Top Massachusetts court weighs whether homeless break law by fleeing cold
BOSTON (Reuters) – The question of whether a homeless person breaks the law by trespassing onto private property to escape dangerously cold temperatures is one best answered by a jury, not a judge, Massachusetts civil liberties advocates argued on Mond…
Minnesota Catholic diocese files for bankruptcy after abuse verdict
MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) – A Catholic diocese in northeastern Minnesota filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday following a jury’s decision in November that found it 60 percent responsible for a judgment involving a clergy sex abuse victim, the organiza…
Homeland Security chief to revamp terrorism alert system
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Monday he would soon announce changes to the national alert system to warn the public about terrorism risks.
Twelve Syrian refugees to arrive in Texas despite effort to block them
DALLAS (Reuters) – Two families of Syrian refugees are due to arrive in Texas on Monday despite efforts by the state to bar their resettlement, including a lawsuit Texas filed last week in federal court.
Pakistan woman in California shooting attended troubled university
MULTAN, Pakistan (Reuters) – Security officials have been closely monitoring a university in east Pakistan attended by Tashfeen Malik, the woman involved in last’s week’s mass shooting in California, because of concerns that Islamist militancy was taki…
U.S. justices hostile to tribal court authority in molestation case
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Conservative members of the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday appeared unwilling to allow a Native American tribal court to oversee a child sexual molestation lawsuit against retailer Dollar General Corp.
Oklahoma ex-policeman preyed on women ‘no one cared about’
OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) – The Oklahoma City ex-police officer accused of raping women while on duty targeted those who had troubles with the law and their credibility, and became more brazen with each attack, prosecutors said in closing arguments on Mo…
AR-15 rifle is lethal link between San Bernardino, Sandy Hook
(Reuters) – The AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, a common link in many U.S. mass killings such as last week’s California massacre, is recklessly marketed for its “capacity to inflict mass casualties,” families of Connecticut elementary school victims said o…
Supreme Court rejects challenge to assault weapon ban
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge by gun rights activists to a Chicago suburb’s ordinance banning assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, handing a victory to gun control advocates amid a fierce debate o…
Familiar lawyer and issues loom over Colorado rampage case
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Reuters) – The suited lawyer whispered in the ear of the hulking suspect in the mass shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado, then Robert Lewis Dear answered “no questions” after briefly shaking his big, bearded hea…
