law and the courts

The Colorado attorney general announced a civil rights investigation into the “patterns and practices” of the Aurora Police Department on Tuesday. The investigation, which attorney general Phil Weiser said began weeks ago, is the first under a new police reform law passed after George Floyd’s death sparked nationwide protests and calls for reform. Weiser said …

The Portland district attorney will only be pressing charges against rioters arrested for assault, theft and property damage, opting to drop lesser charges, including rioting and disorderly conduct, that have come out of months of violent protests in the city, the office announced Tuesday. “As prosecutors, we acknowledge the depth of emotion that motivates these …

New York attorney general Letitia James sued to dissolve the National Rifle Association on Wednesday, accusing senior members of the organization of fraud stretching over a period of decades. The lawsuit alleges that four senior current and former officials at the organization, including Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, engaged in “a culture of self-dealing, mismanagement …

Vice President Mike Pence said Supreme Court chief justice John Roberts is “a disappointment to conservatives” and a reminder of the importance of the upcoming election in determining the future makeup of the Court in a new interview. “We have great respect for the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States, but chief …

The Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution will hold a congressional hearing Tuesday on violence and criminal acts tied to Antifa. The committee, chaired by Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas), will hold a hearing titled “The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble: Protecting Speech by Stopping Anarchist Violence.” “Americans have a constitutional right to gather, …

A new federal court filing Monday from the Manhattan district attorney suggests the prosecutor’s office may be investigating President Trump and his company for bank and insurance fraud. The filing, from District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., argues that Trump’s accountants must comply with a subpoena to turn over eight years of corporate and personal tax returns, citing …

A “hostile crowd” prevented Portland police from investigating a stabbing at the site of nightly racial justice protests and rioting on Monday. A woman had walked into Lownsdale Square park in downtown Portland and was taking photos or recording video just before 6:30 p.m. when an argument began between the woman and other people in …

A federal appeals court has overturned the death sentence for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev detonated two pressure-cooker bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon in April 2013, killing three and injuring over 260 bystanders. Tamerlan was killed in a subsequent shootout with police, while Dzhokhar was found …

Protesters in Portland, Ore. on Monday filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the use of tear gas and other aggressive tactics employed by federal agents deployed to quell the nightly violence across the city. The nonprofit Protect Democracy filed suit in federal court in Washington, D.C. on behalf of five women as well …

The Trump administration will send additional federal police to Portland, Ore., where officers have clashed nightly with rioters outside the city’s federal courthouse, the Washington Post reported on Monday. Portland has seen protests and riots every night since the May death of George Floyd, an African American man killed during arrest by Minneapolis police officers. Floyd’s …