All Law & Courts
But is it legal? Musk’s DOGE is stripping agencies before judges can rule.From accessing computers to halting spending and firing workers, Donald Trump and Elon Musk are testing the legal limits of executive branch power.
Trump pledges FBI reform, but big purge of agents could backfirePossible widespread firings of FBI agents are raising concerns about the agency’s ability to keep the public safe and to be politically independent.
Trump’s order ending birthright citizenship could upend 150 years of lawPresident Trump’s order curtailing birthright citizenship faces lawsuits over the 14th Amendment. This may be prelude to other efforts to end it.
Do Biden’s preemptive pardons offer a safety valve or set bad precedent?Joe Biden’s eleventh-hour preemptive pardons for his family and Trump critics are raising further questions about the use of presidential pardons.
First LookBiden says Equal Rights Amendment should be considered ratifiedPresident Joe Biden says the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered a ratified addition to the Constitution. The national archivist disagrees.
As Trump cases end, what next for presidents and the law?Two years ago, a former American president faced four criminal trials. Three of them didn’t happen. The fourth gave no penalty. Was justice served?
Outside the DC jail, where Jan. 6 rage and devotion live onParticipants in the vigils argue there has been a miscarriage of justice that they hope will be righted when President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
First LookDOJ concludes Tulsa Race Massacre was horrific. But there’s no one left to prosecute.The more than 120-page report released on Jan. 10 outlined the scope and impact of the attack that left as many as 300 people dead. Investigators found federal reports written just days after it happened, in 1921, but no evidence prosecutors evaluated them.
Cover StoryThis police unit put away its riot gear. Now it walks and talks with protesters.In Columbus, Ohio, police are rethinking how to manage unruly Gaza street protests. Their “dialogue unit” could become a model for other U.S. cities.
New York judge gives Trump an ‘unconditional discharge’ sentence, but a felon labelThe judge in Donald Trump’s hush money case sentenced the president-elect to an “unconditional discharge.’’ His conviction stands, but with no more penalties.
The ExplainerPublic safety or free speech? What’s at stake in the TikTok case.The Supreme Court will hear the TikTok case Friday, ahead of a Jan. 19 ban. What’s at stake for the media platform and its users in the United States?
New Orleans attack intensifies watch against US terrorism, political violenceNew Year’s Day attacks show a changing threat matrix for U.S. cities, amid the rising use of vehicles as weapons and the embrace of political violence by some Americans to address grievances.
First LookFatal attack on New Orleans pedestrians is being investigated as act of terrorismThe driver of a truck that killed 15 New Orleans pedestrians on New Year’s Day was killed in a shootout with police. An flag representing the Islamic State group was found on the vehicle, the FBI said.
The ExplainerBiden promised to transform the federal judiciary. Did he succeed?President Biden has appointed 233 federal judges, more than any one-term president since Jimmy Carter. Some 60% are women, and 60% are people of color.
Why J. Edgar Hoover’s biographer worries about Kash Patel running the FBIAn author who studied J. Edgar Hoover’s complicated legacy at the FBI says she sees warning signs in the overt political statements by Trump nominee Kash Patel.
Biden just issued historic pardons. Will preemptive ones be next?President Joe Biden said he is commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people and pardoning 39 others. Are preemptive pardons for Trump's foes next?
The ExplainerBoston broke a record last year for fewest homicides. It’s on track to do it again.As of Dec. 10, Boston has reported just 22 homicides – a little over half of the 40 it had just two years ago.
As Joe Biden pardons his son, politicized justice is a rising concernA blanket pardon for the president’s son, Hunter Biden, comes amid wider signs that federal justice isn’t immune from the political divisiveness that has gripped America’s public square.
Supreme Court will hear largest transgender rights case in US historyOn Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the biggest transgender rights case in its history. The decision in United States v. Skrmetti has the potential to be a seismic one.
Trump promised to pardon Jan. 6 felons. Where does that stand now?President-elect Donald Trump says he’ll pardon many of those convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol – a potentially controversial precedent.
