• 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.”

• Marijuana to Remain a Drug with No Accepted Medical Use Under Federal Law
• Source: Los Angeles Times   |   Nation   |   January 24, 2013
• The federal court's decision keeps in place an odd legal split over marijuana, a drug deemed to be as dangerous as heroin and worse than methamphetamine by federal authorities, but one that has been legalized for medical use by voters or legislators in 20 states and the District of Columbia.

• Feds Joins Landmark Case Against New Jersey over Sports Betting
• Source: Newark Star-Ledger   |   New Jersey   |   January 23, 2013
• The United States Justice Department joined the nation's professional and collegiate sports leagues in challenging New Jersey's attempt to legalize sports wagering in Atlantic City casinos and the state's four horseracing tracks.

• Future Uncertain for Arrested Nevada Lawmaker Who Threatened Another Lawmaker
• BY: McClatchy News   |   Nevada   |   January 22, 2013
• After telling a legislator that the Assembly Speaker's "first day as speaker would be her last," Steven Brooks is free on bail, though some lawmakers are already discussing the possibility of preventing him from serving in the 2013 legislative session.

• Wisconsin's Controversial Collective Bargaining Law Upheld
• Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel   |   Wisconsin   |   January 22, 2013
• A federal court of appeals upheld Wisconsin's law repealing most collective bargaining for most public employees, handing a victory to Gov. Scott Walker and his fellow Republicans who put the law in place amid tumult two years ago.

• Colorado Judge: Clerks Can Send Ballots to Inactive Voters
• Source: Denver Post   |   Colorado   |   January 22, 2013
• The decision comes in a case where Secretary of State Scott Gessler sued Denver County Clerk and Recorder Debra Johnson in 2011 for sending mail ballots to such so-called "inactive" voters.

• Report: California Prisons Not Ready to End Court Oversight
• Source: Los Angeles Times   |   California   |   January 21, 2013
• A court-appointed monitor said that Gov. Jerry Brown's quest to end judicial oversight in state prisons is "not only premature, but a needless distraction" from improving care for mentally ill inmates.

• Prison Not as Mandatory as New York’s Gun Laws Say
• Source: New York Times   |   New York   |   January 21, 2013
• In 2011, fewer than half the defendants who had been arrested for illegal possession of a loaded gun in New York City received a state prison sentence

• Sheriffs, Rural Lawmakers Take Issue with Obama's Gun Proposals
• Source: AP/Huffington Post   |   Nation   |   January 18, 2013
• From Oregon to Mississippi, President Barack Obama's proposed ban on new assault weapons and large-capacity magazines struck a nerve among rural lawmen and lawmakers, many of whom vowed to ignore any restrictions – and even try to stop federal officials from enforcing gun policy in their jurisdictions.

• U.S. Judge Throws Out Right-to-Work Suit Seeking to Overturn Indiana Law
• Source: Indianapolis Star   |   Indiana   |   January 18, 2013
• A federal judge threw out a union’s lawsuit seeking to overturn Indiana’s “right to work” law, saying such a challenge should remain at the state level.

• Obama's Gun Reforms Depend on States' Mental Health Efforts
• Source: Washington Post   |   Nation   |   January 17, 2013
• President Obama, in trying to curb gun violence, is pushing for improved mental-health serv­ices, a revival of gun-related research and beefed-up reporting about potentially dangerous people who shouldn’t own guns — efforts that are likely to rely heavily on the states and the public health sector.

• Medical Malpractice Reform Bill Gets Bipartisan Support in Oregon
• Source: Oregonian   |   Oregon   |   January 17, 2013
• Gov. John Kitzhaber said that a bill is in the works that could reduce the number of medical malpractice lawsuits in Oregon and fulfill a promise he made to get his Medicaid reforms through the Legislature last year.
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• New York Enacts 1st Post-Newtown Gun Control Law
• Source: Albany Times-Union   |   New York   |   January 16, 2013
• The measure that Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed expands the definition of banned assault weapons, creates a state database for pistol permits, reduces the maximum number of rounds in a magazine and requires background checks on all gun sales, including those between individuals.
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• Maryland Gov. O'Malley to Lead Death Penalty Repeal Push
• Source: The Washington Times   |   Maryland   |   January 16, 2013
• Martin O'Malley said he plans to file legislation this week in the Maryland General Assembly that would outlaw capital punishment after he backed two earlier unsuccessful attempts during his first term as governor