Federal Appeals Court Calls Arizona Death Sentences Into Question

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the re-sentencing of James McKinney, sentenced to death for two 1991 murders.

Federal Judge Rules That Sexual Orientation Discrimination Is Sex Discrimination

The distinction between gender stereotyping and sexual orientation discrimination “is illusory and artificial,” Judge Dean Pregerson writes in a lawsuit against Pepperdine University. The ruling is the latest move in a larger, ongoing effort to protect LGBT people from discrimination under existing civil rights laws.

DNC Agrees To Give Voter Data Access Back To Sanders Campaign

The presidential campaign filed a lawsuit in federal court Friday after the Democratic National Committee barred its aides from accessing voter data.

Massachusetts Court: Catholic School Can’t Refuse To Hire Married Gay Man

Fontbonne Academy in Massachusetts rescinded a job offer to a man who was due to run the school’s food services after learning he was married to another man.

The Death Penalty, On The Decline In Use, Faced Big Questions In 2015

For the first time in the modern era, fewer than 50 death sentences were imposed across the U.S. this year.

Supreme Court Stops Alabama Order Voiding Same-Sex Adoption Temporarily

The temporary order, which enforces the woman’s adoption of her ex-partner’s children, will remain in place while the justices decide whether to hear her case.

Connecticut Governor Rejects Liberal Concerns Over Using Terror Watchlists To Stop Gun Purchases

Dannel Malloy proposed preventing people in his state from buying guns based on the federal no-fly or other terror watchlists. “Those comments [from progressives critical of the watchlists] were before attacks in Paris, and before the attacks in California and, quite frankly, before attacks on innocent refugees,” he tells BuzzFeed News.

Connecticut Governor Plans Order To Stop Gun Purchases For Those On Watch Lists

“If you cannot fly due to being on a watch list, you shouldn’t be able to purchase a firearm,” Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy says. The state is seeking federal approval to use the watch lists to do so.

Federal Judge Denies Texas Request For Immediate Halt To Syrian Refugees

“The Court finds that the evidence before it is largely speculative hearsay.” Nine Syrian refugees are due to be resettled in the state on Thursday.

Key Justice Suggests Supreme Court Could Punt, Again, On Affirmative Action

As the more conservative and liberal justices sparred over the merits of the University of Texas-Austin’s use affirmative action, Justice Anthony Kennedy suggested another path — one that would yet again avoid a Supreme Court decision on affirmative action.

Supreme Court Considers What “One Person, One Vote” Means Today

Justices hear cases that could cause an upending of long-established state legislative redistricting principles.

Former FDA Investigator Now Backing Four States’ Execution Drug Import Efforts

Ben England, who once testified on behalf of death row inmates, is now the go-to consultant for states looking to get execution drugs the FDA says are illegal to import, records obtained by BuzzFeed News show.

ACLU: “With Major Reform,” No-Fly List Could Be Used To Stop Gun Purchases

The ACLU has been suing the government over the constitutionality of the no-fly list for the past five years. [Update: ACLU comes closer to opposing current legislation in Monday evening statement.]

Nebraska Governor Stops Efforts To Import Execution Drugs

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts announced Friday that the state will hold no executions and will stop attempting to secure execution drugs until after a referendum vote on a death penalty repeal measure is held in 2016.

Texas Backs Down, Temporarily, In Syrian Refugee Resettlement Lawsuit

Texas will proceed with its overall challenge, however, asking for a hearing by Dec. 9 on their request for an injunction that would stop further resettlements until certain conditions are met.

Texas Sues Federal Government, Nonprofit To Stop Syrian Refugee Resettlement

“[W]e have reached an impasse and will now let the courts decide,” Texas official tells BuzzFeed News.

Supreme Court Faces Decisions On Where To Go Next With The Death Penalty

While some inmates and lawyers are asking the justices to take on the constitutionality of executions, other cases present more subtle questions about process.

Kentucky Governor Provides For Voting Rights After Felony Sentences Served

The executive order from Gov. Steve Beshear could return voting rights to as many as 180,000 people. The state’s incoming governor, Matt Bevin, is reviewing the action.

Chief Justice Likely Helped Set Stage For Nationwide Marriage Equality Decision

Chief Justice John Roberts likely played a key role in the October 2014 Supreme Court decision not to hear the first batch of marriage cases, a move that paved the way for a much less dramatic showdown the following year when the justices ruled for marriage equality.