California judges stifling trial publicity despite openness laws
Analysis In Winona Ryder's and other high-profile cases, 'courts still have an O.J. hangover,' says Loyola Law School professor Laurie Levenson.  02.12.03

S.C. high court: Jurors aren't required to swear oath to God
Justices rule unanimously that lower court was wrong to dismiss man who said he couldn't agree to the phrase 'so help you God.'  02.11.03

State appeals court rules online libel suit was really SLAPP
Massachusetts law professor says case is first he's heard of in which an anti-SLAPP law has been used successfully to defend a Web posting.  02.06.03

Minneapolis mayor: Police need OK before talking to reporters
Police Department spokeswoman resigns after R.T. Rybak, former journalist who had pledged to throw open doors of City Hall, issues order.  02.06.03

White House shelves poetry symposium over planned anti-war protest
First lady postpones event after some poets say they want to use occasion to protest military action against Iraq.  01.30.03

Librarians troubled by federal surveillance law
Some worry that through USA Patriot Act, FBI has returned to routinely checking on reading habits of intellectuals, civil rights leaders and other Americans.  01.28.03

Supreme Court won't review Akron's strict campaign-finance curbs
Opponents of voter-approved restrictions vow to keep fighting some of the most stringent limits in the country.  01.23.03

UC-Berkeley relents on mailing quoting Emma Goldman
University had stopped fund-raising letter including anti-war quotations from long-dead anarchist, saying they could be construed as political statements against Bush administration policies on Iraq.  01.17.03

Judge refuses to close hearing in Malvo case
Defense had argued that publicity would impair sniper suspect's right to fair trial, but prosecutor said public's right to witness proceedings trumped any potential harm.  01.13.03

Giuliani defends role in firing of NYC workers who paraded in blackface
Former mayor testifies that his statement that firefighters, cop would be dismissed wasn't an order but a prediction that could have been ignored by their bosses.  01.09.03