Courts & Corrections Homeland Security & Disasters

• South Carolina Sues Feds for Blocking Voter ID Law
• BY: The Associated Press   |   South Carolina   |   February 7, 2012
• The U.S. Justice Department was wrong to block South Carolina from requiring voters to show government-issued photo identification to vote, the state's top prosecutor argued in a lawsuit filed Tuesday.
• 5 Comments

• Appeals Court: California's Gay-Marriage Ban Ruled Unconstitutional
• BY: Caroline Cournoyer   |   California   |   February 7, 2012
• The court's ruling likely sets the stage for a U.S. Supreme Court showdown.

• DHS Appoints Public Advocate for Immigration Enforcement
• BY: The Associated Press   |   Nation   |   February 7, 2012
• The Homeland Security Department has appointed a public advocate to handle complaints and questions about its immigration enforcement policies.
• 1 Comments

• Defense Cuts Test Lawmakers' Resolve on Deficits
• BY: The Associated Press   |   February 6, 2012
• President Barack Obama's call to shrink the military, shut bases and cancel weapons to meet the demand for budget cuts tests the resolve of lawmakers who came to Washington determined to slash the deficit.
• 1 Comments

• AP Analysis: Border Patrol OT Up As Arrests Drop
• BY: The Associated Press   |   February 4, 2012
• Border Patrol agents have racked up daily overtime at a cost of about $1.4 billion in the past six years while the number of arrests of illegal border crossers has fallen to the lowest level in nearly 40 years, an Associated Press analysis of agency records finds.

• How Game Theory is Reinventing Crime Fighting
• BY: John Buntin   |   February 2012
• Elected officials across the nation from both political parties have begun to examine ways to replace a tough corrections policy with a smart one.
• 2 Comments

• Conservatives Question the War on Drugs
• BY: Alan Greenblatt   |   February 2012
• Some surprising political figures like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have started questioning how effective U.S. drug policy is.
• 3 Comments

• Cities Give Google Cloud-Based Email Mixed Reviews
• BY: Steve Towns   |   February 2012
• Some cities have switched to the cloud with ease, but Los Angeles, for example, had to abandon it for law enforcement because of outdated security policies.

• East Haven, Conn., Police Chief Retires Amid Scandal
• BY: The Associated Press   |   East Haven, Conn.   |   January 30, 2012
• A police chief under fire for his handling of anti-Latino abuse allegations that led to the arrests of four officers last week is retiring from office.

• CIA to Remove Officer from NYPD After Internal Probe
• BY: The Associated Press   |   New York City   |   January 26, 2012
• A CIA operative's unusual assignment inside the New York Police Department is being cut short after an internal investigation probed how the NYPD, working in close collaboration with the CIA, set up spying operations that put Muslim communities under scrutiny.

• Oakland Police Could Face Federal Takeover
• BY: The Associated Press   |   Oakland, Calif.   |   January 26, 2012
• Mayor Jean Quan vowed to quickly reform the scandal-plagued Oakland Police Department after a frustrated judge threatened a federal takeover if it fails to quickly make good on changes agreed to nine years ago.
• 2 Comments

• Report: American Press Freedom Declines Due to Occupy Arrests
• BY: Tina Trenkner   |   January 25, 2012
• The United States has dropped 27 spots in Reporters Without Borders 10th annual World Press Freedom Index, now ranking at 47th in the world for press freedom.

• Obama Calls on Congress to Pass DREAM Act
• BY: Caroline Cournoyer   |   Nation   |   January 25, 2012
• In his third State of the Union address, the president asked Congress to bring the DREAM Act, which would make it easier for illegal immigrants younger than 16 to become citizens and afford college, back to life after it failed last year.

• Tornado Creates Worries in Bankrupt Alabama County
• BY: The Associated Press   |   Center Point, Ala.   |   January 25, 2012
• After months of hearing how Jefferson County, which filed the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history in November, is broke, residents are curious about how much local assistance is available to help them recover from recent tornadoes that killed two and wiped out scores of homes and businesses.