A Missouri judge this week struck down a series of restrictions on abortion, finding they violated a constitutional amendment that voters appr…

The federal government has asked a judge to halt the United States' first reparations program in Evanston, Illinois. The program, launched in 2021, offers Black residents $25,000 for past discrimination and the lingering effects of slavery. The U.S. Department of Justice called the program “racially discriminatory,” saying it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The program allots more than $20 million over 10 years to eligible residents for home repairs and property expenses. Reparations have been a contentious issue, with differing views on how to address historical injustices.

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Congo's opposition on Tuesday condemned the adoption of a bill that could open the door to a third term for President Fé…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether states can use juries made up of only six people in criminal cases, ins…

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to let Alabama execute a man with nitrogen gas. The justices refused to lift an injunction blocking the state from carrying out the nation’s ninth execution by that method. They declined to set aside lower court findings that it is unconstitutional. The decision caps a heated legal fight over the humaneness of the method. Alabama had planned to put 49-year-old Jeffery Lee to death Thursday using nitrogen. Lee was convicted of killing Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson while robbing a pawnshop on Dec. 12, 1998.

The Florida Supreme Court has allowed the use of a new U.S. House map drawn by Republicans in the midterm elections. The court on Wednesday declined a request to issue a temporary injunction against the map backed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Attorneys representing voters had argued that the new districts violate a state constitutional ban on political gerrymandering. Republicans currently hold 20 of the state’s 28 U.S. House seats. The new voting districts could improve the GOP’s chances to win four additional seats this year. President Donald Trump has urged Republican-led states to redraw voting districts to try to hold on to a slim House majority in November.

Thousands of Southern Baptists have voted overwhelmingly to advance a formal ban on churches with women pastors in the nation’s largest conservative evangelical denomination. The vote at their annual meeting sent a clear message that men alone should preach to congregations. They easily exceeded the two-thirds majority required to amend the Southern Baptist Convention’s constitution. The ban will require a similar vote at next year’s annual meeting to gain final approval. The amendment would tighten existing restrictions in the Southern Baptist Convention, which already has a faith statement opposing women pastors.

A federal judge has permanently blocked Alabama from executing an inmate with nitrogen gas, declaring the method violates the ban on cruel and unusual punishment. U.S. District Judge Emily C. Marks issued the decision after an appeals court reversed her earlier ruling. Jeffery Lee was scheduled for execution Thursday. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall’s office is appealing the decision. Marks noted the state has other execution methods, like lethal injection and the electric chair. She also mentioned the state could switch to a firing squad, which Lee prefers. Lee was convicted of capital murder in 1998.

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge questioned a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official Tuesday about the government's process for refunding …