A federal judge has temporarily blocked federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

After all that, the best those measly jurors in Rod Blagojevich's corruption trial could manage was one conviction and a mistrial on the 23 other counts. The jurors are blaming the case's complexity. Why don't we hear this more often?

Among the first things we learned about bizarre South Carolina Senate candidate Alvin Greene after his fluke nomination was his pending obscenity charge, for sending porn to some college gal. Now he's been indicted, hurting his non-existent prospects for victory.

Get your tuxes out, (gay) ladies and gentlemen (who reside in California). Judge Vaughn Walker, who overturned California's gay marriage ban last week, issued a follow-up ruling today that will allow California's gays to start marrying on August 18.

Jurors in Rod Blagojevich's trial have only decided 2 of 24 counts and seem... frenzied.

Wrongfully terminated ex-USDA official Shirley Sherrod will sue the conservative malice-blogger Andrew Breitbart, she said at a conference today, for publishing a misleadingly edited clip of a speech she gave which made her, and the NAACP, look racist.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, seen here reacting a judge's injunction against odious portions of the state's immigration law, can barely contain her delight. Now she can continue stirring her base's anger before the election — without having to enforce anything.

A federal judge has blocked controversial elements of the Arizona's SB 1070, the immigration law that goes into effect tomorrow. Yes, this block includes the "carry your papers" provision that got everyone nationwide all hot and bothered.

Gawker once called the novelist Tao Lin "maybe perhaps the single most irritating person we've ever had to deal with." Times change. Here is Tao Lin's account of being arrested for trespassing at the NYU bookstore last week.

Former Democratic party fundraiser Hassan Nemazee, who raised large sums for both the Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama presidential campaigns, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for fraudulently acquiring $292 million in loans from three banks.

David London, the NYPD cop filmed beating a veteran, was acquitted on all charges.

A taped conversation played during Rod Blagojevich's corruption trial reveals that he considered naming Oprah to the Senate. "Nobody would assail this pick," he said. "She's a kingmaker…she made Obama." Shoulda picked her! She would have called off the cops.

A federal judge has lifted the Obama administration's six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling.

Desert manhunt! Border bounty hunters are trying to locate disappeared Minutemen co-founder Chris Simcox and serve him a court order filed by his estranged wife, who claims that Simcox had threatened to kill her and their children, twice. [Washington Times]

After banning Rod Blagojevich from tweeting from the court room Monday, the judge in his corruption trial has now "admonished" him "to avoid making any facial or other expressions" during proceedings, which he had been doing, annoying jurors and prosecutors.

The judge in Rod Blagojevich's corruption trial has told him to stop tweeting in court.

Rapper Lil Wayne won't be spending the night at Rikers. A fire at the Manhattan Criminal Court building on Centre Street this morning bought him (another!) temporary reprieve from jail.

The Way We Live Now: Flowing. As we get poorer, we "flow" from expensive places, like colleges, to inexpensive places, like the courthouse, where we are charged with check-kiting. "Flowing" is a nice metaphor for it, don't you think?

An appeals court ruled that Columbia University can't use eminent domain to grab property it wants for its expansion just by calling its neighborhood "blighted." The judges pointed out: Columbia is so freaking shady.

While cruising today's docket for criminal court—we're looking for something!—we came across this utter weirdness. Today, Demolition Freedom, born 1968, will be arraigned for one count of like, not having a tax sticker on his (her???) car or something. Sorry, what? Did someone go and name her baby Demolition Freedom just so he could get arraigned on 9/11 and freak me out?