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The man who shot President Reagan in 1981 has gradually been winning more liberties after being confined to a mental institution for decades. On Wednesday, a judge will begin to consider whether he deserves more privileges that could pave the way for him to live in the community.

The state will pick up four new U.S. House seats next year, thanks to a soaring Latino population. But civil rights groups and the U.S. Justice Department are signaling they may have some concerns about the redistricting process. A court case could force the state to draw new boundaries.

The U.S. Office of Special Counsel is supposed to help protect federal whistle-blowers and shield civil service workers from politics. During the Bush administration, it was engulfed in scandal. Now Carolyn Lerner, the office's new leader, is hoping to raise awareness about "one of the best-kept secrets in government."

In the politically charged atmosphere surrounding challenges to the Obama health care law, judges are drawing almost as much attention as their decisions. So far, two judges appointed by a Democrat have upheld the law, while Judge Henry Hudson, appointed by a Republican, has overturned a portion.

The Justice Department is searching for the hackers who launched the Internet attack against companies that stopped doing business with WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange. But former prosecutors and cyber experts say that actually bringing criminal indictments in the massive denial-of-service attacks could be a bridge too far.

He's running unopposed, but nearly $3 million has flowed into the race for Justice Thomas Kilbride's Illinois Supreme Court seat -- making it the second-highest-grossing judicial retention campaign in history. And, experts say, it could have a lasting impact on the independence of the court system.

All the law enforcement attention on the website WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange, doesn't mean that they will face American-style justice, experts say, because the legal issues in play are both novel and challenging.

Investigators in Virginia are looking for the person behind five shootings in the past few weeks at the Pentagon and other military locations -- all, they say, traced to the same weapon. So far, the shooter has attacked when the buildings were mostly empty, and no one's been hurt. The FBI wants to make sure it stays that way.

When prospective jurors file into a Detroit courthouse next week for the start of a major terrorism trial, all eyes will be on the defendant, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. Best known as the "underwear bomber," he plans to represent himself in court. But his behavior before the trial has raised questions about how that will work.

Eric Holder faced scrutiny from the Republican-dominated House Judiciary Committee on Thursday regarding the "Fast and Furious" initiative meant to keep guns from reaching Mexican cartels. Holder denied misleading Congress when hundreds of weapons were found at border town crime scenes.