A Jackson County jury sided with a Department of Corrections employee following a weeklong trial in a gender discrimination case. After deliberating for more than seven hours, the jury Wednesday returned verdicts for the plaintiff, Debra Hesse, on counts of ...
Read More »Senate passes bill to split 38th Circuit in two
The Missouri Senate has passed a bill that would divide one of Missouri’s busiest rural judicial circuits in two. The bill would leave Christian County as the sole county in the 38th Judicial Circuit. Taney would be covered by a ...
Read More »Nixon focuses on ethics in final State of the State speech
Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon made another push Wednesday night to tighten Missouri’s ethics laws, delivering his final State of the State speech to a Republican-led Legislature under heightened scrutiny following scandals that prompted the resignations of two lawmakers. Nixon, who ...
Read More »Michigan gov.’s emails show debate over blame for Flint water
A day after doctors reported high levels of lead in Flint children, Michigan, Gov. Rick Snyder’s top aide told him the “real responsibility” for the city’s water issues rested with local government officials, emails show. Then-chief of staff Dennis Muchmore ...
Read More »Immigration tops politically charged caseload for high court
The Supreme Court’s decision to add immigration to its already robust list of politically charged cases means a raft of rulings in the late spring or early summer that could inject the court into the presidential campaign. Cases involving abortion, affirmative ...
Read More »New flare-ups over the racial demographics of abortion
Abortion and race, two of America’s most volatile topics, have intersected in recent flare-ups related to the disproportionately high rate of abortion among black women. In Congress, Rep. Sean Duffy, a white Republican from rural Wisconsin, lambasted black members of ...
Read More »Once again, Jefferson County gets special-law treatment
For the second time in 10 years, the Missouri Supreme Court has found fault with a so-called “special law” in Jefferson County. The court on Jan. 12 ruled that a law aimed at the city of De Soto without ever ...
Read More »High court split over police officer’s First Amendment case
A New Jersey police officer’s claim that he was a victim of political retribution drew plenty of sympathy at the Supreme Court on Tuesday, but it wasn’t clear whether the justices would find that Jeffrey Heffernan has a case under the ...
Read More »Justices to weigh limits on insider trading cases
The Supreme Court signaled Tuesday that it could make insider trading cases harder to prosecute nationwide, dealing another blow to federal prosecutors. The justices said they would hear the appeal of an Illinois man who is serving a three-year prison term ...
Read More »Senate seeks to split 38th Circuit in two
The Missouri Senate has given first-round approval to a bill that would divide one of Missouri’s busiest rural judicial circuits in two. The bill would leave Christian County as the sole county in the 38th Judicial Circuit. Taney would be ...
Read More »Justices say Kansas court wrongly overturned death sentences
The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled in favor of Kansas officials seeking to reinstate the death penalty for three men, including two brothers convicted in a crime spree known as the “Wichita massacre.” The justices ruled 8-1 that the Kansas ...
Read More »