Nina Totenberg

Manufacturers have refused to provide one of three drugs used for lethal injection, so Oklahoma switched to another drug. But critics say midazolam doesn't work well to render prisoners unconscious.

Justice Kennedy, seen as the determinative vote in the same-sex-marriage cases before the Supreme Court, was very tough on gay-marriage advocates.

This week's same-sex-marriage cases at the Supreme Court brought in a record number of friend-of-the-court briefs — 148 of them, according to the court, beating the previous record of 136 in the 2013 Obamacare case.

These briefs, known formally by their Latin name, amicus briefs, are filed by groups, individuals, ...

People have been lining up for days hoping they will be among the lucky ones to get a seat for Tuesday's historic arguments. At issue: whether states can ban, and refuse to recognize, gay marriage.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear arguments on the question of same-sex marriage. In the meantime, we know a good deal about the justices' views already.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that police may not detain a traffic violator longer than needed so as to allow police time to conduct a dog sniff for drugs.

Just after midnight on March 27, 2012, Dennys Rodriguez was spotted on a Nebraska highway veering slowly onto the shoulder ...

The legal battle over same-sex marriage hits the Supreme Court next week. It's an extraordinarily high-stakes clash, but the men and women at the center of it see themselves as incredibly ordinary.

A new movie tells the true story of Maria Altmann, who fought her way to the U.S. Supreme Court to force the Austrian government to return a painting of her aunt.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that private Medicaid providers cannot sue to force states to raise reimbursement rates in the face of rising medical costs. The 5-to-4 decision is a blow to many doctors and health care companies and their complaint that state Medicaid reimbursement rates are so low ...

The rules are aimed at limiting the amount of hazardous pollutants coming from coal- and oil-fired utility plants. They're being challenged by industry groups and more than 20 states.

On Monday, the Supreme Court heard arguments on whether to allow Texas to refuse a personalized license plate design featuring the Confederate flag.

Texas issues specialty license plates at the behest of private groups or individuals. At issue before the Supreme Court Monday is whether the state can reject messages that are offensive to some.

Supreme Court advocates do not always play to type. To wit, R. James George Jr., arguing Monday for specialty license plates featuring the Confederate flag.

Not what you might expect from a man who started his legal career as a law clerk for Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American to ...

#NPRreads is a new feature we're testing out on Twitter and on The Two-Way. The premise is simple: Correspondents, editors and producers throughout our newsroom will share pieces that have kept them reading. They'll share tidbits on Twitter using the #NPRreads hashtag, and on occasion we'll share a longer ...

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, famous for her legal pen, has now written a short essay for a different occasion: Passover.

The essay highlights the key roles played by five women in the Exodus story: Moses' mother and sister; the midwives who defied Pharaoh's decree to kill ...

The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered a federal appeals court to take a second look at the University of Notre Dame's challenge to the birth control mandate in Obamacare, and the rules for opting out of the required coverage.

The law allows religious charities and educational institutions to opt out ...

No telling yet which side will win. But did Justice Kennedy's mixed signals Wednesday hint that he was leaning toward the administration's view of federal subsidies for health insurance?

In King v. Burwell, Obamacare's opponents are challenging the ACA again, this time contending that a section of the law doesn't authorize subsidies to make mandated insurance affordable in 34 states.

Hypotheticals about hunting lodges and Motel 6 saved the oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday from being strangled by legal weeds.

At issue was a Los Angeles ordinance that requires hotel and motel owners to record various pieces of information about their guests — drivers license, credit card ...

Arizona voters approved a bipartisan commission to draw lines between congressional districts. Now the Supreme Court has been asked to put the legislators back in charge.