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How the Supreme Court decides the Defense of Marriage Act could mean changes for how same-sex couples file taxes. But experts say checking off the "married" box on tax forms will be a mixed bag for some gay couples.

Next week marks the anniversary of a landmark Supreme Court decision that says defendants facing substantial jail time deserve legal representation in state courts, even if they can't afford it. Now, many lawyers say the system for providing defense attorneys for the poor is in crisis.

Federal prisoners can request compassionate release if they are terminally ill, but a recent investigation found that many die while their requests drift through the system. Now, prison leaders say they will simplify the approval process and start tracking requests electronically.

A Justice Department study says some inmates who were approved for the early release program died before Washington bureaucrats signed off on it.

The senator launched a nationwide conversation when he challenged the president's pick to lead the CIA. He vowed to keep talking until the White House clarified whether it has authority to kill U.S. citizens on American soil with drones. He finally stood down, but the debate is far from over.

The Associated Press is protesting what it calls a massive and unprecedented intrusion into its news gathering. The target of that wrath is the U.S. Justice Department, which secretly collected phone records for several AP reporters last year.

The federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., is sometimes called the second most important court in the country, regularly delivering the final word on major environmental, labor and national security cases. But four of its 11 judge's slots are vacant, the most in the nation.

The attorney general heads to the Senate on Thursday, where lawmakers are sure to demand answers. But being in the center of the storm is nothing new for Holder. Over four years in office, he has been a lightning rod for the president's fiercest critics.

Around the country, budget cuts are bringing some federal public defenders to the breaking point. "We can't not pay the rent, and ... everything else is personnel. We can't send a computer to court," says Washington, D.C., public defender A.J. Kramer.

The U.S. Justice Department bashed the juvenile justice system in Shelby County, Tenn., in 2012. Now, Memphis courts are trying to find a way forward.