Compared to the European Union, where personal data has significant privacy protections, much more information about Americans is available to buy from data brokers—companies that gather information from public records, social media posts, online searches and purchases, and other footprints from life carried out increasingly on the internet.

Indigent defense advocates are increasingly suing regarding inadequate funding for public defenders. Although past efforts have yielded decidedly mixed results, at least five lawsuits have reached successful decisions or settlements over the past five years.

When Stephen Hanlon of the National Association for Public Defense challenged chronic funding problems at the Missouri State Public Defender Commission, public defenders themselves were the petitioners.

In this winning short story, a defense attorney and a prosecutor work together to help a criminal defendant—a veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse issues—get treatment.

In July, John Marshall Law School’s Pro Bono Program & Clinic launched the Name & Gender Marker Change Project, through which students help transgender people navigate federal, state and local laws to obtain corrected passports, licenses and other documents.

Lawmakers across the country are seeking to strengthen animal rights as the pet industry continues to grow. The American Pet Products Association estimated that Americans would spend $62.75 billion on furry and feathered friends in 2016.

The media and lawyers wrestle with the question: Should some stories be forgotten? An uptick in requests has followed EU support for removing access to online info.

Across the nation, about 383,000 inmates with serious mental illness sit in jails and state prisons. That’s 10 times as many people as in state hospitals, according to the nonprofit Treatment Advocacy Center. Read this ABA Journal feature recently honored by the American Society of Business Publication Editors.