Politics

Follow PBS NewsHour’s complete coverage of politics, Congress, the Supreme court and the presidency.

A federal appeals court ruled that the U.S. government does not have the authority to detain accused American "dirty bomb" suspect Jose Padilla as an enemy combatant, ordering the Department of Defense to release the Chicago native within 30 days.

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that John Hinckley, the man who shot former President Reagan, will be allowed to leave his mental institution on visits supervised only by his parents. Ray Suarez follows up in a conversation with former U.S.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said, "If in a few months the Palestinians still continue to disregard their part in implementing the road map, then Israel will initiate the unilateral security step of disengagement from the Palestinians." Margaret Warner explores…

President Bush signed a bill Tuesday that seeks to stop spam from jamming people's e-mail accounts. Margaret Warner asks AOL Vice President Randall Boe and anti-spam activist John Mozena about the effectiveness of this new law.

A panel of international law experts discuss the legal issues surrounding the impending trial and punishment of Saddam Hussein for crimes committed while he was the leader of Iraq.