Law

Permanent structures are not allowed in Dabaab, the world's largest refugee camp.

World’s Largest Refugee Camp Ordered to Stay Open

A Kenyan judge called the government's plan to close Dadaab "discriminatory"

The packaged foods you get at the grocery store are all regulated by the FDA. So are drugs, medical devices, cigarettes and condoms.

Where Did the FDA Come From, And What Does It Do?

From unglamorous origins, the federal agency has risen to ensure the safety of everything from lasers to condoms

Members of an anti-flirt club

New York State Once Introduced an Anti-Flirting Bill

The law aimed to crack down on public displays of affection of all kinds

From left to right: Ricky Jackson is finally a free man; Japanese Americans head into internment in 1942; a Maryland boy (in red) has an inmate mom.

The Far-Reaching Effects of American Incarceration

Three photo essays explore the history and modern-day consequences of the world's highest incarceration rate

“Time is weird in prison,” says Ricky Jackson, in Cleveland near the scene of the murder he was wrongly convicted of in 1975, “because you don’t see a lot of change.”

After 39 Years of Wrongful Imprisonment, Ricky Jackson Is Finally Free

Locked up for a murder he didn't commit, he served the longest sentence of any U.S. inmate found to be innocent

France Says "Au Revoir" to After-Hours Work Email

A new "right to disconnect" law lets employees negotiate communication rules in order to reduce stress and exhaustion from work

Why Michigan Banned Banning Plastic Bags

A new state law prevents cities and counties from restricting use of plastic bags or disposable cups and utensils

Poland's Sjem, or lower house of parliament, was the site of a recent showdown on press freedoms.

Poland Has Lifted Its Media Ban

It’s the latest in an ongoing saga about press freedoms in the populist-led country

Harold Israel, left, and Homer Cummings, right, were linked for life.

The Suspect, the Prosecutor, and the Unlikely Bond They Forged

New evidence shows that Homer Cummings, who would later be FDR's attorney general, rescued an innocent man accused of murder

Gold armband

Dutch Court Rules Crimean Artifacts on Loan Will Return to Ukraine

Following Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula, Ukraine's government asked that the artifacts be returned to Kiev

A jar of the world's pinkest pink paint pigment.

This Artist Is the Only Person Banned From Using the World’s Pinkest Pink

It's a brightly colored revenge for restricting the world’s blackest black

Pinball players are no longer scofflaws in the eyes of Kokomo, Indiana law.

Pinball Is Finally Legal Again in This Indiana City

Kokomo, Indiana, has reversed a 61-year-old ban on the game

This Egon Schiele painting, Portrait of Wally, was looted during World War II and became the subject of a multimillion-dollar lawsuit in the 2000s after it was exhibited in New York.

Reclaiming Nazi-Looted Art Is About to Get Easier

HEAR Act removes legal loopholes that prevented victims of Nazi art plunder to restore what’s rightfully theirs

Spc. Crisma Albarran volunteered for the U.S. Army. In the future, other women could be required to serve.

Women Won’t Register for the Draft After All

They’re gaining parity within the U.S. military—but women won’t yet be required to register for compulsory service in case of war

Gregory "Joey" Johnson, holds a flag sent to him by an unknown well-wisher in New York, Wednesday, June 28, 1989.

Five Things to Know About the Case That Made Burning the Flag Legal

It’s a grand old flag—here’s why the right to burn it was affirmed in 1989

People crossing a Tokyo street are caught in a mirror. As the country's foreign population grows, racism is thought to be on the rise.

Why Japan Is Asking Foreigners About Racism

Just how widespread is racism in Japan? An unprecedented survey aims to find out

How Giant Rats Could Stop Illegal Wildlife Trade From Squeaking By

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently awarded grants for some innovative ways to combat wildlife trade

Christopher Isherwood and poet W.H. Auden (right) were romantic partners, but their sexual relationship in the 1930s was punishable by criminal prosecution in England.

New U.K. Law That Would Pardon Gay Men Once Convicted of Sex Crimes Fails in Parliament

The private member's bill will not go ahead

Making the Case for the Next American Saint

Sister Blandina Segale showed true grit while caring for orphans and outlaws in New Mexico

Obama Just Signed a Law Mandating Diaper Changing Tables in Men's Restrooms

The BABIES Act will put changing tables in men's rooms in public, federal facilities

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