Lawsuits

What's the difference between defamation, libel and slander? And what legal standards must be met to prove one in a court of law?

By John Donovan

When Barbra Streisand sued a photographer who took a photo of her house, the ensuing publicity called far more attention to the picture than it would have gotten otherwise. And that's not the only time attempted censorship has backfired.

By Dave Roos

Intersectionality was originally a legal way to recognize that people who were members of more than one identity group deserved equal treatment. But critics have charged that intersectionality has fostered a sort of 'oppression Olympics.'

By Dave Roos

Some Supreme Court cases are so well known they're often referred to by their case names (ever heard of Roe v. Wade?) But what were the cases really about and what did they decide?

By Dave Roos

You probably don't know her name, but Mitsuye Endo was the plaintiff in the landmark lawsuit that ultimately led to the closing of the U.S. Japanese internment camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

The big blacked-out sections of the Mueller report are calling attention to redaction. The process of redaction can be sophisticated or simple. And sometimes, not completely fool-proof.

By Patrick J. Kiger

The Constitution allows Supreme Court justices to be impeached by the House and put on trial by the Senate, but it's only happened once and that was in 1805.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Does this mean that a website actually is responsible for the content created by that site's users?

By Jonathan Strickland

Online ordination may be quick and easy and presiding at a friend's wedding may be fun and meaningful. But these marriages haven't always held up in court.

By Dave Roos

TripAdvisor deleted — and later reinstated — a hotel review where a visitor alleged she had been raped. How can review websites legally balance their duty to warn users as well as to beware of false, defamatory content?

By Dave Roos

A lawsuit in federal court in Colorado seeks to establish that the Colorado River ecosystem has legal rights similar to those of a person.

By Patrick J. Kiger

The controversial case in the tiny Tennessee town of Dayton drew national media attention — and live apes. But all that spectacle wasn't for naught.

By Kate Kershner

Richard and Mildred Loving's interracial marriage was against the law. But it led to the Supreme Court's historic decision in 1967 to ban anti-miscegenation laws across the country.

By Kate Kershner

Research shows that nicotine residue lingering in furniture and carpets may be hazardous to kids. Could that mean legal action for unsuspecting homeowners and tenants?

By Dave Roos

The divisive serial comma finally got its day in court—it was glorious.

By Laurie L. Dove

Guy walks into a bar looking for a fight. When is it legal and illegal to clock him?

By Dave Roos

Companies are actually hoping you won't read these 8,000-word documents before you click "agree." But why?

By Dave Roos

Good Samaritan laws are intended to protect you from a lawsuit if you help strangers during an emergency. But they may not protect you in every situation.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

The Supreme Court has ruled in a big Fourth Amendment case that under certain circumstances, evidence found during an illegal stop could be used in legal proceedings.

By Ben Bowlin

Bigoted requests aren't as rare as you might think in hospitals. It's also not rare for hospitals to accommodate such requests. Why?

By Julia Layton

After nearly two decades as a judge, the Supreme Court nominee's record offers few clues as to where he stands on many social issues.

By Julia Layton

It's not quite what you'd expect, is it?

By Cristen Conger

Free speech is one of America's most fiercely guarded freedoms, but that doesn't mean that citizens can say whatever they like with no threat of punishment. In several cases, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of limitations.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

In the U.S., can you truly say anything you want, or are there limits? Who decides them? And might this change in the age of the globally connected village?

By Julia Layton

Sometimes the things that fascinate us most are dangerous. Attractive nuisances draw the attention of children and often cause injuries or even death. What everyday neighborhood features are likely to harm kids?

By Beth Brindle