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The Justice Department has a big decision to make. Parts of new laws in Colorado and Washington that legalize recreational marijuana take effect next month. The Obama administration must decide whether it will sue to stop that or let the states go their own way, despite federal law.

Back in 1984, Congress gave authorities the power to let people out of federal prison early, in extraordinary circumstances, like if inmates were gravely ill or dying. But a new report says the Federal Bureau of Prisons blocks all but a few inmates from taking advantage of "compassionate release."

Eleven people were killed and one of the largest environmental disasters in history happened after an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded in 2010.

As he retires and heads into the private sector, Shawn Henry looks back at the growth in the cybercrime problem.

At the trial of John Edwards on Thursday, attention turned to the actual jury and its verdict. It was a switch from earlier days, when alternates dubbed the "giggle gang" stole the show. Their actions were relatively benign, but there is precedent for shenanigans in the jury pool at U.S. trials.

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.