Jeremy White

A federal appeals court's ruling against a proposed constitutional amendment to ban Oklahoma courts from using Islamic Sharia law represents more than a setback to the measure's proponents. Experts say that the decision also reveals how such laws fall somewhere between impractical and unconstitutional.

Several states that won a federal contest to pursue education reforms are struggling to institute comprehensive systems for evaluating teacher effectiveness, according to a progress report released by the U.S. Department of Education.

After months of campaigning and enough debates to enervate even the most fanatic political junkies, the New Hampshire primaries are upon us. Here are the essential questions facing the horses remaining in this race, from how big Mitt Romney will win to whether Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman can build some momentum.

Obama has recast himself in preparation for the 2012 election, pivoting from compromiser-in-chief to a more aggressive posture of denouncing Republican obstructionism and enacting measures that do not require Congress' consent. That tactic has extended to immigration policy, with Obama presiding over a series of administrative changes to how immigration laws are enforced.

Representatives of the rival factions Fatah and Hamas are pursuing contrasting approaches to building support for the Palestinian cause, with Fatah engaged in apparently fruitless peace talks with Israel while Hamas' leader pays visits to newly empowered Islamist governments across the region. While the two developments are not directly related, they nevertheless offer a glimpse of how the Palestinian peace process might play out in a region reshaped by popular uprisings.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will wield broader powers to crack down on formerly unregulated sectors of the economy that include payday lenders and mortgage brokers after President Barack Obama installed Richard Cordray as head of the nascent agency.

Underlying Tuesday's results is the question of whether the Iowa caucuses are in fact reliable indicators of who will emerge as the eventual nominee. A look back at the last few Iowa caucuses shows that while an Iowa victory can rally support for a candidate or help shape the media narrative, it is by no means definitive.

In allowing the demise of a formerly sacrosanct ethanol subsidy, Congress underscored both its drive to cut costs and the ethanol industry's diminished need for economic support.

Washington's ability to mediate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict became more complicated Thursday after the militant Palestinian group Hamas announced plans to join the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), furthering its reconciliation with rival Palestinian faction Fatah.

Occupy Wall Street registers as one of the biggest surprises of 2011. Despite constant criticisms that it lacked a concrete set of goals or demands, Occupy Wall Street's broad critique of economic injustice resonated with a country still grappling with the fallout from the financial crisis. A timeline of the movement.

Several of the states that are applying for relief from provisions of the No Child Left Behind education law have submitted proposals that lack detail and evidence that they will produce substantive reform, according to a new report.port.

An immigration policy recently unveiled by the Obama administration could offer legal respite to same-sex couples in which a member is facing deportation.

Immigrants facing deportation largely rely on inept lawyers or navigate the complexities of immigration law without any legal help, according to a new study that describes a modern immigration representation crisis.

Syrian armed forces have been directly ordered to kill, torture and indiscriminately arrest people in an effort to quell the civilian uprising that has roiled the country for months, according to defectors interviewed by Human Rights Watch.

Despite some bellicose statements about Iran, if former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's past statements are to be believed, the primary threat facing the U.S. isn't a foreign adversary but the gradual imposition of Islamic Sharia law in America.

A House bill to extend a payroll tax cut would also authorize states to require drug testing for recipients of unemployment benefits, prompting questions about the measure's effectiveness and legality.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder offered a vigorous defense of the U.S. Justice Department's ability to challenge discriminatory voting laws Tuesday night, suggesting an escalating clash between the federal government and states that have passed restrictive voting laws since 2010.

In a shift that could reshape the dynamics of the 2012 Republican presidential primary, a new poll shows Ron Paul almost overtaking Newt Gingrich in Iowa.

Midwestern facilities that house immigrants facing deportation rely on an overly harsh prison model that lacks oversight and deprives many immigrants of legal recourse, according to a new report.

The 2012 election has witnessed a revival of Republican antipathy for the federal Department of Education, a longtime target of Republican calls to curtail government. What would happen if we did away with the federal Department of Education?

Iraqi president Nouri al-Maliki has said he is open to negotiating a role for American troops that would likely include helping to train Iraqi security forces. Whether or not that happens, there will still be a massive diplomatic presence and a small army of contractors to defend them.

As the country continues to grapple with the devastating aftermath of the housing market's collapse, acts of civil disobedience centering on foreclosures and evictions represent a powerful tactic for the Occupy Wall Street movement.

In the midst of a legal battle over Alabama's new immigration law, the state's attorney general sent a letter to top Republican lawmakers suggesting ways to shield the law from challenges by altering or deleting controversial provisions.

Occupy Wall Street protesters joined elected officials and community organizations on Tuesday in a march intended to highlight the human toll of the housing crash in East New York, culminating in placing a recently evicted family in a foreclosed upon home.

As Occupy Wall Street transitions away from the Lower Manhattan encampment that was formerly its beating heart, organizers face the task of finding somewhere for the park's former inhabitants to stay. For now, several churches have been allowing Occupiers to spend the night. But that is widely viewed as a temporary solution.

The Senate decides not to clarify whether the government can arrest and indefinitely hold American citizens captured on U.S. soil, leaving a key debate about expanded presidential powers during the war on terror up to the president and the courts.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has unveiled a campaign to help voters surmount restrictive state voting laws that have been enacted by Republican legislatures across the country.

With early election results hinting at the shape of Egypt's first parliament since the fall of Hosni Mubarak, the U.S. faces the task of navigating the dynamics between Islamist parties poised to win a commanding number of seats, skeptical liberals and a ruling military that has appeared reluctant to relinquish power.

States could be facing further budget shortfalls and cutbacks as they try to compensate for evaporating federal stimulus and explosive growth in healthcare costs, according to a new report by the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers.