Nightly Brief

(CN) - The day's top stories from Courthouse News in short takes with links.

1.) Chaos Reigns As GOP Leaders Push Through Convention Rules

A last-minute attempt by the movement aiming to block Donald Trump from becoming the Republican nominee for president failed Monday, causing moments of chaos at a convention claiming to show a unified party.

2.) Slain Police Leave Five Children; One Officer in Critical Condition

Nine days before he was murdered, Baton Rouge police Officer Montrell Jackson posted on Facebook that he was "tired physically and emotionally" from the aftermath of the police killing of Alton Sterling. "I swear to God I love this city but I wonder if this city loves me," wrote Jackson, 32, the only black officer who was killed.

3.) Science Closer to Creating Invisibility Cloak

A functional invisibility cloak — once the stuff of science fiction — could be one step closer to becoming a reality, according to a study published Friday.

4.) Whale Advocates Fighting Navy Sonar Win Appeal

Military sonar activity will necessarily harm marine life, but the United States has not shown that it did enough to mitigate that impact, the Ninth Circuit ruled Friday.

5.) Judge Rejects Former LA Sheriff's Plea Deal

By MATT REYNOLDS

A federal judge on Monday rejected former Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy Baca's plea agreement, ruling that a six-month sentence would be too light for his part in a conspiracy to obstruct an investigation into jailhouse abuses.

6.) Small Georgia Paper Fighting First Amendment Battle

A Georgia newspaper publisher and his attorney were jailed over an Open Records Act request, igniting a furor among First Amendment advocates.

7.) Risen Cleared on Labeling CIA Contractor a 'Con Artist'

A CIA contractor who peddled software that purported to find al-Qaida signals in Al Jazeera broadcasts cannot sue investigative reporter James Risen for calling him a "con artist," a federal judge ruled.

8.) Secret Document Eases Iran Nuclear Constraints

Key restrictions on Iran's nuclear program imposed under an internationally negotiated deal will ease in slightly more than a decade, cutting the time Tehran would need to build a bomb to six months from present estimates of a year, according to a document obtained Monday by The Associated Press.

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit