38 women accuse James Toback of sexual misconduct in lawsuit
December 6, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — More than three dozen women have filed a lawsuit in New York against writer and director James Toback, accusing him of sexual abuse.
Jesuit artist has ministry cut; Vatican doesn’t prosecute
December 6, 2022 GMTVATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican came under pressure Tuesday to explain why it didn’t prosecute a famous Jesuit artist and merely let his order restrict the priest's ministry following allegations that he abused his authority over adult women.
Court OKs life term in 2016 police chase crash that killed 3
November 24, 2022 GMTPITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that a man convicted of third-degree murder in a Thanksgiving Day 2016 crash that killed three people following a police chase can be sentenced to a mandatory life prison term.
Indiana doctor: AG shouldn’t get abortion patient records
November 22, 2022 GMTINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Lawyers for an Indianapolis doctor who provided an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio told a judge Friday that Indiana’s attorney general should not be allowed to access patient medical records for an investigation into undisclosed complaints.
Vet sues over coverage denial for daughter gender transition
November 22, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A U.S. military veteran and his daughter filed a lawsuit on Monday challenging a federal rule they said prevents the daughter from accessing medical coverage because she is transgender.
Ohio high court throws out conviction in 26-year cold case
November 3, 2022 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The timeline for charging Ohio defendants with attempted aggravated murder runs out six years after the crime, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a decision that throws out the conviction of a man prosecuted 26 years after a brutal assault on a woman.
Electronic health firm denies misconduct, settles for $45M
November 2, 2022 GMTBURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A Florida-based health records company is denying allegations of misconduct made by the U.S. government, but has agreed to pay $45 million to resolve allegations that it improperly generated sales and caused users to report inaccurate information, the company said.
Electronic health records firm to pay $45M for false claims
November 1, 2022 GMTBURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A Florida-based health records company has agreed to pay $45 million to resolve allegations that it improperly generated sales and caused users to report inaccurate information, the U.S.
Arizona board says it will follow law in partial hand count
October 27, 2022 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — The Republicans on a rural Arizona county board that wanted to conduct a full hand count in the upcoming midterm vote have clarified they will follow Arizona state law allowing only partial hand counts following a harshly worded letter from the state's election director who threatened legal action.
Biden global strategy tackles China, Russia, domestic needs
October 13, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The White House laid out a national security strategy Wednesday aimed at checking an ascendant China and a more assertive Russia even as it stressed that domestic investments are key to helping the U.S.
Serial ‘jogger rapist’ to be released from Oregon prison
October 8, 2022 GMTPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon serial rapist is set to be released from prison in mid-December after serving nearly 36 years behind bars, almost all of his maximum sentence.
Richard Gillmore, arrested in 1986 and called the “jogger rapist” because he staked out victims as he ran by their homes, admitted to raping nine girls in the Portland area in the 1970s and 80s but was only convicted in one case because of the statute of limitations.
Delaware justices nix vote-by-mail, same-day registration
October 7, 2022 GMTDOVER, Del. (AP) — New state laws allowing universal voting by mail and Election Day registration are unconstitutional, Delaware's Supreme Court ruled Friday.
In a three-page order, the justices said the vote-by-mail statute impermissibly expands the categories of absentee voters identified in Delaware's constitution.
Judge acquits Legion priests in abuse-linked extortion case
October 3, 2022 GMTROME (AP) — A judge in Milan on Monday acquitted five members of the Legion of Christ religious order and their lawyers of attempted extortion in a case in which they were accused of offering to pay the family of a sexual abuse victim to lie to prosecutors.
New Thai rules allow abortions up to 20th week of pregnancy
September 27, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Thailand will allow abortions up to the 20th week of pregnancy under new regulations issued by the Public Health Ministry, a government spokesperson announced Tuesday.
The regulations, published Monday in the Royal Gazette, come into effect Oct.
Judge denies request to lift stay of ND abortion trigger ban
September 23, 2022 GMTBISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A North Dakota judge on Friday denied a request to lift his stay of a law banning abortion while a challenge to the law's constitutionality is pending.
Burleigh County District Judge Bruce Romanick rejected Attorney General Drew Wrigley's argument that he hadn't sufficiently considered whether a Fargo abortion clinic would succeed with its lawsuit.
House passes election law overhaul in response to Jan. 6
September 21, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed legislation to overhaul the rules for certifying the results of a presidential election as lawmakers accelerate their response to the Jan.
Voucher supporters urge judicial panel to dismiss lawsuit
September 19, 2022 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Supporters of expanding school vouchers in Tennessee argued Monday that the program does not take away from families who want their children to remain in public schools as they once again asked a state court to dismiss the ongoing lawsuit challenging the statute's legality.
Chile loses FIFA appeal in World Cup case with Ecuador
September 16, 2022 GMTGENEVA (AP) — Chile has lost its appeal to replace Ecuador at the World Cup in Qatar, but Friday's verdict by FIFA will lead the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Judge says Delaware vote-by-mail law is unconstitutional
September 15, 2022 GMTDOVER, Del. (AP) — A Delaware judge ruled Wednesday that a new vote-by-mail law enacted earlier this year is unconstitutional and that voting by mail cannot be used in upcoming November election.
Nashville: No license plate readers in imposing abortion ban
September 7, 2022 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Law enforcement in Nashville will be prohibited from using license plate readers to enforce Tennessee's anti-abortion laws, city council members decided.
The move comes after Tennessee, which is politically controlled by Republicans, enacted one of the strictest abortion bans in the U.S.
Lawyer’s mission: Translate Tenn.’s bewildering abortion ban
September 5, 2022 GMTKNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Chloe Akers considers herself a grizzled criminal defense attorney. Until a few months ago, she didn’t spend much time thinking about abortion — for all her 39 years, abortion was not a crime, so she’d never imagined having to defend someone accused of performing one.
Myanmar’s Suu Kyi testifies in her official secrets case
August 18, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi testified Thursday in a prison courtroom in the capital for the first time in her official secrets case, a legal official said.
Suu Kyi, who has been detained since the military ousted her government last year, is being tried in Naypyitaw with Australian economist Sean Turnell and three former Cabinet members on the same charge, which is punishable by up to 14 years in prison.
FIFA suspends India’s national soccer federation
August 16, 2022 GMTZURICH (AP) — FIFA suspended India's national soccer federation late Monday “due to undue influence from third parties,” the sport's governing body said.
The suspension of the All India Football Federation threatens the country's hosting of the Under-17 Women's World Cup scheduled for Oct.
North Carolina AG in legal bind amid probe over 2020 TV ad
August 10, 2022 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The campaign committee for North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, facing trouble for a TV ad aired against a rival in 2020, plans to ask a federal court to block enforcement of a state law making it illegal to knowingly circulate false reports to damage a candidate's election chances.
Did Trump break the law? FBI search raises fresh questions
August 10, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The year was 2016, the presidential candidate under investigation was Hillary Clinton and the FBI director at the time, James Comey, laid out the factors the Justice Department weighs in deciding whether to charge someone with mishandling classified records.
Judge won’t keep blocking use of NC law in probe of AG’s ad
August 9, 2022 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge opened the door Tuesday for a district attorney to try to prosecute someone for a 2020 campaign ad by North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein using a specific criminal count that the Democrat contends is unconstitutional on free-speech grounds.
With school about to begin, voucher foes aim to stop program
August 5, 2022 GMTNASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Opponents to a contentious Tennessee school voucher program on Friday argued the state is acting in a “haphazard fashion” attempting to roll out the initiative ahead of the new school year as they asked a panel of judges to once again block the 2019 law from being implemented.
Louisiana abortion providers file appeal, hope to block ban
August 4, 2022 GMTBATON ROUGE (AP) — Abortion-rights advocates hope Louisiana’s near-total ban of the procedure will soon be blocked again, after plaintiffs in an ongoing legal challenge filed an appeal with the state Supreme Court Thursday.
News groups sue Bettendorf schools after media excluded
August 2, 2022 GMTDES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Four eastern Iowa media organizations are joining a nonprofit media rights group in filing a lawsuit against the Bettendorf school board and other officials after they blocked journalists from covering a meeting about school violence that was attended by hundreds of people.
Judge blocks campaign law enforcement in AG campaign probe
July 25, 2022 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge agreed on Monday to block for now any enforcement of a state law in a political ad investigation of North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein’s campaign, saying it’s likely to win on legal claims that the law is unconstitutional.
Stein’s campaign seeks to block law enabling ad probe
July 21, 2022 GMTRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein's campaign asked a federal judge on Thursday to strike down a state law that enabled authorities to investigate an ad the campaign ran targeting Stein's 2020 challenger.
Deleted emails of former attorney general raise questions
July 15, 2022 GMTBISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said Friday in response to an open records request that the email account of former attorney general Wayne Stenehjem was deleted after he died and the account and former Chief Deputy Attorney General Troy Seibel was deleted after he resigned.
Some residents in Jerome yelling at tourists over parking
July 13, 2022 GMTJEROME, Ariz. (AP) — More than 1 million people a year visit the small north-central Arizona town of Jerome, the former home to one of Arizona’s largest copper mines and now a hub for artists.
Louisiana asks court to allow abortion ban enforcement
July 5, 2022 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana's Supreme Court has been asked to allow enforcement of Louisiana's ban on most abortions, Attorney General Jeff Landry's office said Tuesday.
A north Louisiana abortion clinic and other abortion rights advocates are arguing against Landry's request.
FBI opens sweeping probe of clergy sex abuse in New Orleans
July 1, 2022 GMTNEW ORLEANS (AP) — The FBI has opened a widening investigation into sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in New Orleans going back decades, a rare federal foray into such cases looking specifically at whether priests took children across state lines to molest them, officials and others familiar with the inquiry told The Associated Press.
Wisconsin’s Democratic AG sues to block state’s abortion ban
June 28, 2022 GMTMADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin's Democratic attorney general filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging the state's 173-year-old abortion ban, arguing that statutes passed in the 1980s supersede the ban and it's so old that modern generations never consented to it.
Supreme Court limits reach of federal gun crime law
June 21, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday limited the reach of a federal statute that requires stiff penalties for crimes involving a gun.
The 7-2 decision united both conservative and liberal justices, though one dissenting justice compared the result to "Alice in Wonderland." The justices said the law can’t be used to lengthen the sentences of criminals convicted of a specific attempted robbery offense.
Puerto Rico law to boost private sector worker benefits
June 20, 2022 GMTSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s governor signed legislation Monday that will award more rights to private sector workers in the U.S. territory as he defied a federal control board that said the move would be considered a violation of a federal statute.
High court weighs delay in charging man in woman’s attack
June 16, 2022 GMTCOLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A man arrested 26 years after a brutal assault of a woman says the state took too long to charge him and his conviction should be thrown out in a case that went before the Ohio Supreme Court Thursday.
District attorney confirms investigation into governor’s ad
June 7, 2022 GMTOKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma County’s top prosecutor confirmed Thursday he’s investigating whether a recent campaign ad by Gov. Kevin Stitt violates state law and ethics rules.
David Prater said he launched an investigation after a bipartisan group of House legislators suggested the 30-second ad, titled “ Track Record," violates state law.
Church convicts Catholic ex-priest of abusing boy for years
June 7, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — A Catholic diocese in Germany said Tuesday that a former priest has been convicted in a church trial of sexually abusing a minor over several years almost three decades ago.
The man, who wasn't identified, was ordered to pay 10% of his income to a charitable organization that helps victims of abuse, the diocese of Limburg said.
Sex assault conviction tossed over statute of limitations
June 2, 2022 GMTNew Jersey's Supreme Court has overturned a man’s sexual assault conviction because of DNA evidence — not because it exonerated him, but because the statute of limitations ran out before the state filed charges once it got a match.
Court declines to disturb Lake Michigan beach access ruling
May 26, 2022 GMTPORTER, Ind. (AP) — A federal appeals court has declined to disturb an Indiana Supreme Court ruling, later codified into Indiana law, which declared that Lake Michigan's shoreline is — and always has been — owned by the state for the public’s use.
Mexico: If raped, minors can abort without parents’ consent
May 25, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that an underage girl can get an abortion without parental consent if she had been raped.
The court ruled that it was not necessary to have filed a crime report about the rape; the victim only has to swear she was raped.
New York opens window for adults to sue for sexual assault
May 24, 2022 GMTALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York will temporarily set aside its time limit for adults who were sexually assaulted to bring lawsuits under a law signed Tuesday — a measure similar to one for child victims that sparked a surge of court actions.
Ex-forensic official loses bid to toss corpse abuse charges
May 24, 2022 GMTDOVER, Del. (AP) — A Delaware judge has refused to dismiss corpse abuse charges against a former state forensic investigator accused of improperly handling two bodies on separate occasions.
Mississippi revises eviction law that judge called ‘absurd’
May 15, 2022 GMTJACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi has revised its landlord-tenant law to give renters time to gather their belongings from a home before being forced to leave, after a federal judge ruled that the previous law was unconstitutional.
Utah AG memo: School book removal can violate 1st Amendment
May 14, 2022 GMTSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Supreme Court has long recognized that students have their own First Amendment rights in school.
Removing books from school libraries, as some parent groups and individuals in Utah have pushed local school boards and administrators to do this school year over what they deem inappropriate content, “can constitute an official suppression of ideas, in violation of the First Amendment,” says a new memo sent to schools by the Utah Attorney General’s Office.
Judge weighs request to block Alabama transgender law
May 7, 2022 GMTMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama will ban the use of puberty blockers and hormones to treat transgender minors starting on Sunday, barring a ruling by a federal judge on a request to block the law from taking effect.
Court tosses shooting conviction based on ‘John Doe’ warrant
May 6, 2022 GMTHARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut man should not have been arrested years after a non-fatal shooting based on a warrant that only included a general description of the suspect and partial DNA evidence linked to several unknown people, the state's Supreme Court ruled Friday in dismissing the case.
EXPLAINER: How could 1849 Wis. abortion law face challenge?
May 4, 2022 GMTMADISON, Wis. (AP) — A U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade would leave regulating abortion up to the states — and potentially create a legal morass in Wisconsin.
Ex-Maricopa County prosecutor Allister Adel dies at age 45
May 1, 2022 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — Former Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel, who recently resigned amid controversy over her performance in office, died Saturday of unspecified health complications, her family announced.
Murder trial for WA officer postponed; family protests delay
April 29, 2022 GMTSEATTLE (AP) — A King County judge said Friday that the murder trial of a suburban Seattle police officer will be delayed again.
Man convicted in 1983 killing charged with hiding the corpse
April 23, 2022 GMTCHILTON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin man is charged with recently hiding the corpse of a man he was convicted of killing in the early 1980s.
John Andrews, 82, of Chilton, was arrested Friday and booked into jail.
Appeals ruling protects pristine areas of the Badlands
April 21, 2022 GMTBISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling that dismisses a lawsuit brought by the state of North Dakota and several western counties that could have resulted in the construction of additional roads in parts of the Badlands.
Arizona court won’t halt sex suits naming Boy Scouts, others
April 16, 2022 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — Arizona victims of long-ago child sex abuse can proceed with lawsuits against groups like the Boy Scouts of America after the state Supreme Court rejected claims that a state law extending victims' right to sue was unconstitutional.
Catholic church can’t intervene in Idaho abortion lawsuit
April 13, 2022 GMTBOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a request by the Roman Catholic Church in Idaho to intervene in a lawsuit over a new Idaho law banning nearly all abortions.
The court did not explain why the church was excluded after the Diocese of Boise on Monday asked to be allowed to join the lawsuit in support of the ban.
Catholic church asks to intervene in Idaho abortion lawsuit
April 12, 2022 GMTBOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Roman Catholic Church is asking the Idaho Supreme Court to let it intervene in a lawsuit over a new law banning nearly all abortions.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise, which covers all of Idaho, filed the request to intervene in support of the abortion ban as a “friend of the court” on Monday.