Houston’s openly gay mayor marries longtime partner in California
HOUSTON (Reuters) – Houston’s openly gay mayor, Annise Parker, has wedded her longtime partner at a private home in California, even as her home state of Texas bans such same-sex marriages.
Lengthy Ohio execution puts focus on death penalty, suit likely
CLEVELAND (Reuters) – An Ohio man’s execution by an untested two-drug method that left him gasping for several minutes drew promises on Friday for a lawsuit by his family and renewed debate over capital punishment in the United States.
Pennsylvania judge strikes down state’s voter ID law
(Reuters) – A Pennsylvania judge struck down the state’s controversial voter identification law on Friday, ruling it is unconstitutional and would disenfranchise voters.
Blogger gets same speech protections as traditional press-U.S. court
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – A blogger is entitled to the same free speech protections as a traditional journalist and cannot be liable for defamation unless she acted negligently, a federal appeals court ruled on Friday.
Arizona sheriff asks feds to pay racial profiling compliance costs
PHOENIX (Reuters) – A controversial Arizona sheriff is demanding that the U.S. government pay an estimated $39 million to cover the costs of complying with a federal court order that found his deputies had racially profiled Latino drivers, officials sa…
California governor declares drought emergency
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – California governor Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency on Friday, a move that will allow the parched state to seek federal aid as it grapples with what could turn out to be the driest year in recorded state history.
U.S. court rejects former Guantanamo detainee’s damages claim
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A former detainee at the U.S. naval station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has failed to persuade a federal appeals court to let him sue the U.S. government for damages stemming from his treatment during seven years of detention.
Top Christie aides get subpoenas in New Jersey bridge probe
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A New Jersey state Senate panel is likely to issue subpoenas next week in its investigation into traffic jams at the George Washington Bridge that were apparently politically motivated, a source said on Friday.
Detroit child kills cousin, four, while playing with rifle
(Reuters) – A four-year-old Detroit boy died when his cousin, also 4, accidentally shot him while playing with a rifle she found inside a relative’s home, police said on Friday.
A new university bets on a hybrid online-learning model
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Offering a twist on the learn-from-anywhere convenience of Internet classes, a new university is asking freshmen to take a large leap of faith.
