courts

A U.S. District Court judge ruled in favor of a private prison company that plans to use its troubled Leavenworth facility for immigration detention. The city argued CoreCivic should follow local laws first.

Immigration courts in Kansas City have put up notices urging defendants to admit guilt and leave the country. Critics say the flyers are another way that the Trump administration is undercutting due process.

After a challenge by Republican officials, a federal appeals panel struck down a key way of enforcing the Voting Rights Act's protections against racial discrimination in seven states — including Missouri.

Missouri’s system for providing legal representation to families ensnared in the foster care system is highly decentralized and has little state oversight. The result is that some parents go without legal help at all, while kids stay in foster care far longer than the national average.

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson visited Kansas City on Thursday to accept the Good Neighbor Award from the Truman Foundation. She joined KCUR's Up To Date to discuss what it is like to be a justice in this politically-charged era of government as well as her bestselling autobiography "Lovely One."

If adopted, the policy would restrict permits for amplified sound during the week from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Permits would also only be issued for stationary activities, to prevent disruption caused by marches. But a lawyer says the policy is "overbroad" and can't be justified.

A judge’s order allows a mother of two children in the Gardner Edgerton district to once again go to school property and events, after the district barred her for sharing photos of a classroom with a social media account known for posting inflammatory messages.

The people who killed Andrew Ameer in a 2020 carjacking used the Lyft app to set up a carjacking and ambush. The Missouri Court of Appeals ruled earlier this month that Lyft is subject to liability, setting up potentially “billions of dollars in damages” in similar cases.

A proposed state constitutional amendment would require Kansas Supreme Court justices to be elected rather than appointed by the governor.

One night last month, volunteers ventured out in Missouri to try to tally the state's homeless population. It's an incredibly important but flawed system that is especially difficult in rural areas. Plus: A shortage of attorneys in Kansas is so bad that it could lead to courts dismissing criminal cases.

Kansas is facing a crisis when it comes to defending accused criminals who cannot afford their own attorneys. A shrinking number of rural attorneys is making it harder. If the problem is not addressed there is a risk that courts will throw out criminal cases.

A Wellness Court opened this month within Kansas City's Municipal Court, replacing the separate mental health and drug courts. The new approach offers a unique focus on co-occurring issues and lowers the barriers for people to get help.