American Prison Reform Has Repeated Its Mistakes for 250 Years
American prison reform has followed the same dispiriting arc for two and a half centuries: a humanitarian impulse, an institutional failure, and a return to brutality.…
Law News
Catherine Sadler
Covers US courts, constitutional litigation and civil liberties
Catherine Sadler reports on the courts for Law News, mainly the US federal bench: Supreme Court orders, circuit court rulings and the constitutional challenges that reach them. She follows free speech, immigration and executive power, gun law, policing and surveillance, and the use of AI in court filings.
Her reports are built around the ruling itself: the court, the judges, the case and what the order does. Recent stories include the Supreme Court's 7-2 refusal to revive the USPS mail ballot rule, a New York judge vacating the 75-country visa ban, and the Oklahoma judge referred for discipline over ChatGPT citations. She also covers UK criminal cases, such as the sentencing of a former Merseyside Police officer for computer misuse.
Tips and corrections: editor@lawnews.co.uk
- Stories
- 243
- Writing for Law News since
- June 2026
Stories by Catherine Sadler
49 to 72 of 244
LAUSD Ethnic Studies Lawsuit Revived by Ninth Circuit After Standing Ruling
The LAUSD ethnic studies lawsuit brought by Jewish parents and teachers has been revived by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled on 4 September…
Greenville Doorbell Video Search Puts Sergeant on Leave as Warrant Questions Mount
Ring doorbell footage capturing what appears to be a warrantless Greenville doorbell video search has placed a North Carolina police sergeant on administrative leave, prompting an…
AR-15 Assault Weapon Ban Reaches Supreme Court as First Briefs Land
The AR-15 assault weapon ban challenge is before the Supreme Court of the United States, with petitioners in the consolidated cases of Viramontes v. Cook County…
University of Washington First Amendment Case Costs $600,000 in Settlement
The University of Washington's First Amendment case against professor Stuart Reges has ended in a $600,000 settlement, paid to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression…
Canada-US Trade Tariffs Built on Shaky Economic Ground, Study Finds
Canada-US trade tariffs imposed under Section 338 of the Trade Act of 1930 rest on an economic claim that a new Canadian think-tank study directly contradicts:…
Phoenix Police Officers Charged and Indicted Over Violent Unreported Traffic Stop
Two former Phoenix police officers, Luis Vasquez and Antonio Felix, are among the Phoenix police officers charged with kidnapping and multiple counts of aggravated assault following…
Philippines Urged to Drop Charges Against Indigenous Protesters Over Mining Barricade
Human Rights Watch has called on Philippine authorities to drop charges against Indigenous protesters in the Philippines who were arrested during a police operation to clear…
Kyrsten Sinema Alienation of Affections Claim Proceeds to Trial
An alienation of affections claim against former US Senator Kyrsten Sinema has survived a motion to dismiss, with a federal judge ruling the case can proceed…
Olympus Spa Supreme Court Petition Tests Anti-Discrimination Law and Religious Exemptions
The Olympus Spa Supreme Court petition, filed on 10 August 2026 and docketed as No. 26-286, asks the justices to decide whether Washington State's anti-discrimination law…
Sinema Alienation of Affection Claim Survives Jurisdiction Challenge in North Carolina Federal Court
A federal judge in the Middle District of North Carolina has ruled that the court has personal jurisdiction over former United States Senator Kyrsten Sinema in…
Lindsay Clancy Insanity Defence Leaves Plymouth Jury Deadlocked
The Lindsay Clancy insanity defence, tested under the distinctive burden-of-proof rules that make Massachusetts an outlier among American states, ended on 4 September 2026 with a…
Sri Lanka War Crimes Accountability Stalls as HRW Report Finds Tepid Progress
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned that Sri Lanka war crimes accountability remains deeply inadequate under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, despite the new government's early pledges…
Combs Defamation Claim Survives Rule 12 Motion to Dismiss
The Combs defamation claim against Nexstar Media Inc. and attorney Ariel Mitchell has survived a motion to dismiss, with Judge John P. Cronan of the Southern…
OpenAI Agents’ Rogue Behaviour Raises Fresh Questions on AI Safety Controls
OpenAI agents' rogue behaviour across two separate incidents this year has prompted urgent questions about the industry's ability to contain autonomous AI systems that organise, deceive,…
Josh Blackman Constitutional Law Profile: From STCL to the Supreme Court Stage
Josh Blackman constitutional law scholarship sits at the intersection of academic rigour, libertarian commentary, and increasingly prominent public-policy work, with the South Texas College of Law…
Comanchero Firearms Prohibition Order Breach Alleged at Carnival Duck-Shoot
A member of the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang is facing a firearms prohibition order breach charge after police allege he took part in a carnival duck-shooting…
US Citizen ICE Detentions Lawsuit Survives Dismissal After Third Arrest
A federal judge has allowed a lawsuit centring on US citizen ICE detentions to proceed, ruling against the Trump administration's attempt to have the case thrown…
Sonoma County Drone Surveillance Settlement Forces Warrant Requirement on Code Enforcers
A settlement reached with the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California will require Sonoma County drone surveillance to be authorised by a warrant before officials…
Pentagon’s Venezuela Oil Deal Rewards a Businessman Under Investigation on Three Continents
The Venezuela oil deal taking shape between the United States government and North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP) has handed a pivotal role to Alejandro Betancourt,…
Ex-CPS Principal Jailed in Chicago School Principal Fraud Spanning Two Cities
A former Chicago school principal fraud case has resulted in federal prison sentences for three defendants after each pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges arising from…
Maryland Federal Court Blocks Birthright Citizenship Executive Order as Unconstitutional
A federal district court in Maryland has imposed a preliminary injunction blocking a birthright citizenship executive order issued on 6 August 2026, ruling it almost certainly…
Lawful Police Recording Triggered Flock Safety Licence Plate Surveillance, Lawsuit Alleges
A federal civil rights lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin alleges that Waukesha County Sheriff's deputies conducted more than…
Virginia Childhood Independence Law Put to the Test as Mom Convicted Over Son’s Solo Walk
A Virginia court has handed a law school graduate a suspended six-month jail sentence for allowing her 5-year-old son to walk half a mile alone in…
Page 3 of 11