• Bill to Give Felons Voting Rights Dies in Virginia
• BY: Stateline   |   Virginia   |   February 12, 2013
• Despite a push by Republican Gov. Bob McConnell, a bill that would have allowed non-violent felons the right to vote and serve on juries after completion of their sentences has failed to gain passage.

• California Inmates up for Reduced Sentences After Change in '3 Strikes' Law
• BY: McClatchy News   |   California   |   February 12, 2013
• Three months after voters overwhelmingly softened California's tough three-strikes law and allowed many inmates sentenced for non-serious and nonviolent offenses to ask for shorter prison terms, the hearings are beginning.

• Texas Pays Most for Wrongful Convictions
• Source: Austin American-Statesman   |   Texas   |   February 12, 2013
• For a state perhaps best known as the leader in executing murderers, Texas now has another distinction: It is the most generous in compensating those who were wrongly locked up.
• 2 Comments

• Landmark S&P Lawsuits Mark Improved State-Fed Relations
• BY: Liz Farmer   |   February 11, 2013
• The lawsuits, which are the first against a credit ratings agency in connection with the economic meltdown, were a coordinated effort between states and feds who have historically clashed over who fights financial fraud.

• Florida Wildlife Federation Sues Gov. Scott over Everglades Pollution
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Florida   |   February 8, 2013
• The Florida Wildlife Federation has sued Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Cabinet to stop its recent decision to allow farmers to continue leasing state-owned land in the Everglades for another 30 years, alleging that the farming has the potential to exacerbate the pollution the state is attempting to clean-up.

• Governors’ Pardons Are Becoming a Rarity
• BY: Stateline   |   Nation   |   February 8, 2013
• Many governors are now reluctant to grant pardons. The reason, according to analysts, is mostly political.
• 1 Comments

• Voter ID Law Debated in Tennessee Supreme Court
• Source: AP/Tennessean   |   Tennessee   |   February 7, 2013
• Tennessee’s Supreme Court was asked to decide whether the state’s voter ID law deprives people of the right to vote or if it’s a necessary safeguard to prevent election fraud.
• 5 Comments

• Our Ebbing Urge to Incarcerate
• BY: Mark Funkhouser   |   February 7, 2013
• California seems to be finding a way out of its prison-overcrowding problems. Have we decided that locking up so many people isn't the best way to keep the public safe?
• 3 Comments

• States Sue S&P over Alleged Misleading Mortgage Ratings
• Source: Des Moines Register   |   Nation   |   February 6, 2013
• More than a dozen states plus the District of Columbia filed lawsuits Tuesday against Standard & Poor's, accusing the credit rating agency of improperly giving high ratings to mortgage debt that later plunged in value and helped fuel the 2008 financial crisis.

• Texas Schools Inadequately Funded, Court Rules
• BY: The Texas Tribune   |   Texas   |   February 5, 2013
• In a decision certain to be appealed to the Texas Supreme Court, state district Judge John Dietz ruled that the state does not adequately or efficiently fund public schools.

• Black Hawk's Bike Ban Struck Down by Colorado Supreme Court
• Source: Denver Post   |   Black Hawk, Colo.   |   February 5, 2013
• Black Hawk enacted the biking ban in January 2010, citing rising numbers of commercial buses and growing gambler traffic on the city's narrow, shoulderless roads. The ban did not apply to locals commuting on bikes.

• Medical Marijuana Patients Can Share Drugs, Michigan Court Rules
• Source: Detroit Free Press   |   Michigan   |   January 31, 2013
• Medical marijuana supporters received a key victory when the state Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that patient-to-patient transfers of the drug are allowed for medical use under state law
• 1 Comments

• In Rare Move, Michigan Gov. Snyder Asks Supreme Court to Rule on Right to Work
• Source: Detroit News   |   Michigan   |   January 29, 2013
• Gov. Rick Snyder took the rare step of asking the Michigan Supreme Court to consider the constitutionality of the new public and private sector right-to-work laws before labor unions try to tie them up in court.
• 2 Comments

• Juvenile Justice Changes Sought by Massachusetts Gov. Patrick
• Source: Boston Globe   |   Massachusetts   |   January 29, 2013
• Governor Deval Patrick plans to propose broad legislation that would sharply reduce the number of teenagers sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder convictions.

• Court: Indiana's Ban on Sex Offenders Using Facebook Unconstitutional
• Source: Indianapolis Star   |   Indiana   |   January 24, 2013
• The law that bans sex offenders from using sites they know allow access to youths under the age of 18 is too broad, a three-judge federal appeals court determined, and “prohibits substantial protected speech.”