Hawaii sentences ex-soldier to life for killing daughter: report
(Reuters) – A former U.S. Army soldier convicted of killing his daughter was spared the death penalty on Friday, sentenced to life in prison by a Honolulu jury in Hawaii’s first such capital case since it became a state in 1959, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser newspaper reported. 
Montana judge facing censure tied to rape case calls penalty unprecedented
(Reuters) – A Montana judge facing suspension by the state’s top court for implying a 14-year-old girl was partly to blame for her rape by a teacher and imposing an unlawfully lenient sentence in the case contends his punishment was unprecedented and s…
U.S. appeals court blocks lawsuits over Darvon, Darvocet painkillers
(Reuters) – A federal appeals court on Friday upheld the dismissal of nearly all claims in 68 cases seeking to hold drug makers liable for injuries from the use of the prescription painkillers Darvon and Darvocet, which were pulled from the U.S. market…
Wrongly convicted men speak of injustice after ‘Central Park Jogger’ deal
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A group of men wrongfully convicted of raping a jogger in New York’s Central Park in 1989 said they continued to battle feelings of injustice on Friday, a day after the city signed a $40 million settlement to end their civil rights…
New Jersey may be first state to ban smoking on beaches, in parks
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New Jersey could become the first state in the nation to ban cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products in all public parks and beaches if Governor Chris Christie signs into law a sweeping anti-smoking bill approved by lawmakers…
Kansas coal plant fight back in court; emission concerns cited
(Reuters) – A long-running battle over coal-fired energy in Kansas continued Friday as the Sierra Club environmental group filed a legal challenge to the state’s issuance of a permit intended to give a green light to a controversial new power plant.
Massachusetts abortion clinics boost security, lawmakers seek fix
BOSTON (Reuters) – Massachusetts is beefing up security around abortion clinics and scrambling for a legal fix after the U.S. Supreme Court voided the state’s buffer zone law that kept protesters 35 feet away, saying it violated freedom of speech.
Fugitive returned to Pennsylvania after 33 years on the run
HARRISBURG Pa. (Reuters) – An elderly Pennsylvania fugitive, on the run for 33 years, is back in the state to face murder charges, authorities said on Friday.
Washington DC tour guides win court ruling on free speech grounds
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A federal appeals court ruled on Friday in favor of Washington tour guides who challenged licensing rules that require guides to pay the city a license fee and pass an exam.
Father says learned son had slain six in California via the Internet
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The father of a 22-year-old man who killed six college students in a stabbing and shooting rampage near Santa Barbara, California, said in an interview that he initially thought his son was one of the victims and learned the gri…
