Latest Courts News

Alaska man charged with sending graphic threats to kill Supreme Court justices

Sep. 19, 2024 20:42 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Alaska man accused of sending graphic threats to injure and kill six Supreme Court justices and some of their family members has been indicted on federal charges, authorities said Thursday. Panos Anastasiou, 76, is accused of sending more than 465 messages...

South Carolina Supreme Court rejects claim inmate didn't kill clerk and refuses to stop execution

Sep. 19, 2024 20:16 PM EDT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Supreme Court has again refused to stop the execution of inmate Freddie Owens who is set to die Friday by lethal injection. The justices ruled Thursday that a sworn statement from a friend whose testimony helped convict Owens and who now...

Murder charge reinstated against ex-trooper in chase that killed girl, 11

Sep. 19, 2024 18:53 PM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) — An appeals court reinstated a murder charge on Thursday against a former New York state trooper in the death of an 11-year-old girl during a high-speed chase. In a 4-1 ruling, a mid-level state appeals court said that trooper Christopher Baldner instigated...

Wisconsin officials ask state Supreme Court to decide if RFK Jr. stays on ballot

Sep. 19, 2024 17:21 PM EDT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Election officials in Wisconsin asked the state’s liberal-controlled Supreme Court on Thursday to decide whether Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ’s name should stay on the presidential ballot before there's an appellate ruling. Kennedy has been trying to get his...

No decision made by appeals court in elections betting case

Sep. 19, 2024 17:05 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Betting on U.S. elections remains on hold after a federal appeals court did not issue a decision Thursday in a case involving whether such bets should be allowed. The United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit heard an appeal by the U.S. Commodities and...

Illinois' top court says odor of burnt marijuana isn't enough to search car

Sep. 19, 2024 16:42 PM EDT

CAMBRIDGE, Ill. (AP) — An odor of burnt marijuana doesn't justify a search of a car without a warrant in Illinois, the state Supreme Court said Thursday. The court affirmed lower court rulings that threw out evidence of a small amount of marijuana discovered during a traffic stop...

Families of Oxford shooting victims lose appeal over school's liability for tragedy

Sep. 19, 2024 16:25 PM EDT

DETROIT (AP) — The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the Oxford school district on Thursday in a lawsuit that seeks to hold employees partly responsible for a shooting that killed four students and wounded others in 2021. The court, in a 3-0 opinion, said lawyers for the...

State asks judge to pause ruling that struck down North Dakota's abortion ban

Sep. 19, 2024 12:31 PM EDT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The state of North Dakota is asking a judge to pause his ruling from last week that struck down the state's abortion ban until the state Supreme Court rules on a planned appeal. The state's motion to stay a pending appeal was filed Wednesday. State District...

South Dakota court suspends law license of former attorney general after fatal accident

Sep. 19, 2024 12:16 PM EDT

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota Supreme Court has ordered a six-month suspension of former state Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg's law license, citing actions he took after a deadly accident with a pedestrian that precipitated his political downfall. Ravnsborg violated...

Ohio officials approve language saying anti-gerrymandering measure calls for the opposite

Sep. 19, 2024 10:17 AM EDT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio election officials have approved ballot language that will describe this fall’s Issue 1, a redistricting measure, as requiring gerrymandering when the proposal is intended to do the opposite. The Republican-controlled Ohio Ballot Board approved the...