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Law

"The People vs Poison" protesters gather at the Supreme Court on April 27 ahead of arguments in the Roundup weed killer case. Some of the protesters are holding up signs.

"The People vs Poison" protesters gather at the Supreme Court on April 27 ahead of arguments in the Roundup weed killer case. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images hide caption

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Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Supreme Court backs Monsanto in its fight against liability from popular weed killer

The central issue in the Roundup case, filed by Missouri resident John Durnell, was who decides what should appear on a pesticide or insecticide label and whether a federal law overrides state claims.

President Trump holds up an executive order to limit mail-in voting as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick looks on in the White House’s Oval Office in March.

President Trump holds up an executive order to limit mail-in voting as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick looks on in the White House's Oval Office in March. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption

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Alex Wong/Getty Images

Elections

A federal judge in Boston blocks key parts of Trump's order to limit voting by mail

A federal judge in Boston has blocked parts of President Trump's executive order to limit voting by mail. The Trump administration is expected to appeal the ruling.

A massive 826,780-square-foot warehouse sits illuminated Feb. 12, 2026, in the El Paso suburb of Socorro, Texas, that was recently purchased by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for $122.8 million.

A massive 826,780-square-foot warehouse sits illuminated Feb. 12, 2026, in the El Paso suburb of Socorro, Texas, that was recently purchased by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for $122.8 million. Morgan Lee/AP hide caption

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Morgan Lee/AP

Immigration

Appeals court allows Trump administration expanded use of speedy deportations

A federal appeals court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to resume carrying out speedy deportations of undocumented migrants throughout the United States, not just near the border.

Exterior view of the U.S. Supreme Court Building on June 22 in Washington, D.C.

Exterior view of the U.S. Supreme Court Building on June 22 in Washington, D.C. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images hide caption

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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Supreme Court rules that prison guards can't be sued for shaving Rastafarian's head

The Supreme Court ruled that a Louisiana prisoner whose dreadlocks were forcibly shaved off by prison guards cannot sue the guards under a federal law to protect the religious rights of prisoners.

Supreme Court rules that prison guards can't be sued for shaving Rastafarian’s hair

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Anthony Bailey, 61, sits on a chair on a porch outdoors while holding a baby grandchild.

Anthony Bailey, 61, holds one of his grandchildren in this May 2025 photo. Via Anthony Bailey/Family hide caption

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Via Anthony Bailey/Family

Exclusive

This man is a bus driver and grandfather. A Supreme Court ruling could reimprison him

Anthony Bailey's case is one of about a dozen that could be directly affected by a Supreme Court ruling limiting how prisoners can use the compassionate release program to get out early.

This man is a bus driver and grandfather. A Supreme Court ruling could reimprison him

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Maria Ruhtenberg has chin-length blond hair and she is wearing glasses, a blue and white patterned shirt over a light blue T-shirt. She is standing in front of a house that has brick and white siding.

Maria Ruhtenberg, an attorney with the Iowa Office of the State Public Defender, has settled with the state after she was fired and later reinstated following online comments she made about the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kathryn Gamble for NPR hide caption

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Kathryn Gamble for NPR

Deep Dive

National

People fired over Charlie Kirk posts get big payouts for First Amendment retaliation

While workers, who were employees in government or public institutions, feel vindicated by how their lawsuits concluded, they are still grappling with the aftermath.

Kirk suit settlements

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Voting booths in Bangor, Maine

Voting booths in Bangor, Maine CJ Gunther/Getty Images hide caption

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CJ Gunther/Getty Images

Elections

A federal judge finds a Trump data system to verify voters is unlawful

Tens of millions of voters have had their data run through the Trump administration's revamped SAVE tool. A judge just found it unlawful.

A federal judge finds a Trump data system to verify voters is unlawful

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Demonstrators hold a sign saying “PROTECT MINORITY VOTING RIGHTS” outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., in 2025.

Demonstrators hold a sign saying "PROTECT MINORITY VOTING RIGHTS" outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., in 2025. Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Legal Defense Fund hide caption

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Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Legal Defense Fund

Elections

Supreme Court allows a ruling that ends a tool to protect minority voters in 7 states

The Supreme Court has left in place a ruling that strikes down a key tool for enforcing Voting Rights Act protections for voters with a disability or an inability to read or write in seven states.

The Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on the morning of the Birthright Citizenship case arguments.

The Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on the morning of the Birthright Citizenship case arguments. Tyrone Turner/Tyrone Turner/WAMU hide caption

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Tyrone Turner/Tyrone Turner/WAMU

'They have nowhere to turn': Law students fight for workplace protections

With judicial clerkships and internships coveted by law programs, a group of Emory Law School students asked the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on the judiciary's system for policing its own bad behavior.

Law Students Challenging the Courts

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The U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Supreme Court sides with a marijuana user who was barred from owning guns

The court ruled that the law used to prosecute a marijuana user violated his Second Amendment right to bear arms and is unconstitutionally vague.

HFR SCOTUS drugs and guns (US v. Hemani)

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An illustration with a pale yellow background shows, at center, a woman in an orange prison uniform with her right hand on her stomach. She is writing a grievance on sheets of paper that are flying over her head. Over one of the pages is the word "Reject." On the upper left corner, there is a drawing of FCI Aliceville, a prison. On the lower right corner, this is a view of two floors of prison cell doors, with a set of stairs leading up to the second floor. Scattered around the illustration are gray and orange blocks and shapes, and over the entire illustration, there is a grid made up of thin light purple lines.

For any problem in an incarcerated person's life — from not getting enough toilet paper to extreme physical abuse — the grievance system is the primary way to speak out. But in the vast majority of cases, those efforts go nowhere, according to an analysis of federal data by The Marshall Project and NPR. Michelle Mildenberg Lara for The Marshall Project hide caption

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Michelle Mildenberg Lara for The Marshall Project

Investigations

'Rejected': How federal prisons stonewall grievances and deny care for years

People who go to prison keep one important right — to file a grievance over their treatment: from abuse to denied medical care. But in the vast majority of cases, those efforts go nowhere, according to an analysis of federal data by The Marshall Project and NPR.

‘Rejected’: How federal prisons stonewall grievances and deny care for years

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Members of the National TPS Alliance rally at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on April 29. The Supreme Court is examining the revocation of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian migrants.

Members of the National TPS Alliance rally at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on April 29. The Supreme Court is examining the revocation of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian migrants. Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images

Haitian immigrants ask Supreme Court to toss case in light of new evidence

The lawyers argue that the court does not have a full record of how the Trump administration decided to end temporary protective status for Haitians in the U.S.

Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin speaks during a June 11 press conference.

Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin speaks during a June 11 press conference. Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Oliver Contreras/AFP via Getty Images

Elections

Voting officials fear DHS may actually be a threat to elections this year

Voting officials worry that the Department of Homeland Security will not be a partner helping to secure elections, but rather a threat seeking to undermine results that President Trump dislikes.

The new homeland security secretary has a history of pushing election misinformation

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Demonstrators attend an anti-ICE rally in Lewiston, Maine on January 24, 2026. Federal officials have acknowledged collecting information on some protesters, even as they deny maintaining a database tracking U.S. citizens.

Demonstrators attend an anti-ICE rally in Lewiston, Maine on January 24, 2026. Federal officials have acknowledged collecting information on some protesters, even as they deny maintaining a database tracking U.S. citizens. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

Exclusive

Politics

ICE denies having a protester database. But a letter to Congress sheds more light

In a previously unpublicized letter to Congress, the newly departed head of ICE said the agency collects data on people suspected of potentially unlawful activity, which could include protesters.

ICE denies having a protester database. But a letter to Congress sheds more light

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Elin, who immigrated seeking asylum from Nicaragua, is currently awaiting his final asylum hearing in San Francisco, and now will likely need to navigate the challenge of transport to the court in Concord, Calif., which is hours away from his home in San Francisco.

Elin, who immigrated seeking asylum from Nicaragua, is currently awaiting his final asylum hearing in San Francisco, and now will likely need to navigate the challenge of transport to the court in Concord, Calif., which is hours away from his home in San Francisco. Brian L. Frank for NPR hide caption

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Brian L. Frank for NPR

Deep Dive

Immigration

San Francisco immigration court shuts down, striking at heart of historic advocacy

The main San Francisco court was one of the busiest in the country, hearing thousands of cases a year. It was also one of the courts most likely to grant an immigrants' asylum application.

Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates arrives to testify at a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. The committee is continuing to hold closed-door interviews as part of an investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates arrives to testify at a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. The committee is continuing to hold closed-door interviews as part of an investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Tom Brenner/Getty Images hide caption

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Tom Brenner/Getty Images

National

Bill Gates tells lawmakers he was not aware of Epstein's crimes

Gates is sitting for a closed-door interview before the House Oversight Committee about his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Bill Gates set to answer questions on Epstein

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The Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta in 2023.

The Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta in 2023. A Republican lawmaker filed articles of impeachment Tuesday against an Atlanta judge. Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Federal judges face scrutiny after alleged misconduct in 3 states

Three judges are facing misconduct allegations in three different states, putting pressure on the federal judiciary's system for policing bad behavior in its own ranks.

Three judges, three scandals and new scrutiny of judicial accountability

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