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First Look Illinois becomes 37th state to ratify Equal Rights Amendment

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), a ruling that would guarantee women equal rights in the United States Constitution, was passed Wednesday in the state of Illinois. One more state needs to pass the ERA for it to be included within the US Constitution.
First Look Supreme Court upholds Arkansas law restricting medication-induced abortions

Planned Parenthood attempted to appeal a decision to restrict medication-induced abortions in Arkansas, but was denied a hearing by Supreme Court justices. The decision has reinforced Republican-supported laws that aim to limit abortion services.
First Look Discharged veterans work to end employment discrimination

For veterans who receive less-than-honorable discharges from the military, finding a job can be a major challenge. But a group of advocates have begun to push state and federal governments to prevent employers from considering discharge status in hiring.
First Look Stuck in legal limbo, Dreamers fight to practice law

DACA recipients have now had just enough time to graduate from high school, get a bachelor's degree, and now, in some cases, a law degree. Those who have are positioning themselves for a fight to be able to practice law.
First Look South Dakota seeks to strengthen victim-centered criminal justice

Marsy's Law, which requires crime victims to be updated about developments to their cases, has seen growing support around the US. But in South Dakota, law enforcement has found unexpected burdens with the legislation – and is now pushing to amend it.
First Look Concerns of court backlog intensifies as border prosecutions rise

Some judges and attorneys worry that the courts are headed to backlogs due to lack of resources similar to those experienced seven years ago at the height of Obama-era crackdowns on immigrants illegally crossing the border.
First Look Local authorities struggle with ICE over bringing detainees to court

Last year, Massachusetts refused requests from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to send unauthorized immigrants with criminal charges to the department after they had been tried. Since then, ICE has largely denied detained people their day in court.
An unprecedented effort to stem opioid crisis – and the judge behind it

Judge Daniel A. Polster in Cleveland is overseeing some 700 lawsuits through a process that has been used to address everything from the Volkswagen emissions scandal to the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam.
First Look With primaries approaching, states push for election security reviews

The Department of Homeland Security has been working to review the election systems of states across the US. As many states are facing elections for hotly contested congressional seats, concerns over meddling by Russian hackers has increased.
First Look South Dakota simulation explores pitfalls of reentry after prison

The South Dakota National Guard Armory recently hosted an event in which 50 participants played the role of a person just leaving prison. The challenges they encountered taught the community about the difficulties former inmates face after serving their sentences.
With dueling DACA cases, Supreme Court showdown seems inevitable

Texas and six other states sued this week to end DACA; New York plus 15 states and the District of Columbia are suing to keep it. The end result is likely to be the Supreme Court weighing in on the breadth of presidential power in immigration.
First Look Oklahoma, Kansas pass legislation allowing religious veto on LGBT adoptions

The legislation allows faith-based adoption agencies to not place children in homes with LGBT parents. Supporters say the measures protect religious freedoms, while opponents see them as discriminatory.
First Look #MeToo advocates see Cosby conviction as validation

Before #MeToo became a global movement, a jury failed to return a verdict in Bill Cosby's first trial on sexual assault charges. Now, #MeToo advocates say his conviction will embolden other victims to seek justice.
First Look Jury finds Bill Cosby guilty in sexual assault retrial

In the first celebrity trial of the #MeToo era, Bill Cosby was convicted of drugging and molesting a woman in 2004. Five other women testified during the retrial that Cosby had assaulted them as well, a fraction of the more than 60 who have accused the former TV star.
First Look Federal court blocks overhaul of Florida system restoring voting rights

A federal appeals court blocked a lower court ruling that mandated Florida create a new process for restoring voting rights to former prisoners. The lower court ruled in February that the state's current system is unconstitutional and arbitrary.
As Supreme Court hears travel ban, questions of presidential authority also on docket

The principal legal debates over the travel ban have focused on two questions: whether the Trump administration has exceeded its lawful authority; and whether, by excluding nationals from five Muslim-majority countries, the executive order violates the Establishment Clause of the Constitution.
First Look Mississippi's pretrial jail terms among the longest in the nation

More than one-third of defendants jailed before trial in Mississippi spend 90 or more days incarcerated, according to a recent survey by the MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Mississippi. Inability to pay for bail or hire lawyers are some reasons for the delays.
Voter redistricting: US Supreme Court to hear third key case of term

In a year marked by several potentially landmark decisions, the most significant could be in the trio of gerrymandering cases the high court has reviewed – the last of which is being argued Tuesday.
First Look Laws limiting LGBT rights stall in US legislatures

Only two of the 120 laws being tracked by LGBT activists this year remain under serious consideration, in part due to moderate GOP lawmakers and business leaders' fears of economic backlash.
First Look Federal court finds pay differences based on prior salaries discriminatory

By using prior salaries to determine future pay, employers perpetuate pay differences between women and men, a federal appeals court ruled. The plaintiff in the case, Aileen Rizo, said the case is 'about all women and the chance that we have for pay equity.'

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