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At least seven federal judges in New Orleans have stepped aside from handling oil spill lawsuits because of conflicts of interest. Experts say if more judge recusals arise in the Gulf, the courts eventually may have to move the cases to another part of the country.

The cases involve one death at Abu Ghraib and another at a CIA site in Afghanistan.

Elena Kagan's treatment of military recruiters at Harvard Law School took center stage Tuesday on her second day of confirmation hearings to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. In tones at times emotional and steely, Kagan defended her record as a Harvard dean, even when challenged by Sen. Jeff Sessions.

The death of Osama bin Laden has reopened the debate about whether harsh tactics, such as simulated drowning, actually produce good intelligence. Former Bush administration officials say tough interrogation led the U.S. military to bin Laden's hideout. The Obama White House says it's not so simple.

A federal judge will allow a former inmate in a restrictive prison unit designed for terrorists and other prisoners to travel to Saudi Arabia for up to a month to visit his "ailing and infirm mother," according to a court order released Friday.

The overwhelming conviction of Raj Rajaratnam this week didn't give federal prosecutors a breather in their campaign against insider trading. The U.S. attorney in Manhattan has 11 defendants waiting in the dock and another big trial scheduled to begin Monday.

Robert Mueller began his 10-year term as director in September 2001, days before the terrorist attacks that would change the bureau's direction. As Mueller prepares to step aside, lawmakers and agents have their own ideas about his successor.

This week's fraud conviction of Lee Farkas, CEO of one of the country's largest private mortgage lending companies, has been trumpeted by federal prosecutors. But opportunities for the Justice Department to crow about victories in financial cases are few and far between.

The Obama Justice Department wants to make protecting civil rights one of its legacies. Now, roughly a dozen U.S. attorneys across the country have started special units to devote more attention to building those cases.

Last year's huge oil spill left an enduring mark on communities along the Gulf Coast. But courts are just starting to turn to the question of who's to blame for the disaster — and who should pay for it.