Legal News

Texas Opens Inquiry Into Google Search Rankings

The antitrust inquiry disclosed by Google late Friday is just the latest sign of the intensifying scrutiny facing the company as it enters its adolescence. The review appears to be focused on whether Google is manipulating its search results to stifle competition.

Feds Sue Arizona Sheriff In Immigration Probe

After months of political posturing on both sides, the Justice Department's civil rights division is suing Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio for failing to turn over arrest records and other materials the government wants as part of a broad investigation into Maricopa County's treatment of Hispanics.

Feds Sue Arizona Sheriff In Civil Rights Probe

The Justice Department says Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is standing in the way of its investigation by refusing to turn over arrest records and other materials that could show whether he violated the rights of Hispanics pulled over in traffic sweeps.

Often, You Can Film Cops; Just Don't Record Them

As a Chicago artist faces prison for recording the sound of his own arrest, the ACLU says the law needs to be rewritten. It's generally legal to film an on-duty police officer in public, but in some states, recording audio of what an officer says is a serious crime.

Ex-Bin Laden Aide Gets Life For Prison Stabbing

U.S. District Judge Deborah Batts said Mamdouh Mahmud Salim, 52, deserved a life sentence for his "unusually cruel, brutal" attack in 2000 on guard Louis Pepe at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in lower Manhattan.

Court Rules Gay Couples Can't Get Divorced In Texas

The 5th Texas Court of Appeals ruled that a district court judge didn't have the authority to hear a divorce case involving two Dallas men who married in Massachusetts because Texas didn't recognize their marriage. The state had appealed when the judge said she had jurisdiction.

A Click Away: Preventing Online Child Porn Viewing

Prosecution for child pornography has nearly tripled since 2000, but the Justice Department is still looking for a way to handle what it calls the "explosion" in trafficking. Companies are developing technology to better filter the images online, but the effectiveness of the private initiatives and how they will affect government enforcement remains to be seen.

California Set To Ban Plastic Grocery Bags

California lawmakers are scheduled to vote Tuesday on a proposal to phase out and ultimately ban plastic grocery bags statewide. But plastic industry trade groups are lobbying hard and spending thousands to defeat the ban.

Mexico Captures Alleged U.S.-Born Drug Lord

The arrest of Edgar Valdez Villarreal, alias "the Barbie," was the culmination of a yearlong intelligence operation, the Public Safety Department said in a statement. The department said Valdez was captured Monday in the state of Mexico, which borders the capital of Mexico City.

Dead Soldiers' Parents Sue Insurer Over Benefits

The lawsuit was filed in July in U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mass. It accuses Prudential of profiting from the dead soldiers' policies with bookkeeping maneuvers and misrepresenting the way the beneficiaries could collect lump-sum payouts.

Judges Ask For More Security Amid Threats

Two major groups representing immigration and Social Security judges appeared in Washington on Monday to ask the federal government to do more to protect them. In these kinds of cases, judges often rule from office buildings, instead of traditional courtrooms, without metal detectors and guards in the room.

Clemens Pleads Not Guilty Of Lying To Congress

The baseball great entered the plea Monday in Washington, a few blocks from where the retired pitcher swore under oath that he had not used performance-enhancing drugs.

Paris Hilton Charged With Cocaine Possession

A police officer in Las Vegas followed the odor of marijuana to the Cadillac Escalade the hotel heiress was in with her boyfriend Friday night, authorities said. A bag of cocaine allegedly fell out of the 29-year-old's purse.

Microsoft Co-Founder Sues Major Tech Companies

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is reaching back in time to file a lawsuit against some of the best-known technology companies of today. Allen contends that Google, Apple, Facebook and Yahoo all breached patents owned by one of his former start-ups.

Illinois Politicians: Really Corrupt Or Just Dumb?

Rod Blagojevich's guilty verdict made him the second consecutive Illinois governor to be convicted of a crime and the fourth in less than 40 years. And it's not just governors. Hundreds of other Illinois public officials have been convicted in a state that some call the "corruption capita," of the nation.