U.S. justices question legality of warrantless DNA collection
WASHINGTON – As they grilled the lawyers arguing before them on the issue of whether police can collect DNA samples from unconvicted arrestees without a warrant, the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court...
View ArticleDUI case could have impact on implied consent
A U.S. Supreme Court decision addressing the constitutionality of blood draws from drunken driving suspects may have a limited effect in Virginia – for the time being. In the April 17 decision, which...
View Article4th Circuit rejects Virginia ballot access provision
(AP) Virginia’s law prohibiting out-of-state residents from circulating petitions for third-party presidential candidates is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled May 29. The unanimous...
View ArticleCourt strikes down DOMA, nixes Prop 8 appeal
WASHINGTON – In a ruling that will have an immediate effect on more than 1,000 federal laws and programs, the U.S. Supreme Court has struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, holding that the law...
View ArticleFederal court OKs liquor ads in college papers
(AP) — The student newspapers at two of Virginia’s biggest universities can run advertisements for alcohol despite a ban the state says is intended to curb illegal underage drinking, a federal appeals...
View ArticleHigh court ponders politics of affirmative action
WASHINGTON — For the second time in as many terms, the justices of the U.S. Supreme Court wrangled over the constitutional limits of laws involving affirmative action during oral arguments Tuesday...
View ArticleJustices take up Fifth Amendment case
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court showed little willingness on Wednesday to rule that the introduction of evidence from a murder defendant’s court-ordered mental evaluation violated his Fifth...
View ArticleJustices hear town meeting prayer case
WASHINGTON — The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court faced the task of drawing a line between permissible religious addresses by private citizens at public meetings and unconstitutional...
View ArticleAngry pilot case gives rise to defamation immunity claim
WASHINGTON — In a case that pits First Amendment defamation principles against statutory immunity rules, the U.S. Supreme Court will address whether an airline can face liability for reporting that a...
View ArticleJustices: Court-ordered psych evidence doesn’t violate 5th Amendment
WASHINGTON — Defendants who offer a diminished capacity defense cannot seek to exclude rebuttal evidence from court-ordered mental evaluations on Fifth Amendment grounds, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled...
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