Search results for

They want lawmakers to narrow loopholes in the background check system for people who buy firearms. Supporters of the legislation say that might have made a difference last January, when a gunman in Tucson, Ariz., killed six people and wounded 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

The state will pick up four new U.S. House seats next year, thanks to a soaring Latino population. But civil rights groups and the U.S. Justice Department are signaling they may have some concerns about the redistricting process. A court case could force the state to draw new boundaries.

He's running unopposed, but nearly $3 million has flowed into the race for Justice Thomas Kilbride's Illinois Supreme Court seat -- making it the second-highest-grossing judicial retention campaign in history. And, experts say, it could have a lasting impact on the independence of the court system.

The Justice Department is searching for the hackers who launched the Internet attack against companies that stopped doing business with WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange. But former prosecutors and cyber experts say that actually bringing criminal indictments in the massive denial-of-service attacks could be a bridge too far.

In the politically charged atmosphere surrounding challenges to the Obama health care law, judges are drawing almost as much attention as their decisions. So far, two judges appointed by a Democrat have upheld the law, while Judge Henry Hudson, appointed by a Republican, has overturned a portion.

All the law enforcement attention on the website WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange, doesn't mean that they will face American-style justice, experts say, because the legal issues in play are both novel and challenging.

Investigators in Virginia are looking for the person behind five shootings in the past few weeks at the Pentagon and other military locations -- all, they say, traced to the same weapon. So far, the shooter has attacked when the buildings were mostly empty, and no one's been hurt. The FBI wants to make sure it stays that way.

Over the past several months, senior Justice Department officials have visited the Gulf to examine critical pieces of evidence. Some legal experts wonder whether, in addition to possible criminal charges against the companies involved, the department may also prosecute individuals.

When prospective jurors file into a Detroit courthouse next week for the start of a major terrorism trial, all eyes will be on the defendant, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. Best known as the "underwear bomber," he plans to represent himself in court. But his behavior before the trial has raised questions about how that will work.

Lapses by federal prosecutors in sharing evidence that could help defendants fight charges against them has been a nagging theme in recent years.