Jurors often are reluctant to acquit someone who committed a crime while mentally ill, or to find that person guilty. So they take a third option: guilty but mentally ill. It's far from perfect.
The day after Solicitor General Donald Verrilli announced he was stepping down, he sat down with NPR's Nina Totenberg to reflect on his five years as the government's chief advocate.
Federal rules mostly prohibit nursing homes from refusing to readmit residents after a hospital stay. But states rarely enforce the regulations. Some California families are now suing the state.
Following the law, Paul Cassell sentenced Weldon Angelos to a 55 years in prison for dealing marijuana and possessing weapons. Cassell said the case was "one of the most troubling" he ever faced.
Veteran Philadelphia prosecutor Robert Zauzmer is heading up a key priority in the final year of Obama's presidency. He tells NPR he's seen too many unfair sentences levied for low-level offenders.
A bipartisan bill to overhaul the criminal-justice system has hit a snag. Its higher bar to prove guilt is something the Department of Justice says could benefit top-level executives.
The criminal justice system can be difficult to navigate, and without a lawyer, it's even harder. Yet the government says it's still too difficult for poor defendants to get representation.
The justices said Friday they would hear a challenge brought by faith-based groups that contend the government's exemptions on birth control do not go far enough to accommodate them.
Carrying a child for someone unable to become pregnant can be a legal and ethical minefield. In Oregon, lenient laws and strict contracts have made surrogacy a more appealing option for women.
A 17-year-old says she doesn't want to undergo treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma, but her doctors and the state say she will die without it. The Connecticut Supreme Court is hearing the case.
