Recent Updates

  • Court upholds summary for St. Louis police measure

    Court upholds summary for St. Louis police measure

    Politics 08/22/2012

    A Missouri appellate court has upheld the proposed ballot summary for an initiative that would end state control of the St. Louis Police Department.The Missouri Court of Appeals' Western District ruled Tuesday that the summary is fair and sufficient....

  • Judge won't halt Pa. voter identification law

    Judge won't halt Pa. voter identification law

    Politics 08/15/2012

    A Pennsylvania judge isn't stopping a tough new voter identification law from going into effect.Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson on Wednesday refused to grant an injunction that would have halted the law requiring each voter to show a valid ph...

  • Fed. appeals court denies ex-Ill. governor appeal

    Fed. appeals court denies ex-Ill. governor appeal

    Politics 08/08/2012

    A federal appellate court in Chicago has denied an appeal filed by imprisoned former Illinois Gov. George Ryan.The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals released a 16-page ruling on Monday denying the 78-year-old Republican's appeal.A ruling in his favor...

  • Pa.'s tough, new voter ID law heads to court

    Pa.'s tough, new voter ID law heads to court

    Politics 07/25/2012

    The first legal test for Pennsylvania's tough new voter identification law is arriving.A state Commonwealth Court judge will begin a hearing Wednesday on whether to block the law from taking effect in this year's election while the court considers a ...

  • Goldman agrees to settle mortgage debt class action

    Goldman agrees to settle mortgage debt class action

    Politics 07/18/2012

    Goldman Sachs Group Inc has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit with investors who claimed losses on $698 million of securities backed by risky mortgage loans issued by defunct subprime lender New Century Financial Corp. Lawyers for the investors...

  •  Wash. Senate hopeful sought to seal court files

    Wash. Senate hopeful sought to seal court files

    Politics 07/18/2012

    A couple months before Brad Toft emerged as the only Republican in a crucial state Senate race, he pressed officials to seal records from a past court case. In a signed letter, Toft seemed to suggest that he wasn't the same person cited in the court ...

  • Wis. town barred from beefing up farm water rules

    Wis. town barred from beefing up farm water rules

    Politics 07/11/2012

    The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a rural town lacksthe authority to impose tougher water-quality standards on a livestockfarm than the state requires.Magnolia, a community about 30 miles south of Madison, granted LarsonAcres Inc. a pe...

  • Texas Voter ID Law to be Tested in a Federal Court

    Texas Voter ID Law to be Tested in a Federal Court

    Politics 07/09/2012

    The fate of Texas' controversial new voter ID law - which requires voters to show photo identification at the polls - is set to be decided this week in a federal court in Washington. The state, which claims the law will prevent voter fraud, is seekin...

  • NY court: Gay marriage caucus didn't break rules

    NY court: Gay marriage caucus didn't break rules

    Politics 07/06/2012

    A state appeals court rejected a challenge to New York's year-old same-sex marriage law Friday, ruling closed-door negotiations among senators and gay marriage supporters including Gov. Andrew Cuomo did not violate any laws.The Appellate Division of ...

  • Lawyer: Emanuel broke Chicago mayor residency rule

    Lawyer: Emanuel broke Chicago mayor residency rule

    Politics 11/29/2010

    As he travels about the city, assuring Chicagoans that he is one of them, Rahm Emanuel must be asking himself why he just didn't leave his house vacant when he went off to work in the White House. Or rent it to a buddy or a relative. That's because a...

  • California voters reject legalization of marijuana

    California voters reject legalization of marijuana

    Politics 11/03/2010

    California voters said no thanks to a ballot initiative that would have made it the first state to legalize marijuana for recreational use and sales. Proposition 19, rejected Tuesday, would have made it legal for adults 21 and over to possess up to a...

  • Court Appoints Lawyer for Bernard Kilpatrick

    Court Appoints Lawyer for Bernard Kilpatrick

    Politics 11/03/2010

    It's the ongoing public corruption investigation that's led to charges against numerous city officials, including former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. It now appears his father could soon be at federal court, as well. "The case looks like it's at a...