Ninth Circuit Overturns Death Penalty, Allows Conviction to Stand: Paul Elias reports for the Associated Press that the Reinhart court has ruled that the defense's failure to investigate blood evidence that did not belong to either the defendant or the victim in a 1984 murder might have precluded the death penalty by implicating an accomplice as the actual killer.

LA Gang Raid Leads to Dozens of Arrests: According to the Hennessy-Fiske and Blankstein article for the LA Times, an early morning raid by a task force of more than 500 law enforcement officials resulted in dozens of arrests. 70 individuals were listed on a federal racketeering indictment while 28 others had outstanding warrants. The raid focused on the "Avenues" gang concentrated in Northeast LA.

FBI Child Prostitution Round-up Nets 300 Suspects, More than 400 Victims: Fox News reports that a nation-wide operation under the FBI's child protection program has resulted in 300 suspects, including pimps and prostitutes. The raids focused on blighted neighborhoods and truck stops along the interstate.