Manslaughter trial beginning again

By the time Richard Tom's conviction of vehicular manslaughter in a crash on Woodside Road that left an 8-year-old girl dead was overturned for the second time in 2015, more than eight years had passed since the tragic night. Originally convicted of the felony charge by a jury in 2008, Tom's status as criminally responsible for killing Sydney Ng has wavered on the question of whether he proved himself guilty by not asking about the welfare of the other car's occupants after the crash Feb. 19, 2007.

Fight over oldest U.S. synagogue heads to the Supreme Court

The legal fight over ownership of the country's oldest synagogue is headed to the US Supreme Court. The 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals last week denied a petition filed by Congregation Jeshuat Israel, which worships in the historic synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, for a rehearing of a ruling from August that said it was a tenant of the building.

Appeals court: Parents cana t record sona s school day

A federal appeals court on Monday ruled against a Maine couple who wants to record the school day of their son with autism and a rare neurological disorder that affects his speaking ability. The parents say their 19-year-old son should be allowed to carry an audio recording device in class so they can ensure he's being treated properly because he can't tell them about his school day.

Judge grants Christian Indonesians time to fight deportation

A federal judge on Thursday blocked the government from deporting dozens of Christian Indonesians who fear persecution if returned home, until they're given a chance to fight their removal. U.S. District Judge Patti Saris in Boston said 50 Indonesians living illegally in New Hampshire must be given time to reopen their immigration cases and argue that the conditions in their home country have changed.

Convictions against Teamsters from 2014 reversed

A federal appeals court has reversed a slew of convictions of extortion and racketeering against two Teamsters who were found guilty in 2014 of using the threat of pickets to pressure businesses into hiring union workers. The reversal of the convictions against the former Teamsters, John Perry and Joseph "JoJo" Burhoe, is another setback for the US Attorney's office, which last month lost a high-profile extortion case against four other Teamsters accused of shaking down producers of the reality television show, "Top Chef."

Appeals court decides fate of nation’s oldest synagogue

In this July 30, 2009 file photo, visitors stand outside the Touro Synagogue in Newport, R.I. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston announced Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017, that the nation's oldest synagogue, Shearith Israel, had won its case over the ownership of Touro Synagogue, in Newport, the nation's oldest synagogue building. The appeals court ruled that Shearith Israel owns both the synagogue building and historical Jewish ritual objects that have gone with the synagogue.

Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s casino hopes rekindled

As members of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe celebrate their culture this weekend at the 96th annual powwow with food, dancing and music, the shifting clouds of uncertainty continue to hover over one of their greatest shared assets: land. The U.S. Department of the Interior on Friday declined a request by the tribe to suspend a review of whether it qualifies for land into trust under an alternative category to the one a federal judge rejected last year.

Probation Department convictions overturned

A federal appeals court on Monday overturned the convictions of three former Probation Department officials, ruling that the government "overstepped its bounds in using federal criminal statutes to police the hiring practices of these Massachusetts state officials." Former Probation Commissioner John O'Brien and former deputy commissioners Elizabeth Tavares and William Burke were convicted in 2014 for their roles in a patronage scheme in which they "abused the hiring process ... in exchange for favorable budget treatment from the state Legislature and increased control over the Probation Department," three U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit judges wrote in their opinion.