• Idaho Abortion Law Struck Down
• Source: AP/Idaho Statesman   |   Idaho   |   March 7, 2013
• A federal judge has struck down Idaho's law banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy based on beliefs held by physicians and others that the fetus is able to feel pain at that point.

• Death Penalty Likely to be Repealed in Maryland
• Source: Washington Post   |   Maryland   |   March 7, 2013
• The Maryland Senate voted to repeal the death penalty after four days of emotional debate, moving the state closer to becoming the sixth in as many years to abolish executions. The House is expected to approve the measure.

• Historic School-Funding Case Heads to Colorado Supreme Court
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   March 7, 2013
• The suit alleges the state's current school-funding system fails to provide a "thorough and uniform" system of education as outlined in the Colorado Constitution.

• Medicaid Cuts Ruled Unconstitutional in Pennsylvania
• Source: Philadelphia Inquirer   |   Pennsylvania   |   March 6, 2013
• A judge found that two statutes that stripped money from the adultBasic and Medicaid programs were unconstitutional because they diverted money from the federal tobacco settlement to finance items other than health care in the general budget.

• Texas Governor Speaks Out on Release of Immigrants
• BY: The Texas Tribune   |   Texas   |   March 5, 2013
• The Texas Governor, outraged at the release of undocumented immigrants due to Federal budget cuts, has written a letter of protest to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

• Arizona's Immigration Law Suffers Another Court Defeat over Day Laborers
• Source: Arizona Republic   |   Arizona   |   March 5, 2013
• The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an injunction against a section of the state's controversial immigration law targeting traffic obstructions by day laborers or their would-be employers.

• Minnesota's Sex Offender Program at Risk of Federal Takeover
• Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune   |   Minnesota   |   March 5, 2013
• The Minnesota Sex Offender Program has grown to a population of 682 offenders and faces a court challenge claiming it amounts to an unconstitutional life sentence.

• Attempts to Amend O’Malley’s Death Penalty Bill Fail in Maryland Senate
• Source: Washington Post   |   Maryland   |   March 5, 2013
• Supporters of a bill to repeal Maryland’s death penalty turned back eight amendments in the Senate intended to create exceptions under which convicted killers could still be executed.
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• Advancing the Debate: Why Legalize Sports Betting?
• BY: J.B. Wogan   |   March 4, 2013
• New Jersey passed a law to legalize sports betting at casinos and race tracks, which is already allowed in four states. But the feds and major sports leagues have been working to block it.
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• Obama Calls for Supreme Court to Overturn California's Gay Marriage Ban
• Source: San Jose Mercury News   |   Nation   |   March 1, 2013
• It marks the first time the administration has stood against a state's right to outlaw gay marriage.

• Sports Betting Suffers Another Setback in New Jersey
• Source: AP/Newark Star-Ledger   |   New Jersey   |   March 1, 2013
• A federal judge upheld a 1992 law prohibiting sports wagering in 46 of 50 U.S. states, including New Jersey.

• Wyoming No Longer Only State Without Human Trafficking Laws
• Source: AP/Billings Gazette   |   Wyoming   |   March 1, 2013
• Wyoming now has its own laws barring human trafficking.

• Pennsylvania Ties Prison Contractors' Profits to Public Safety
• Source: Pennlive.com   |   Pennsylvania   |   March 1, 2013
• Under the new contracts, if the recidivism rate for inmates passing through the center decline, the contractor will be paid a higher rate.

• Supermajority No Longer Required for Tax Increases in Washington State
• Source: AP/Seattle Times   |   Washington state   |   March 1, 2013
• The Washington Supreme Court has struck down a requirement for a two-thirds majority vote in the Legislature to pass a tax increase.

• Supreme Court Appears Divided on Voting Rights Act
• Source: Stateline   |   Nation   |   February 28, 2013
• At issue is whether the act’s Section 5 provision, which requires all or part of 16 states to get any changes to election law pre-approved by either the Justice Department or a federal court, is still necessary and constitutional in today’s world.
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