Justice
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Special counsel: Biden ‘willfully’ disclosed classified materials, but no criminal charges warranted
President Joe Biden “willfully” retained and disclosed highly classified materials when he was a private citizen, including documents about military and foreign policy in Afghanistan and other sensitive national security matters.
Sex trafficking in the Northwest is a problem in plain sight
Located along the Interstate 5 corridor, a major highway running from Mexico to Canada that links many West Coast cities, Washington and Oregon are recognized as hubs within a national and global sex trafficking circuit.
Federal appeals court temporarily blocks Oregon judge’s public defense order
A federal judge ruled earlier this month that Oregon jails must release people from jail if they haven't been assigned a lawyer after seven days. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put a temporary hold on that order.
Oregon governor roils public defense overhaul with last-minute legislative changes
With just weeks remaining in Oregon’s legislative session, Gov. Tina Kotek is changing the course of a long-sought overhaul of the state’s public defense system. Kotek sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Rules this month requesting changes to Senate Bill 337, the bill meant to address a constitutional crisis that’s left thousands of people accused of crimes without attorneys.
The Supreme Court outlawed split juries, but hundreds remain in prison anyway
In 2020, the Supreme Court struck down laws that allowed people in Louisiana and Oregon to be convicted even if two jurors voted not guilty. Despite the ruling, some of them may never get a new trial.
Oregon public defender asks court to withdraw overworked attorneys, dismiss cases
Attorneys challenged Oregon’s broken public defense system in a court filing meant to halt the long-running practice of overloading public defenders with more cases than they can ethically and legally handle.
US Senate confirms Oregon Justice Adrienne Nelson to a seat on federal bench
The bipartisan confirmation makes Nelson the first Black women jurist in Oregon to become a U.S. District Court judge. And also provides Gov. Tina Kotek an opening for her first justice to the state’s highest court.
Oregon governor candidates weigh in on death penalty
In the race to be Oregon's next governor, the Democratic candidate says she’ll continue Oregon’s moratorium on capital punishment, while the Republican and unaffiliated candidates indicate they will revoke it, which could allow the state to resume executions.
Man exonerated in killing of Malcolm X sues New York City for $40 million
Muhammad Aziz, 84, who was exonerated last year in the 1965 assassination of the civil rights leader, has filed a federal lawsuit against the city for the two decades he spent in prison.
Defending her record, Jackson back for 3rd day of Supreme Court hearings
Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson is returning to the Senate for a third day of hearings.