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How to Define the ‘Reasonable’ in Reasonable Doubt

“Beyond a reasonable doubt” is the highest burden of proof within the American legal system. Still, there is some wiggle room.

© Pool photo by Greg Derr

Lindsay Clancy with her lawyer Kevin Reddington look toward jurors as Judge Sullivan instructs them to continue deliberations on Friday.
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Is Letting Only Seniors Vote by Mail Unconstitutional?

Federal appeals courts have split on the question, making Supreme Court review likely.

© Associated Press

A group of 18-year-old students registering to vote at what was then the Atlanta Division of the University of Georgia on Jan. 15, 1954. Georgia extended the right even before the adoption of the 26th Amendment.
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How Courts Have Dealt With Postpartum Psychosis Cases

Defendants who claim to have had postpartum psychosis must meet a state’s definition of insanity to be found not guilty. The definitions of insanity vary.

© Pool photo by Brett Coomer

Andrea Yates, at center, was at first found guilty for killing her children, but later found not guilty by reason of insanity.
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Jay Leno’s Classic Car Bill Passes in California Legislature

The bipartisan bill, backed by Mr. Leno, the comedian and car collector, would exempt some older vehicles from having to meet California’s stringent emissions rules.

© Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press

Jay Leno, the comedian and former “Tonight Show” host, climbs out of a classic Pontiac Trans Am after taking it on a drive around the State Capitol in Sacramento.
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Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activist Joshua Wong Pleads Guilty to Collusion

The pro-democracy dissident was accused of urging Western politicians like Nancy Pelosi and Marco Rubio to pressure Hong Kong by imposing sanctions on the city.

© Alastair Pike/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Joshua Wong in Washington in 2019. His efforts to lobby Western politicians to pressure Hong Kong are at the center of his latest national security case.
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On Trump’s Ballroom, Chief Justice Finds Himself in an Unusual Spot: In Dissent

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. has been in the majority in divided cases more times than any other chief since 1953. But not this time.

© Tierney L. Cross/The New York Times

In his understated way, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. suggested that he was distressed by what the president was doing to the White House.
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California Lawmakers Pass Ban on Shock Gloves

The California Legislature moved quickly to approve the legislation in an attempt to stop ICE agents from using the gloves. Local law enforcement agencies have come out against the bill.

© Nikos Frazier/Omaha World-Herald via Getty Images

California Democrats moved quickly to try to ban shock gloves to prevent ICE officers from using them.
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A MAGA Uproar Ensued After a Bill Was Given a Nick Shirley Nickname

A privacy measure for immigration aid workers became a free speech cause for backers of Mr. Shirley, a right-wing YouTube star. Democrats say the furor is fueled by misinformation.

© Andri Tambunan for The New York Times

Nick Shirley, 24, has quickly become a hero in the MAGA movement as a YouTube influencer who has produced viral videos claiming to expose fraud in Democratic-led states.
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In Georgia, Jon Ossoff Courts Broad Appeal With an Anti-Trump Script for Senate Race

Senator Jon Ossoff, the youngest sitting senator and the only Democrat seeking re-election this year in a state President Trump won in 2024, hasn’t moderated his message in his critical race.

© Alex Kent/The New York Times

At rallies across Georgia this summer, Senator Jon Ossoff has delivered a series of blistering rebukes of the president and a challenger for his seat, Representative Mike Collins.
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Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Uphold Ban on Transgender Troops

President Trump issued an executive order barring transgender service members from the military as part of a broader attack on transgender rights.

© Allison Robbert for The New York Times

If the justices accept the case, they could schedule oral arguments during the Supreme Court’s term that begins in October.
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$42 Million Abu Ghraib Jury Verdict Is Overturned on Appeal

A Fourth Circuit panel ordered the case to be dismissed, citing a new Supreme Court ruling limiting the ability of foreign citizens to sue in U.S. court.

© Andrea Bruce for The New York Times

The Abu Ghraib prison, years after it returned to Iraqi control.
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Palestine Action Activists Accused of Vandalism at Trump Turnberry Face Terrorism Accusation

Prosecutors will seek to prove that members of Palestine Action who they say painted “Gaza is not 4 sale” on the Scottish golf course last year committed acts connected to terrorism.

© Jaimi Joy/Reuters

People protesting outside the High Court in London in February as judges prepared to rule on a legal challenge to the British government’s decision to designate pro‑Palestinian group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization.
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Many N.F.L. Players Get Brain Disease. Why Hasn’t OSHA Intervened?

“We never see things that are this dire,” a former chief scientist of the agency said about rates of C.T.E. in former players.

© Jason Andrew for The New York Times

The former N.F.L. player Jonathan Martin entering an M.R.I. machine for a brain examination that was part of a study to develop treatments for the symptoms and illnesses linked to C.T.E.
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Chinese Artist Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Mao Sculptures

Par : Lily Kuo
Gao Zhen, part of a brotherly duo famous for satirical artworks, was convicted of slandering one of China’s heroes after a secret one-day trial.

© Shiho Fukada for The New York Times

Gao Zhen, left, and Gao Qiang, with their artwork, “Mao’s Guilt,” in Beijing in 2009.
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How the Billionaire Joe Lonsdale Shaped Trump’s Homelessness Policy

As Republicans have embraced tough measures to clear the streets, no group has led the way more than the Cicero Institute, founded by the venture capitalist Joe Lonsdale.

© Jonathan Alcorn/Reuters

Joe Lonsdale, founder of the Cicero Institute, is an ally of President Trump’s whose group has commandeered Republican policy on homelessness.
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A Few Expert Lawyers Dominate Supreme Court Arguments, a New Study Finds

Chief Justice Roberts, once such a lawyer, has said he has mixed feelings about the trend.

© Eric Lee/The New York Times

Chief Justice John Roberts argued 39 Supreme Court cases as a lawyer in the solicitor general’s office and in private practice.
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In Italy, a Beach Club Run by Nuns Is in Jeopardy

The Sisters of Charity of Saint Mary have hosted beachgoers in the town of Spotorno for decades. But change is coming.

© Zoonar, via Alamy

An aerial view in 2023 of beach clubs on the Spotorno coastline in Italy, along the Ligurian Sea.
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