ABA Journal
Latest Cases & Updates
Rights explainers, case coverage, and defense-oriented reporting.
Across the industry
Criminal justice wire
Criminal justice reporting and court developments from established newsrooms. Agency announcements are labeled; charges and allegations are not findings of guilt.
Courthouse News Service
Supreme Court spotlights fight against climate action in term opener ↗
ABA Journal
Clio acquires Learned Hand, an AI company for courts, judges ↗
Associated Press
Rapper Rick Ross charged with battery after domestic violence accusation ↗
Associated Press
Michigan parents charged with misdemeanors after 3-year-old son displayed loaded gun at daycare ↗
ABA Journal
Judge wrongly permitted AI-generated victim video, state appeals court says ↗
Associated Press
Supreme Court grants review of Trump administration's mandatory detention policy for immigrants ↗
U.S. Department of Justice · Official announcement
Former Restaurant Chain Cooperative’s CEO and Brother Charged in $80 Million Bribery and Money-Laundering Scheme Affecting Thousands of Restaurant Franchisees ↗
ABA Journal
Judges are increasingly faulting lawyers who fail to point out AI-generated fake citations in their opponents’ filings ↗
Associated Press
Ex-fraternity leader at Arizona university gets jail time after pledge died of alcohol poisoning ↗
Associated Press
Judge keeps Venezuelan delivery driver shot by ICE in custody for alleged assault ↗
Associated Press
3 GOP states go to US Supreme Court to challenge 3 Democratic-led states' abortion 'shield' laws ↗
ABA Journal
Under Fire: Now more than ever, judges are the targets of attacks that largely result from their case rulings ↗
ABA Journal
Dec. 14, 1982: Conviction in murder of federal judge ↗
Associated Press
US can deport the leader of Wisconsin’s largest mosque on national security grounds, judge rules ↗
ABA Journal
Judge doesn’t like your objections? Here are some tips to keep them coming in a meaningful way ↗
Associated Press
Transcript shows woman told Cornell police 2 years ago she was 100% confident she was raped ↗
Associated Press
Justice Department files complaint against judges over immigration enforcement surge comments ↗
U.S. Department of Justice · Official announcement
Norman Liquor Store Owner to Serve More Than Six Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography ↗
U.S. Department of Justice · Official announcement
Former State Official Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for School Construction Extortion and Bribery Scheme ↗
Associated Press
Police say parents to face charges after a Michigan toddler displayed a gun at daycare ↗
Associated Press
California couple accused of killing son-in-law in public park have been charged with murder ↗
U.S. Department of Justice · Official announcement
Western District of Louisiana | Mansfield Man Charged with Sexually Abusing Minors in Haiti During Mission Trips ↗
Associated Press
13 sentenced in Paris over 2021 English Channel boat sinking that killed 31 ↗
From the Gavel Daily newsroom

Who Can Be Denied Bail in Texas Now?
Texas voters added Section 11d to the state constitution in November 2025, letting judges deny pretrial bail in nine specific felony cases. The charge alone does not decide it. A prosecutor has to ask, and then has to prove one of two theories at a hearing where you have a right to a lawyer.
A Colorado Judge Threw Out a Felony Case Without Finding the DNA Analyst Ever Touched It. The State Supreme Court Wants Him to Explain Why.
On August 2, 2026, a Weld County judge dismissed a felony child sexual assault case over the CBI DNA scandal, even though prosecutors say analyst Yvonne "Missy" Woods altered nothing in that specific case. The Colorado Supreme Court has ordered him to explain by September 16, and the answer could change what more than 1,000 Colorado defendants are able to ask for.
Alabama Can Seek the Death Penalty for Crimes That Killed No One Starting October 1, and the Sponsor Says That Is the Point
Alabama's Child Predator Death Penalty Act takes effect October 1, 2026, making first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, and sexual torture capital offenses when the victim is under 12. The Supreme Court held in Kennedy v. Louisiana that the Eighth Amendment forbids exactly this. The bill's sponsor agrees, and says forcing the Court to reconsider is the whole strategy. Here is what actually changes for anyone charged.
Pennsylvania's Deadline to Fix Life Without Parole Expired on July 24, and 1,100 Sentences Are Now in Limbo
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down mandatory life without parole for second-degree murder in March, then gave lawmakers 120 days to write a replacement. The deadline came and went with no law. Roughly 1,100 people now hold a constitutional right that only one of them can currently enforce.