CONCORD, N.H. — Vermont’s child welfare agency has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit alleging the state routinely targets and tracks pregnant women deemed unsuitable for motherhood. The Department for Children and Families filed the request Monday, two months after ...

A northern Virginia judge determined embryos are not property that can be divided up, rejecting a previous analysis by the court saying such fertilized eggs could be considered divisible “goods or chattel” based on 19th-century slave law. Nearly 10 months ...

Carlos Reyes-Couvertier spent the past quarter century trying to find his missing daughter. There were multiple trips to Mexico, where police believed she was living after having been abducted by her mother. Local and federal authorities worked the case, while ...

The North Dakota Senate earlier this month rejected a measure that would have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its landmark 2015 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. A vote to approve would have made North Dakota the first ...

SANTA FE, N.M. — A representative for the estate of actor Gene Hackman is seeking to block the public release of autopsy and investigative reports, especially photographs and police body-camera video, related to the recent deaths of Hackman and wife ...

During Black History Month, we celebrate the many current and historic accomplishments and contributions of African Americans, but it is important to acknowledge the injustices and inequalities that still exist in February 2025. Evidence of this continued disparate treatment can ...

In a case of first impression, the Maryland Appellate court held this month that a de facto parent who asserts his or her rights to custody or visitation owes a corresponding duty to pay child support, subject to a best ...

A Japanese high court on Friday ruled that Japan’s refusal to legally recognize same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, the latest victory for same-sex couples and their supporters seeking equal rights. Friday’s decision by the Nagoya High Court, in central Japan, marks ...

The acting head of the Social Security Administration on Friday rescinded and apologized for an order that would have required Maine parents to register their newborns for Social Security numbers at a federal office rather than the hospital. The order ...

A trial court’s decision to mandate child support over the objection of both parents violates the parents’ rights to make decisions about their children, counsel for parents of a 5-year-old child argued to the Maryland Supreme Court Monday morning. Erica ...