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Critics have said for years that minorities were being unfairly penalized by tough penalties for crack possession.

The U.S. is prosecuting pirates again. Piracy is one of the oldest crimes in federal law. Three cases have been heard in Virginia, including one in which five Somali men were sentenced this week to life plus 80 years. Often, suspects claim to be minors, and the government has to spend time trying to find out if it's true.

After several women have come forward to say close, physical interactions with former Vice President Joe Biden have made them uncomfortable, he is speaking out for the first time about the issue.

Leaks by Edward Snowden prompted the intelligence community to declassify details about super secret phone and Internet surveillance. But with every detail government lawyers release comes the pressure and the legal obligation to release more.

Attorney General Eric Holder has asked a court to order federal oversight of Texas' voting practices because he says the state discriminated against minority voters during the redistricting process. It's the first in a wave of federal actions to protect voters after a recent Supreme Court ruling threw out part of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is taking a new look at the effectiveness of mandatory minimum sentences, and the movement to change the system has got some surprising allies, including some federal judges and many Republicans.

Republicans claim Thomas Perez struck a quid pro quo deal with Minnesota that may have cost the federal treasury as much as $180 million. Perez says he acted ethically.

A Senate panel is investigating the use of federal grant money to states that incarcerated children alongside adult criminals. Whistleblowers have spent years flagging problems with the program.

Finland has held the title of world's happiest country for six years running. It wants to teach people how to unlock their "inner Finn" during a four-day masterclass at a lakeside resort in June.

After a self-detonating drone killed an American contractor and wounded five soldiers, U.S. forces launched a retaliatory strike in Syria against a facility being used by Iranian-backed militias.