Most in U.S. say don’t ban race in college admissions but that role should be small: AP-NORC poll
May 30, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — As the Supreme Court decides the fate of affirmative action, most U.S. adults say the court should allow colleges to consider race as part of the admissions process, yet few believe students’ race should ultimately play a major role in decisions, according to a new poll.
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — A teenage student who police in Guyana accuse of deliberately setting a fire in a girl's dormitory that killed 18 schoolmates and a five-year-old boy was charged Monday as an adult with 19 counts of murder.
7 men appear in Northern Ireland court on attempted murder charges related to shooting of detective
May 29, 2023 GMTLONDON (AP) — Seven men appeared in court Monday on charges of attempted murder related to the February attack on a senior Northern Ireland police officer who was shot after his son’s soccer practice.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Evangelisto Ramos walked out of a New Orleans courthouse and away from a life sentence accompanying a 10-2 jury conviction, thanks in large part to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision bearing his name.
South Carolina group to ask Supreme Court to rename landmark school desegregation case
May 28, 2023 GMTSUMMERTON, S.C. (AP) — Civil rights leaders in South Carolina plan to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to rename the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision that outlawed segregation of public schools across the country.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A Florida man charged with human smuggling after four migrants were found dead last year near the Canadian border has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges.
Lawsuit brought by man who said he was sexually abused by Roman Catholic bishop settled
May 26, 2023 GMTA lawsuit brought by a former altar boy who said he was raped as a child in the 1960s by a now-deceased Roman Catholic bishop in Massachusetts has been settled, the sides announced Friday.
Judge halts South Carolina’s new stricter abortion law until state Supreme Court review
May 26, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A judge put South Carolina’s new law banning most abortions around six weeks of pregnancy on hold Friday until the state Supreme Court can review the measure, giving providers a temporary reprieve in a region that has enacted strict limits on the procedure.
Guatemala’s top court ends candidacy of leading presidential hopeful 1 month before vote
May 26, 2023 GMTGUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemala’s top court blocked the candidacy of another presidential hopeful on Friday, this time ending the campaign of poll leader Carlos Pineda for alleged violations of electoral law.
Parents described as ‘monsters’ in horrific abuse that killed 10-month-old in England
May 26, 2023 GMTLONDON (AP) — An English couple who fought to get their baby son back from child services and then abused him so severely the 10-month-old was dead just over a month later were sentenced to life in prison for murder Friday in what a judge described as a case of “unimaginable cruelty."
PHOENIX (AP) — Members of a small polygamous group accused of child sex abuse of underage girls whom the group’s leader claimed as brides were arraigned in federal court on Friday.
Sam Bateman and the three women followers, who are each represented by different attorneys, entered not guilty pleas in a downtown Phoenix courtroom.
Poland’s lawmakers approve contentious law targeting opposition
May 26, 2023 GMTWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish lawmakers on Friday approved a contentious draft law on Russia’s alleged influence in Poland that is targeting the opposition and may affect the outcome of fall parliamentary elections.
Pakistan to try 33 supporters of former Premier Imran Khan in military courts over recent violence
May 26, 2023 GMTISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s government said Friday that 17 more supporters of Imran Khan would be tried in military courts over recent anti-government violence, bringing the overall number of followers of the former prime minister facing military tribunals so far to 33.
VATICAN CITY (AP) — A Vatican cardinal on trial in the Holy See’s big financial crimes case complained Friday that he can't properly defend himself from “the nightmare of these accusations” because prosecutors have withheld key evidence from the defense.
Russian court data: US journalist Evan Gershkovich appeals extension of detention on spying charges
May 26, 2023 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich has appealed a three-month extention of his detention on espionage charges, a Russian court data website indicated Friday.
LONDON (AP) — A London court on Friday rejected an attempt by the publisher of The Sun tabloid to throw out a lawsuit by actor Hugh Grant alleging that journalists and investigators it hired illegally snooped on him.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — One of Rwanda's most wanted suspects for the country's 1994 genocide appeared in a South African courtroom Friday, clutching a Bible and another book inscribed with “Jesus First” on the cover.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Disney is opposing a request by Gov. Ron DeSantis to disqualify a judge overseeing the company's First Amendment lawsuit against the Florida governor and others in which Disney says it was punished for speaking out against Florida legislation that critics have dubbed “Don’t Say Gay.”
Rights groups slam severe Taliban restrictions on Afghan women as ‘crime against humanity’
May 26, 2023 GMTISLAMABAD (AP) — Two top rights groups on Friday slammed the severe restrictions imposed on women and girls by the Taliban in Afghanistan as gender-based persecution, which is a crime against humanity.
Supreme Court limits regulation of some US wetlands, making it easier to develop and destroy them
May 26, 2023 GMTThe U.S. Supreme Court has stripped federal agencies of authority over millions of acres of wetlands, weakening a bedrock environmental law enacted a half-century ago to cleanse the country’s badly polluted waters.
Judge grants Churchill Downs’ request for summary judgment to dismiss Bob Baffert’s lawsuit
May 25, 2023 GMTLOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A federal judge has granted Churchill Downs’ motion for summary judgment that dismisses Bob Baffert’s claim the track breached due process by suspending the Hall of Fame trainer for two years.
Environmental groups prevail on limit to grizzly bear deaths in Wyoming cattle grazing area
May 25, 2023 GMTCHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — An appeals court is sending a plan to allow continued cattle grazing in a vast, mountainous area of western Wyoming back to federal forest and wildlife officials, telling them to consider limiting how many of the area's female grizzly bears may be killed for preying on livestock.
Adnan Syed’s murder conviction on hold for now, as Maryland Supreme Court considers appeal
May 25, 2023 GMTANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Adnan Syed will not return to jail and his murder conviction is on hold, for now, as Maryland's Supreme Court decides whether to hear his appeal.
The state's highest court issued an order on Thursday that prevents the reinstatement of Syed's murder conviction by a lower court.
A Los Angeles County judge on Thursday said she will dismiss a lawsuit that the stars of 1968's “Romeo and Juliet" filed over the film's nude scene, finding that their depiction could not be considered child pornography and they filed their claim too late.
Supreme Court sharply limits federal government’s ability to police pollution into certain wetlands
May 25, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday sharply limited the federal government's authority to police water pollution into certain wetlands, the second decision in as many years in which a conservative majority narrowed the reach of environmental regulations.
Connecticut House passes most wide-ranging gun bill since legislation passed after Sandy Hook
May 25, 2023 GMTConnecticut lawmakers on Thursday advanced the most wide-ranging package of gun safety measures since the legislation passed after the 2012 Sandy Hook school massacre, with proponents noting the state is not “recklessly retreating” from regulating guns like other states.
One of Rwanda’s most wanted genocide suspects arrested in South Africa after 22 years on run
May 25, 2023 GMTCAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — One of the most wanted suspects in Rwanda's genocide, a police officer suspected of orchestrating the killing of more than 2,000 people at a church nearly three decades ago, has been arrested in South Africa after 22 years on the run, a special tribunal set up by the United Nations to find the perpetrators said Thursday.
After Club Q shooting, New York woman accused of threats to Colorado LGBTQ businesses
May 25, 2023 GMTDENVER (AP) — A New York woman has been indicted for making threats against Denver-area LGBTQ businesses in the days after five people were killed at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs last year.
Former Mozambique finance minister loses last appeal, set for extradition to US over $2B scandal
May 25, 2023 GMTJOHANNESBURG (AP) — Nearly five years after he was arrested at a South African airport, Mozambique's former finance minister has lost a last-ditch court appeal and faces extradition to the United States over a $2 billion corruption scandal related to loans to Mozambican state-owned companies.
Supreme Court rules in favor of 94-year-old woman who got nothing when county took her condo
May 25, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A unanimous Supreme Court on Thursday gave a 94-year-old Minneapolis woman a new chance to recoup some money after the county kept the entire $40,000 when it sold her condominium over a small unpaid tax bill.
Tunisian court releases prominent radio director from prison
May 25, 2023 GMTTUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia’s most popular private radio station said an appeal court has allowed its director to be released on bail from prison, after more than three months of detention.
Mosaique FM announced Wednesday that its director, Noureddine Boutar, was freed after the appeal court ordered a bail of one million dinars (about $323,500) and a travel ban.
Woman who fled US to keep child custody more than a decade ago says her lawyer encouraged flight
May 24, 2023 GMTA Virginia woman who left the United States for more than a decade with her child to avoid sharing custody of her daughter with her former partner says her lawyer suggested she flee.
Pennsylvania high court appears split over plan to force power plants to pay for carbon emissions
May 24, 2023 GMTHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Justices on Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court indicated Wednesday that they are likely to have split opinions on whether a governor has the right to force power plant owners to pay for their planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, or whether he first needs approval from a Legislature that refuses to go along with the plan.
What’s on DeSantis’ agenda? A look at the laws he passed as Florida governor, from abortion to guns
May 24, 2023 GMTTALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — From the death penalty to gender identity to abortion, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has cemented himself as a conservative standard-bearer in the lead-up to his 2024 presidential announcement.
Adnan Syed’s lawyer appeals to Maryland Supreme Court
May 24, 2023 GMTANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Adnan Syed's lawyer asked Maryland's highest court on Wednesday to overturn a lower court's ruling that reinstated his murder conviction from more than two decades ago — after he was freed last year in a legal case that gained international attention from the hit podcast “Serial.”
Climate activists tell Vatican court they never intended to hurt ancient statue in glue protest
May 24, 2023 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — Two environmental activists told the Vatican’s criminal court on Wednesday they never intended to damage an ancient statue in the Vatican Museums when they glued their hands to its marble base, in one of a series of flash protests across Europe to draw attention to climate change.
Islamic scholar acquitted of rape by Swiss court, but potential trial awaits Tariq Ramadan in France
May 24, 2023 GMTGENEVA (AP) — A Swiss court on Wednesday acquitted noted Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan on charges of rape and “sexual constraint," citing lack of material evidence more than a decade after the alleged actions, contradictory witness statements and what resembled love messages to the accused.
Here are all of the abortion debates happening this week in US courts and statehouses
May 24, 2023 GMTLawmakers in South Carolina passed an abortion ban while a judge in Montana was weighing restrictions there in the latest developments in the shifting landscape of law since the U.S. Supreme Court last year overturned Roe v.
Chief Justice Roberts says Supreme Court can do more on ethics, but offers no specifics
May 24, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts said there is more the Supreme Court can do to “adhere to the highest standards” of ethical conduct, an acknowledgment that recent reporting about the justices' ethical missteps is having an effect on public perception of the court.
South Carolina ready to renew abortion ban around 6 weeks of pregnancy after Senate vote
May 24, 2023 GMTCOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Abortion will soon be severely restricted in one of the last bastions for legal access in the U.S. South.
The South Carolina Senate approved a bill Tuesday that would ban most abortions after around six weeks of pregnancy — before most people know they are pregnant — and sent it to the Republican governor who has promised to sign the bill into law as soon as possible.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina redistricting ruling has set up a possible electoral windfall for congressional Republicans in preserving their U.S. House majority next year, declaring that judges should stay out of scrutinizing seat boundaries for partisan advantage.
Trump makes video appearance in New York criminal case, trial date set for March primary season
May 24, 2023 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump threw up his hands in frustration Tuesday as a judge scheduled his criminal trial for March 25, putting the former president and current candidate in a Manhattan courtroom in the heat of next year’s presidential primary season.
Texas man near deadly police shooting during Capitol riot gets nearly 7 years in prison
May 23, 2023 GMTA Texas winery operator was sentenced on Tuesday to nearly seven years in prison for storming the U.S. Capitol and joining an attack on the House chamber when police shot and killed another rioter.
Lawsuit alleges glitches in North Carolina court filing system caused wrongful detainments
May 23, 2023 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in North Carolina alleges an electronic state court records system rolled out this year in four counties has caused some people to be arrested multiple times on the same warrant and has delayed the release of others from custody.
A divided federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld the constitutionality of a new admissions policy at an elite public high school in Virginia that critics say discriminates against highly qualified Asian Americans.
Woman pleads guilty in conspiracy to steal USDA-mortgaged homes
May 23, 2023 GMTNATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi woman has pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal houses that were mortgaged by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, federal prosecutors said.
Ella Martin, 69, of Jayess, pleaded guilty Thursday before U.S.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Attorneys for a group of workers who believe their jobs cleaning up a massive coal ash spill in Tennessee led to a slew of illnesses, including fatal cancers, have reached a settlement with the contractor who organized the cleanup for the Tennessee Valley Authority, according to a notice posted on the Jacobs Engineering website on Tuesday.
Judge on Michigan’s top court returning after mental-health care
May 23, 2023 GMTLANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan Supreme Court justice said he's returning to in-person work after a month away to seek treatment for depression.
Richard Bernstein, who is blind, has been a justice since 2015 and was reelected last November to an eight-year term.
Appeals court ruling deals legal setback to Biden administration in gun stabilizing brace case
May 23, 2023 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court dealt a legal setback to the Biden administration on guns Tuesday in a lawsuit challenging tighter regulations on stabilizing braces, an accessory that has been used in several mass shootings in the U.S.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has signed legislation giving Native American families preference in fostering and adopting Native children involved with child protective services, a proactive move to protect such rights as the U.S.
PHOENIX (AP) — A judge on Monday dismissed the only remaining legal claim in Republican Kari Lake’s challenge of her loss in last year's race for Arizona governor, affirming the election of Democrat Katie Hobbs.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday extended his order that temporarily stops the Mississippi Supreme Court chief justice from appointing judges in the capital city of Jackson and the county where it's located, both of which are majority-Black.
9th Circuit rules US deportation law that fueled family separations is ‘neutral as to race’
May 23, 2023 GMTLAS VEGAS (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that a U.S. deportation law that fueled family separations at the southern border is “neutral as to race,” striking down an unprecedented Nevada ruling that had determined it was racist and unconstitutional.