Emily Zantow

Top Justice official: Voter discrimination ‘alive and well,’ urges restoration of Voting Rights Act

A top Justice Department official on Wednesday told Congress that voting discrimination is "alive and well" while calling for revitalization of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the civil rights era law that helped secure voting rights for millions facing discriminatory obstacles.

October 6, 2021

Minneapolis to vote on ending police department in wake of George Floyd killing

Minneapolis voters will soon decide whether to shut down the police department that employed the officer who killed George Floyd last year and replace it with a Department of Public Safety that would combine the city's public safety functions into a "comprehensive public health approach to safety."

October 6, 2021

Critics say DOJ move to stop school board threats will deter free speech

The Biden Justice Department's move to stop increasing threats against school board members and teachers would stifle free speech and deter public discussion about school policies, critics warn.

October 5, 2021

AG Merrick Garland directs FBI to target ‘disturbing spike’ in school board threats

Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday directed federal authorities to hold strategy sessions in the next 30 days with law enforcement to address the increasing threats targeting school board members, teachers and other employees in the nation's public schools.

October 4, 2021

GOP lawmakers criticize D.C. mayor over rise in violent crime, homelessness

A group of Republican lawmakers criticized D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser over her "failure" to address what they say are surging violent crime and homelessness problems in the nation's capital.

October 1, 2021

Justice Department says Texas law illegally supersedes women’s constitutional abortion right

President Biden's Justice Department argued before a federal judge on Friday that a new Texas law banning abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected unlawfully supersedes women's constitutional rights.

October 1, 2021

Court temporarily blocks COVID-19 vaccine mandate for NY health workers seeking religious exemption

The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals has temporarily granted a partial injunction forcing the state of New York to allow state health care workers to request religious exemptions from Democratic Gov. Kathleen Hochul's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

October 1, 2021

Nation’s most restrictive abortion law back in Texas court

A federal judge on Friday will consider whether to temporarily block Texas' law banning abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which typically occurs about six weeks into a pregnancy.

September 30, 2021

FBI can’t back up claims in dozens of surveillance applications: Report

The FBI failed to support claims it made in almost 200 applications to the secret court that signs off on warrants to spy on Americans, the Justice Department's internal watchdog said Thursday.

September 30, 2021

Court hears dispute over N.Y. health care workers seeking COVID vaccine religious exemption

The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday heard arguments in a case brought by a conservative nonprofit challenging a New York order that prohibits state health care workers from seeking religious exemptions to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

September 29, 2021

Vaccination or termination: Police push back against COVID-19 shot mandates

Police across the country are filing lawsuits, requesting exemptions and considering quitting or getting fired over their opposition to coronavirus vaccine mandates.

September 29, 2021

Critics see waste, bias in Chicago’s multimillion-dollar gunfire-detection system

A system of smart microphones that can identify the distinctive sound of a gun being fired and immediately notify the police was an idea that proponents hoped would make dangerous Chicago neighborhoods safer. But critics say the artificial-intelligence-driven system that Chicago has spent millions installing is inaccurate, costs too much and often is used to unfairly target people of color.

September 28, 2021

FBI: Homicide spike in 2020 sets all-time record

Data released Monday by the FBI show a spike of nearly 30% in homicides last year, the highest single-year increase since the agency began recording crime data in 1960.

September 27, 2021

Brandon Prenzlin, former FreedomWorks staffer, charged in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot

A former grassroots organizer for the conservative group FreedomWorks is facing charges in connection with the Capitol riot on Jan. 6.

September 24, 2021

U.S. facing biggest homicide rate increase in 60 years

The U.S. homicide rate in 2020 is poised to take its biggest annual jump in the 60 years the FBI has compiled nationwide data.

September 23, 2021

COVID-19 is top cause of law enforcement deaths in 2021

The coronavirus was the leading cause of law enforcement deaths in the first six months of this year, according to a report by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

September 23, 2021

‘Insidious plot’: Trump sues niece, New York Times over 2018 tax story

Former President Donald Trump is suing his estranged niece and three New York Times reporters, saying they plotted to acquire his confidential records for a "scathing" article on his financial history.

September 22, 2021

DOJ sues to block ‘de facto merger’ between American Airlines, JetBlue

The Biden Justice Department is suing to block American Airlines and JetBlue from consolidating operations in Boston and New York City, arguing it would cause hundreds of millions of dollars in harm to travelers.

September 21, 2021

Man with gun arrested at ‘Justice for J6’ rally is a federal law enforcement officer: Reports

A man with a handgun who was arrested on Saturday at the "Justice for J6" rally is a federal law enforcement officer who will not be prosecuted, according to media reports.

September 20, 2021

‘Justice for J6’ rally falls short of attendance expectations, security threats

The highly anticipated "Justice for J6" rally on Saturday fell short of fears that the event could be a potential sequel to the violent Jan. 6 riot when hundreds of people stormed the Capitol in support of then-President Trump.

September 18, 2021