.
The National Park Service plans to crack down on what it calls "sleeping activity" at two Occupy DC camps.
The National Park Service plans to crack down on what it calls "sleeping activity" that may take place at two longstanding camps established by "Occupy DC" demonstrators in the nation's capital, according to a letter issued by the federal agency Friday.
Two years ago, the Supreme Court upended the rules for campaign finance, unleashing a tsunami of unregulated, unrestricted and undisclosed spending that has, in effect, allowed donors to buy elections. The full impact of this decision is just now becoming clear, and it's bad both for America's businesses and for our democracy.
Spirit Airlines isn't happy with the new airline price advertising rule. The big "Warning!" sign popping up on the carrier's website makes that pretty clear.
New airline rules will raise prices, but it's a benefit for consumers.
The growing number of foreign websites that offer counterfeit or stolen goods continues to threaten American technology, products and jobs. Illegal counterfeiting and piracy costs the U.S. economy $100 billion and thousands of jobs every year. Congress cannot stand by and do nothing while some of America's most profitable and productive industries are under attack.
The mere rumor of a downgrade by the major ratings agencies is enough to send world markets into a tailspin, wiping billions off the values of global stocks.
A former teacher at a Michigan religious school lost her workplace discrimination claim at the Supreme Court Wednesday, as the justices deftly avoided the larger questions raised in the church-state dispute.
A decision by Massachusetts prosecutors to subpoena the Twitter records of an Occupy Boston activist, as well as records linked to two Twitter hashtags, has free speech advocates up in arms, calling the move a violation of the First Amendment.
The parents of a 15-year-old Massachusetts high school student who committed suicide after being bullied by her classmates received a nearly quarter-million-dollar settlement, according to documents made public after a months-long attempt to uncover details of the agreement.
A Massachusetts man was convicted Tuesday of multiple terrorism conspiracy charges in a case that raised questions about how terror suspects can be prosecuted.
A federal judge dismissed a case of cyberstalking on Twitter ruling that even though some tweets caused emotional stress, they are still considered free speech.
Police arrested 46 people Saturday morning after they swept through a downtown city square in Boston, Massachusetts, evicting "Occupy" protesters encamped there since late September, officials said.
Occupy Boston protesters remained firmly entrenched in a downtown city square early Friday after a midnight deadline passed for them to clear out or face eviction.
A Massachusetts judge has ruled against Occupy Boston protesters' ability to camp in a downtown city square, setting up a possible confrontation with authorities who issued a midnight deadline to clear out or face eviction.
Police in Los Angeles and Philadelphia dismantled tents and arrested Occupy protesters who refused to leave city property early Wednesday.
Hundreds of police officers move to evict Occupy Los Angeles protesters from City Hall.
The Obama administration appealed Tuesday a federal judge's decision to block a law that would have made tobacco companies include graphic pictures and messages showing the dangers of smoking on cigarette packages.
Refusing to leave their camp at Los Angeles' City Hall, Occupy protesters were seeking a federal court injunction to block their removal.
CNN's Sandra Endo reports from Los Angeles as Occupy protesters defy a police order to leave their camp.
A New York Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Occupy protesters will be allowed to return to Zuccotti Park, but they can't bring their tents and generators -- once a mainstay of the movement.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter expresses his concern over the changing mood of the Occupy Philadelphia protest.
A judge made life much tougher for the Occupy Wall Street movement Tuesday, backing New York City's attempt to prohibit tents and overnight camping at Zuccotti Park, the movement's spiritual home.
A federal judge on Monday blocked implementation of a law that would have mandated tobacco companies include on cigarette packages graphic pictures and messages showing the dangers of smoking.
The Supreme Court is about to hold hearings on whether the police need a warrant to attach a GPS tracker to a suspect's car and trace its movements while it is in a public space. (The case at hand, United States v. Jones, concerns a major drug dealer, and the police could not use the data collected while his car was parked in his garage.)
Even a watered-down version of the law couldn't pass muster: San Francisco's ordinance requiring retail outlets to inform consumers about the (alleged) effects of cell phone radiation has been blocked by a federal judge.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg met with Occupy Wall Street protesters Wednesday evening and informed them that the private park where they have been staying for nearly four weeks will be cleaned on Friday, according to a statement from the Deputy Mayor for Operations Cas Holloway.
A federal judge has blocked key parts of a Texas law that would require doctors to provide a sonogram to pregnant women before they get an abortion, days before the law was set to take effect.
San Francisco's transit system board agreed Wednesday to put together a formal policy on when cell-phone service can be cut off to commuters, in response to widespread complaints and recent protests.
An Indiana school district might appeal a summary judgment that said it violated two students' First Amendment rights by punishing them for posting racy photos to social networking sites, the district's lawyer said.
Board members of San Francisco's rapid transit system will convene a special meeting next week to discuss the controversial decision this month to cut off cell service in selected stations.
In the first major change to tobacco labels in 25 years, graphic images will warn consumers about smoking dangers.
Five tobacco companies, including some of the largest in the United States, filed a lawsuit against the federal government on Tuesday, alleging that government-mandated graphic warning labels on cigarette packages unconstitutionally infringe on the companies' rights.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg proudly points out a recent empirical study finding her "the least funny justice who talks" when cases are argued on the Supreme Court's nine-member bench.
Dennis Dwyer, a Vietnam veteran, author and tattoo artist, shares why he loves the Fourth of July.
In this week's Tech Check podcast, writers Doug Gross, John Sutter and Stephanie Goldberg discuss Google's rollout of Google+.
Maybe it helps for the nation's highest court to say it, too?
The Supreme Court struck down a California law that would have banned selling "violent" video games to children.
The Supreme Court has struck down a California law that would have banned selling "violent" video games to children, a case balancing free speech rights with consumer protection.
The Supreme Court rules California cannot ban the sale of violent video games to kids. CNN's Jeffrey Toobin reports.
The Supreme Court said Monday it will take another look at government efforts to regulate profanity and sexual content on broadcast television.
What is it about immigration? It brings out the best in America. And yet, talking about it brings out the worst in many Americans. The United States is becoming withdrawn and bitter, and the national mood is becoming uglier.
A San Francisco-based advocacy group known as Male Genital Mutilation Bill has collected enough signatures on its petition to ban circumcision that the proposal will appear on the city's November electoral ballot.
A lawyer for Casey Anthony, the Florida woman accused of killing her 2-year-old child, pushed Friday to prohibit cameras at jury selection for his client's upcoming trial -- a motion that the presiding judge said he would have to consider, but was not likely to support.
The Supreme Court has ruled that anti-gay protesters at military funerals are protected by First Amendment.
The Supreme Court ruled that a Kansas church whose members travel the country to protest at military funerals, holding signs that say "Thank God for dead soldiers" and "God blew up the troops," has a right to continue such demonstrations.
Families are disappointed in a Supreme Court ruling that allows a church to picket military funerals.
The rampage shooting in Arizona is another anguishing reminder that mental health is the weakest link in our ailing health care system.
The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether states can bar "data mining" companies from marketing information about doctors' drug prescriptions, an important case testing the conflicting boundaries over commercial speech and consumer protection.
A New Jersey radio host and blogger was sentenced Tuesday to 33 months in prison after making death threats against three federal judges in Illinois, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald.
President Barack Obama has signed a law that specifically bans so-called "crush videos" -- depictions of small animals being tortured to death by humans. The legislation came in response to a Supreme Court ruling this year striking down a broader congressional law dealing with animal cruelty.
Since this summer, WikiLeaks has published huge tranches of classified U.S. intelligence. The online organization's actions have ignited fierce debate over whether the First Amendment's free speech rights will keep its members and its founder, Julian Assange, safe from prosecution.
A federal judge has extended a temporary restraining order against an Oklahoma referendum that would ban the use of Islamic religious law in state courts.
A federal judge will hear arguments Monday on a temporary restraining order against an Oklahoma referendum that would ban the use of Islamic religious law in state courts.
In 2009, CNN's Octavia Nasr explained the origins of Sharia law and what it meant to the Muslim world.
"The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure: A Child-Lover's Code of Conduct" was pulled from Amazon.com, a spokesman confirmed Thursday, after thousands of users posted angry comments and threats to boycott the site.
CNN's Anderson Cooper takes a look at the controversy surrounding Amazon.com and books defending pedophilia.
The recent news item about a Connecticut worker fired for Facebook postings that annoyed her employer, like other accounts of employees sacked for private speech, was bound to draw a lot of attention. Americans hold First Amendment rights to free speech as a kind of sacrosanct birthright, and for many of us the idea that you can lose your job for expressing private thoughts away from work offends the core principle of freedom of expression.
Companies and employees navigate the ethical and legal framework of talking about work on social networking sites.
The lawyer for the gay student in the Michigan assistant attorney general controversy talks about the case.
An assistant attorney general in Michigan is out of a job, fired after targeting an openly gay University of Michigan student leader online and in person -- then lying about his actions to investigators -- state Attorney General Mike Cox said Monday.
The U.S. Justice Department filed a legal brief Monday stating its support of the continued construction of a controversial mosque in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, that was targeted by arsonists in August.
CNN's Anderson Cooper reports on outside groups whose money funds political ads, but whose IDs can't be confirmed.
Give them credit where credit is due: Republicans know how to spend big dollars. In this election, Republican political strategists and their rich, anonymous supporters are really thinking big.
The Supreme Court struggled Wednesday to find a constitutional balance between free speech and privacy in a case involving provocative anti-homosexual protests by a small church at the funeral of a soldier who died in Iraq.
CNN's Anderson Cooper seeks answers from Michigan's assistant attorney general over his web attacks on a gay student.
Michigan Assistant Attorney General Andrew Shirvell -- who for nearly six months has blogged about an openly gay college student -- has taken a voluntary leave of absence, the state's attorney general's office confirmed to CNN Friday.
Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox defended an assistant's constitutional right to wage an Internet campaign against an openly gay college student, even though he considers that employee a "bully."
Michigan's attorney general comments on employee Andrew Shirvell's controversial blog, which attacks a gay student.
Three U.S. senators introduced legislation Monday to specifically ban so-called "crush videos" -- depictions of small animals being tortured to death by humans.
At a time when our nation's top university is more diverse than ever before, Harvard's recent decision to honor its former professor Marty Peretz on Friday for setting up an undergraduate research fund in his name comes as a big, disappointing surprise.
Use this activity to help your students review the U.S. Constitution and understand its relevance today.
Governments, world leaders and others were responding Friday to a Florida pastor's plan to burn copies of the Quran, the Muslim holy book, even amid confusion over whether it would go ahead. The Rev. Terry Jones, the head of a small church in Gainesville, called off the burning Thursday but later said he would "rethink" his position after a meeting with a local imam. Here's a sampling of global reaction:
Rev. Terry Jones says there is no doubt the end of the Quran burning was quid pro quo for moving the NYC mosque.
The Rev. Terry Jones, the leader of a small congregation in Florida, recently announced he would burn copies of the Quran on September 11. A broad spectrum of figures in public life, including President Barack Obama and Gen. David Petraeus, urged him not to.
Rev. Terry Jones cancels a planned Quran burning, then says he'll "rethink" his position. CNN's John Zarrella reports.
There is little argument that America's respect in the Muslim world has lessened as we enter our 10th year of war against a deadly shadow enemy of religious extremists who wear no uniform, wave no flag and who use their holy book as sword and shield against fellow Muslims as well as all things American.
Lying about military honors is not a crime, a federal appeals court has ruled, tossing out the prosecution of a California public official who falsely claimed to have won the prestigious Medal of Honor.
Missouri's tight restrictions on protests and picketing outside military funerals were tossed out by a federal judge Monday, over free speech concerns.
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