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Amid a funding crunch, legal aid programs that help poor people with civil disputes — like evictions and child custody cases — are laying off workers or even closing their doors. At one Baltimore office, lawyers say the number of people needing help has gone through the roof in recent years.

Federal prosecutors have charged five men with responsibility for some of the biggest computer hacks in the past few years. The FBI says the hackers penetrated the computer systems of businesses like Fox Broadcasting and Sony Pictures, stole confidential information and splashed it all over the Internet.

The Obama administration opposes a bipartisan Senate compromise — to the frustration of some of its usual allies. The White House says provisions in the defense bill would tie its hands when it comes to handling some terrorism cases.

But the Justice Department's Inspector General says officials still need to watch how they spend taxpayers' money at conferences. And it hasn't changed its findings about $5 sodas, $32 snack breaks and $8 cups of coffee.

The Senate Judiciary Committee hears testimony Wednesday on a bill that would repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act and, for the first time, give federal benefits to same-sex couples who marry. Even in states where gay marriage is legal, federal benefits are denied.

Public support for the medical use of marijuana is rising, but the Obama administration has begun lashing out against the drug. The Justice Department has warned that dispensaries aren't immune from prosecution, even in states where medical use is legal.

Attorney General Eric Holder told relatives of people who died in the Sept. 11 attacks that a preliminary criminal investigation into the allegations had been opened. But even if the hacking took place on U.S. soil, investigators could run into trouble with the statute of limitations.

Days after the Supreme Court's landmark decision on the health care law, lawyers say they're still teasing out the consequences in other areas of the law — including civil rights. That's because the ruling involves two federal powers that happen to be the backbone of most civil rights legislation.

A scandal over the botched gun-trafficking operation intensified on Capitol Hill this week. The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee has called for an independent investigation into whether Attorney General Eric Holder misled Congress. Another Republican has called on Holder to resign.

A Somali terrorist suspect's civilian trial has upset Republican leaders, who argue that suspects should be sent to Guantanamo before facing a military tribunal. What the Ahmed Warsame case tells us about Obama and the politics of national security.