Topic: Law
Top galleries, list articles, quizzes
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'Stop and frisk': 7 questions about New York's controversial policing tactic
A federal class-action lawsuit regarding the New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk program has raised questions about the controversial practice made legal under a 1968 US Supreme Court ruling. But what is it, and does it work?
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Playing the IRS card: Six presidents who used the IRS to bash political foes
Since the advent of the federal income tax about a century ago, several presidents – or their zealous underlings – have directed the IRS to use its formidable police powers to harass or punish enemies, political rivals, and administration critics. Here are six infamous episodes.
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Briefing
IRS 101: Seven questions about the tea party scandal
The Internal Revenue Service is under the microscope now, as revelations have emerged that the agency wrongly targeted conservative groups seeking nonprofit status. Here’s an accounting of what has happened, along with the ramifications.
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Where do things stand at Guantánamo? Six basic questions answered.
President Obama this week pledged to “reengage” with Congress to find a way to close the terror detention camp at the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, naval base. The renewed focus comes as 100 of the 166 detainees are reported to be engaged in a hunger strike. Here is a brief look at where things stand now.
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10 best books of May, according to Amazon's editors
Amazon staffers say these books are the cream of the crop among May releases.
All Content
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The Monitor's View: China must end cyberspying on US industry, look to its own innovation
The Pentagon accuses China of massive cyberspying on American industry to gain a competitive edge. Beijing has already invested heavily in innovation. Why not look to is own people for creativity?
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Argentina's judicial reform: positive step or consolidation of power?
Six new laws will move forward in Argentina's Congress tomorrow. Some rein in cronyism, while others could limit personal freedoms and threaten checks and balances.
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Tax VOX Want to understand tax reform? Read this report.
The Joint Tax Committee’s Tax Reform Working Group Report is must-read material for tax geeks, or even normal people who want to keep up with the ongoing debate over tax reform, Gleckman writes.
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Obama administration backs out of appeal over new contraceptive mandate (+video)
Government lawyers give up their challenge to a temporary injunction in a Bible publisher's lawsuit and will battle the issue in another pending case at the appeals court.
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Opinion: US intervention in Syria must be legitimate in eyes of international law (+video)
Israeli air strikes on Damascus and the conflicting reports on the use of chemical weapons (sarin gas) may complicate President Obama's decision on intervention in Syria. The US must consider the international laws of war before taking any action.
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Pakistani women hit the campaign trail to get out the vote
Women, nongovernmental organizations, and a council of conservative Muslims are doing their best to avoid a repeat of the poor 2008 election showing among women.
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Tax VOX Tax reform: how to fix the international tax mess
Corporate tax reform is impossible without addressing international issues, Gleckman writes. Yet, this corner of the tax law is not only immensely complex but most proposed solutions inevitably run into massive political and policy roadblocks.
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Horizons UK loophole: Why your Facebook photos may show up on a billboard
New UK law has artists and social media users uneasy. The act would allow companies to use some images without the photographer's permission.
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Where do things stand at Guantánamo? Six basic questions answered.
President Obama this week pledged to “reengage” with Congress to find a way to close the terror detention camp at the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, naval base. The renewed focus comes as 100 of the 166 detainees are reported to be engaged in a hunger strike. Here is a brief look at where things stand now.
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Opinion: America can't afford the real cost of Guantánamo
The consequences of ignoring Guantánamo, its abuses, and its hunger strikers are foreboding – for the prisoners and for America. President Obama must release prisoners with no case against them, move the rest to US courts to be charged and tried, and finally close the detention facility.
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Global News Blog Good Reads: Mars mission, gene patents, cellphone tracking, 'absurd' start-ups, Netflix streamlines
This week's round-up of Good Reads includes a company that aims to turn a Mars colony into reality television, attempts to patent human genes, cellphone users' real feelings about privacy, and a smart focus by Netflix.
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10 best books of May, according to Amazon's editors
Amazon staffers say these books are the cream of the crop among May releases.
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Redskins name change: DC council member proposes team change their name
Redskins name change: Councilmember David Grosso, an at-large independent, says the name is 'racist and derogatory,' and that 'it's time to make a change.'
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Opinion: Why civilian courts are best for terror trials, especially Boston bombing suspect
As more than 1,000 terrorism trials over the last decade show, the federal court system is well equipped to handle terrorism cases like that of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. His trial may also help harmonize US counterterrorism efforts with those of its allies.
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Tax VOX How to improve the tax subsidy for home ownership
In spite of its widespread use and large fiscal cost, the mortgage interest deduction does little to promote home ownership, Toder writes. It provides no subsidy to the nearly two-thirds of taxpayers who do not itemize and only a modest subsidy to those in the 15 percent bracket.
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Blue helmet drones? UN prepares to send drones over Africa.
High-tech, unarmed drones in Central and West African states can track guerrillas and swing the intelligence battle; UN chief Ban Ki-moon favors the idea.
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Michael Jackson wrongful death trial opens: Were tour organizers to blame?
Michael Jackson died in part because the organizers of his 'This Is It' tour were irresponsible taskmasters, the family alleges in its wrongful death suit. But that might be hard to prove.
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GMO, Organic, and seven other food labels you should know
A quick, easy guide to nine commonly seen (and misunderstood) food labels, from 'GMO' to 'grass-fed.'
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Why you need a digital executor
Digital assets are increasingly valuable property, but only a small percentage of Americans are aware that they need to make provisions for how their heirs handle those assets.
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US considers end to tariffs in Myanmar: Too soon?
Though the country has gone through a series of reforms, Human Rights Watch has recently thrown allegations of 'ethnic cleansing' at the government.
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Tax VOX Will Max Baucus retirement help tax reform? Don't count on it.
Some believe the retirement of Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus will increase the likelihood of tax reform, but Gleckman argues his retirement may not result in a tax code rewrite.
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NFL new uniforms, best to worst
The Jacksonville Jaguars and three other teams have released new uniform designs in the past year – with mixed results. Here are the league's four new uniforms, subjectively ranked from worst to best.
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House votes to honor Birmingham bombing victims
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously to award the Congressional Gold medal to the four girls killed in the bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama church in 1963. Their surviving family members expressed mixed feelings about the award.
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Veteran dealmaker Max Baucus announces Senate retirement
A centrist Democrat in a conservative state, Max Baucus has taken many tough votes over his six terms in the Senate, but battles over guns and health care loomed large in his reelection bid.
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Argument over NRA T-shirt gets eighth-grader jailed. Dress code run amok?
A student at a West Virginia middle school was suspended and arrested after a confrontation with a teacher over an NRA T-shirt with a picture of a rifle on it. Public schools have some leeway in setting dress codes, the Supreme Court has found.
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