The Supreme Court has passed up a chance to examine how far states can go to restrict unsolicited e-mails in efforts to block spammers from bombarding computer users.
The Obama administration Monday released nine previously secret internal Justice Department memos and opinions defining the legal limits of government power in combating terrorism.
The Supreme Court has blocked further consideration of a federal law designed to keep sexual material from underage users of the Web.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected U.S. Sen. Larry Craig's effort to withdraw his guilty plea to a misdemeanor offense of disorderly conduct in connection with a sex-sting operation.
The former ACLU president talks to TIME about her toughest sparring partners, the tension between national security and civil liberties and why the upcoming election is even more important than people may realize.
Campaign paraphernalia is everywhere nowadays. People are sporting T-shirts, hats and pins touting their candidate of choice. But wearing your political allegiances can cause a problem at the polls.
A battle is brewing in New York state over just how far teachers can go in influencing students' political views
Army Spc. Jeremy Hall was raised Baptist.
A federal appeals court agreed with a lower court ruling that struck down a 1998 law intended to protect children from sexual material on the Internet
Phil Goldstein became a hedge fund manager thanks to a pair of gray sweatpants. In the summer of 1992 the 47-year-old civil engineer walked into Las Vegas's Mirage hotel to meet his first potential investor. The shorts he was wearing didn't meet the dress code of Moongate, a Chinese restaurant where the two men had planned to meet. He thought the rule was arbitrary, so he went to a nearby gift shop, purchased a pair of sweatpants, changed into them, and returned to the restaurant. After the meal he changed back into his shorts and returned the pants for store credit. When Goldstein also told the prospect that he was staying off the Strip, at a $39-a-night motel, the deal was sealed. "This is a man I want managing my money," the investor told his broker that night.
The Supreme Court has passed up a chance to examine how far states can go to restrict unsolicited e-mails in efforts to block spammers from bombarding computer users.
The Obama administration Monday released nine previously secret internal Justice Department memos and opinions defining the legal limits of government power in combating terrorism.
The Supreme Court has blocked further consideration of a federal law designed to keep sexual material from underage users of the Web.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected U.S. Sen. Larry Craig's effort to withdraw his guilty plea to a misdemeanor offense of disorderly conduct in connection with a sex-sting operation.
The former ACLU president talks to TIME about her toughest sparring partners, the tension between national security and civil liberties and why the upcoming election is even more important than people may realize.
Campaign paraphernalia is everywhere nowadays. People are sporting T-shirts, hats and pins touting their candidate of choice. But wearing your political allegiances can cause a problem at the polls.
A battle is brewing in New York state over just how far teachers can go in influencing students' political views
Army Spc. Jeremy Hall was raised Baptist.
A federal appeals court agreed with a lower court ruling that struck down a 1998 law intended to protect children from sexual material on the Internet
Phil Goldstein became a hedge fund manager thanks to a pair of gray sweatpants. In the summer of 1992 the 47-year-old civil engineer walked into Las Vegas's Mirage hotel to meet his first potential investor. The shorts he was wearing didn't meet the dress code of Moongate, a Chinese restaurant where the two men had planned to meet. He thought the rule was arbitrary, so he went to a nearby gift shop, purchased a pair of sweatpants, changed into them, and returned to the restaurant. After the meal he changed back into his shorts and returned the pants for store credit. When Goldstein also told the prospect that he was staying off the Strip, at a $39-a-night motel, the deal was sealed. "This is a man I want managing my money," the investor told his broker that night.
In the secretive, illegal world of American polygamy, life has been good to 67-year-old Wendell Loy Nielsen of Eldorado, Texas.
Calling him "libel proof," a Michigan appeals court Monday dismissed Dr. Jack Kevorkian's defamation suit against two medical groups that called him a killer in their literature.
A federal jury in Baltimore, Maryland, Wednesday awarded $10.9 million to a father of a Marine whose funeral was picketed by members of a fundamentalist church carrying signs blaming soldiers' deaths on America's tolerance of homosexuals.
Hundreds of students turned out at Colorado State University to speak their minds on whether the student newspaper's editor should lose his job over four words.
The College Republicans, a student organization at Colorado State University, weren't planning anything special for the last week of September.
Two University of Florida police officers were placed on leave Tuesday after using an electronic stun gun to subdue a student at a campus forum. Read an account of the incident from a student who was there.
Only eight remain, according to an Anglican cleric, and they are frozen with indecision about what to do amid the desperation of Iraq
A judge bans the word from a sexual assault case, sparking debate over freedom of speech and the right to a fair trial
In an attempt to reunify Chinese Catholics, Benedict XVI sends a conciliatory letter to believers in the People's Republic
Was it a pro-drug banner or just a silly joke? Either way, the Supreme Court says it isn't protected by the First Amendment, setting a new (but fair) limit on student free speech
The Supreme Court ruled against a former high school student Monday in the "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner case -- a split decision that limits students' free speech rights.
Hong Kong has weathered much in the past 10 years: the Asian financial crisis, SARS, growing pollution woes and continuing questions about democracy.
Notorious prisoners' artwork, notes and even nail clippings are hot items online. But a new law might put a stop to it
A court's denial of a conversion to Christianity from Islam highlights a clash between religious and secular forces
Tensions between the United States and Russia ratcheted up another notch Thursday, with accusations flying over ballistic missiles and human rights.
The Supreme Court Monday debated the case of a high school principal who suspended a student over a "Bong Hits 4 Jesus," banner displayed at a school-sponsored event.
Communist Vietnam's prime minister became his country's highest-ranking official to meet a pope on Thursday, an encounter the Vatican called an "important step" towards normalizing diplomatic ties.
A California appeals court ruled Thursday that state laws limiting marriage to heterosexual couples are constitutional and do not deprive gay or lesbian couples of a "vested fundamental right."
When he appeared before a Utah judge via a video link from the county jail this week, the polygamist "Prophet" Warren Jeffs took the first step toward what could be among the most closely followed trials in state history.
Some Paris Hilton fans may have got more -- or less -- than they bargained for when they bought her debut album.
Saudi Arabia has promised a comprehensive review of all of its educational textbooks and to remove all language promoting intolerance, the State Department's ambassador for religious freedom said Wednesday.
Lots of legal experts greeted the Valerie Plame lawsuit against Vice President Cheney and White House senior officials Karl Rove and I. Lewis Libby with skepticism, largely because it will have to overcome an almost certain argument that Cheney and company are, as federal officials, immune to being sued for on-the-job behavior. But the argument to dismiss the lawsuit outright isn't so simple to make.
A proposed constitutional amendment to give Congress the power to ban desecration of the American flag failed to clear the Senate by one vote this week.
The Supreme Court on Monday struck down Vermont's strict limits on state campaign spending limits, finding the laws unfairly violate the free speech rights of candidates to raise money and publicize their views.
A U.S. government report warned on Wednesday that threats to religious freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan are mounting, and included Washington allies Saudi Arabia and Pakistan among countries "of particular concern" for religious intolerance.
An Afghan man possibly facing execution for converting from Islam to Christianity is expected "to be released in the coming days," a source with detailed knowledge of the case said Friday.
In the days of the Taliban, those promoting Christianity in Afghanistan could be arrested and those converting from Islam could be tortured and publicly executed.
In the days of the Taliban, those promoting Christianity in Afghanistan could be arrested and those converting from Islam could be tortured and publicly executed.
Denmark's leaders are calling for calm and dialogue as the nation finds itself under increasing pressure over the cartoons depicting Islam's revered Prophet Mohammed.
Thousands of protesters packed the streets of Beirut on Sunday, some clashing with security forces and setting the Danish Consulate on fire in anger over cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.
Muslim demonstrators in Damascus torched the Norwegian Embassy and the building housing Denmark's embassy because newspapers in those countries published what the protesters consider blasphemous depictions of Islam's Prophet Mohammed.
Scottish bookseller Joe Gordon once used his blog to let off steam after a hard day's work behind the counter.
President Bush attended a legally sanctioned church Sunday in Beijing before scheduled talks on religious freedom with President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao.
Airdate: July 30th, 2005
President Bush said Tuesday the "economy is strong," but he urged members of Congress to reform Social Security and pass his energy bill.
The U.S. Air Force said Tuesday it will appoint a task force to investigate allegations of religious intolerance at the Air Force Academy.
A San Diego, California-based group that calls itself a health and human rights organization recently submitted a proposed bill to Congress called the Male Genital Mutilation Bill ("MGM bill"). The bill, if adopted, would ban the practice of circumcising baby boys.
Citing "important and significant steps" by China to improve its human rights record, the State Department has said it will not introduce a resolution condemning Beijing this year at the U.N. Human Rights Commission.
Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral argument on two Ten Commandments cases.
In 1991, the acting U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Joe Wilson, sheltered 800 Americans at the embassy in Baghdad during Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. Twelve years later, Wilson was thrust back onto the international stage when he accused President Bush of misleading the American people into another war with Iraq.
Mark Jen landed a dream job with Google Inc. in January. He was fired less than a month later.
Moscow has again lashed out at the decision by Britain's Channel 4 News to air an interview with Chechen terrorist Shamil Basayev.
President Bush said Wednesday a recent audiotaped message believed to be from al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden highlights what is at stake in the upcoming Iraqi elections.
Thanks to a last-minute court ruling, Jonathan Morgan was able to share the religious origin of the candy cane with his elementary-school classmates at this year's winter-break party at Thomas Elementary School in Plano, Texas.
On December 6, the Supreme Court decided San Diego v. John Roe. The case posed the question of how far the First Amendment's free speech protection reaches to protect a police officer in a uniform. The lawsuit was brought by a police officer who was fired for making pornographic videos of himself in apparently official garb, and distributing them for sale on the web (along with other items).
A federal judge in Providence, Rhode Island, sentenced television reporter Jim Taricani to six months home confinement Thursday for refusing to divulge who gave him an FBI videotape showing a Providence city official taking a bribe.
A federal appeals court barred the government Monday from blocking funds to colleges and universities that deny access to military recruiters because of the Pentagon's policy banning openly gay men and women.
Recently, the Supreme Court made a saddening announcement: Chief Justice William Rehnquist is battling thyroid cancer. The news came as a surprise in the midst of an intense presidential campaign.
In late September, a federal district judge in New York, Victor Marrero, ruled that a key component of the USA Patriot Act is unconstitutional. The ruling made headlines, for it is the first to strike down any of the vast new surveillance powers the act authorized.
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved the Pledge Protection Act.
Three Indonesian journalists face imprisonment for writing and publishing an article that allegedly defamed a leading businessman.
A protest group planning a large anti-President Bush rally the day before the Republican National Convention opens has told the New York City Police Department that it will not use the site designated for it by the city.
Last week, the Democratic National Convention (DNC) ended. But the First Amendment issues that were raised there did not. Indeed, they are likely to continue on indefinitely -- recurring at the upcoming Republican National Convention (RNC), and similar public events raising intense security concerns.
Several prosecutions and lawsuits against polygamists, now pending in Utah, are notable for the constitutional defenses that have been -- or could be -- raised.
Protesters at the Democratic National Convention say their designated area outside the FleetCenter infringes on their safety and free speech rights.
Colorado's Supreme Court Tuesday asked that the judge in the Kobe Bryant sexual assault case justify forbidding the media to publish court transcripts that were sent out by mistake.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked enforcement of a law intended to protect children from pornography on the Internet, saying the law probably violates free-speech guarantees.
Recently, the Supreme Court handed down its opinion in Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow -- better known as the "Pledge of Allegiance" case.
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled that a California father could not challenge the Pledge of Allegiance, a decision that sidestepped the broader question of the separation of church and state.
Amid allegations the United States violated international conventions protecting the rights of prisoners, the U.S. State Department released a report Monday on what the country was doing to promote human rights around the world.
Several journalism groups are expressing outrage over the actions of a deputy marshal who forced the erasure of two journalists' audio recordings of a speech by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia at a Mississippi high school.
(CNN) -- The U.S. Justice Department this week backed a Muslim girl's legal battle against an Oklahoma school district over the right to wear a head scarf in a public school.
(FindLaw) -- The week the Supreme Court heard oral argument in the Pledge of Allegiance case, Elk Grove Independent School District v. Newdow.
A lawyer for the Bush administration has argued that the U.S. Supreme Court should uphold a law that protects children from Internet pornography.
On Wednesday, February 25, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Locke v. Davey -- a monumentally important ruling.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday gave the government the power to pursue certain terrorism cases in near total secrecy, declining to hear an appeal by an Algerian immigrant detained after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
A federal judge in Los Angeles has struck down a provision of the post-September 11 USA Patriot Act, saying it was unconstitutional.
Martha Stewart arrived in federal court Tuesday for the first day of her obstruction of justice trial, with opening statements from the defense and prosecution, as well as possible testimony from the government's star witness, on the agenda.
A pharmacist, a reverend and a man who blames the Enron scandal for losses in his mutual fund were among the 12 jurors selected Monday to judge Martha Stewart's obstruction of justice criminal case.
Is wearing a masked hood at a public rally the same as shouting "Fire!" inside a crowded theater -- or is it closer in significance to burning an American flag?
Matthew Perry, "the epitome of a hot Cosmo male," has been named Cosmopolitan magazine's Fun Fearless Male for 2004.
FCC Commissioner Michael Powell said Wednesday he is calling for a dramatic increase in fines for broadcasters that allow the "F-word" and other obscenities on the air.
The Supreme Court Monday allowed the government to keep secret information about hundreds of people rounded up under suspicion of terrorism in the months following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
The Justice Department has taken the unusual step of asking the U.S. Supreme Court to preserve the secrecy surrounding the detention of an Algerian man shortly after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
Recently, various incidents involving holiday decorations have shown that the public's -- and even government officials' -- understanding of the legal rules in this area is far from clear. That is disappointing, for the relevant Supreme Court cases were decided more than a decade ago.
To hear the hype about the new campaign-finance law, you'd think that advocates for small business would be miserable. With big money banished from politics, interest groups will have to turn elsew...
Your servant always enjoys kibitzing the mighty American judiciary, but his heart truly leaped when he first heard about the ''parenthesis case.'' This is an argument involving an enormous cast of ...
SOMETIMES a truth is so simple and obvious that it eludes detection for years. So it is with public opinion. We have grown so accustomed to seeing public opinion quantified in polls (77% say they s...
MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA -- A federal judge has ruled against a . . . firefighter who objected when he was ordered to trim chest hair that protruded from his collar. U.S. District Judge Robert Varner sa...
LOS ANGELES -- The American Civil Liberties Union, in a clash with local and national efforts to curb rampant gang activity, has challenged the constitutionality of an ordinance banning gang member...
Try imagining this scenario: An organization behaving somewhat like the Mafia has gone after a major corporate employer in a large American city. It tells the employer it will put him out of busine...
Hey, remember the Free Speech Movement? That was the great crusade at Berkeley in 1964 -- the New Left uprising that initiated the great student revolution of the Sixties. It seems hard to credit t...
If Mr. Fax has your number, you'll be hearing from him soon -- if you haven't already. Most nights, the Irvine, California, company launches a blitz of junk fax advertisements to facsimile machines...
We come now to Frazee v. the Department of Employment Security, a suit that the U.S. Supreme Court recently decided to rule on. Actually, we almost met Frazee on the previous page, as Kindly Dr. Ke...
Holding that the State Constitution provides broader protection for freedom of expression than the United States Constitution, the New York Court of Appeals ruled unanimously yesterday that an adul...
BY THE TIME Ronald Reagan heads back to the ranch for good, he will have appointed about half the judges on the federal district and appeals courts. Will this judicial legacy transform America as m...
WASHINGTON -- A federal judge ruled that the Library of Congress was denying equal access to blind people by eliminating Braille issues of Playboy from its shelves . . . U.S. District Judge Tom Hog...
Three federal judges dealt a stunning blow to television broadcasters by ruling that local cable television systems did not have to carry the signals of all the television stations in their service...
In a case with important First Amendment implications, a U.S. District Court judge has ruled that a financial newsletter falls under the jurisdiction of the 45-year-old Investment Advisers Act and ...
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