Supreme Court examines death penalty for the disabled
HOUSTON (BP) -- Bobby James Moore got the death penalty for a murder he committed in 1980 at a Houston supermarket. But 36 years later, he apparently has a new argument: He is intellectually disabled and cannot be executed under a 2002 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. The Supreme Court heard his case at the end of November. Moore was 21 when he and some friends decided to rob Birdsall Super Market. His job was to stand guard with a shotgun. Things did not go as planned. Almost immediately after two clerks in the courtesy booth learned they were being ...
Pregnancy center free speech case considered
CALIFORNIA (BP) -- A federal appeals court is considering whether a state can commandeer pregnancy centers to deliver government-approved messages about abortion options. Last fall, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law requiring all California health facilities to tell clients about the availability of free or low-cost abortion. Pro-life advocates dubbed the law the "Bully Bill" because it forces community-funded crisis pregnancy centers to post signs that refer women to abortion providers in violation of their religious beliefs.
Evolving ‘dignity’ doctrine looms in marriage ruling
WASHINGTON (BP) -- For Justice Anthony Kennedy, considered the Supreme Court's swing vote on the issue of same-sex marriage, "dignity" looms as a key factor after oral arguments over same-sex marriage at the Supreme Court.
