Tucson Shooting: Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) returned to Tucson over the weekend to commemorate the one year anniversary of the shooting that wounded her, The Arizona Republic reports. At a nighttime vigil on Sunday, she recited the Pledge of Allegiance, the first words she has spoken at a public event.
Health Care: The U.S. Justice Department on Friday submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court a filing that defended President Barack Obama's sweeping health care bill that became law in 2010, saying the legislation appropriately responded to a "crisis in the national health care market," The Associated Press reports. The Court has scheduled oral arguments for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act for March.
Less Jobs: The legal sector lost 1,800 jobs in December, after gaining 800 jobs in the past two months, The Am Law Daily reports. The sector has shed about 2,700 jobs since December 2010.
New Definition: The Obama administration on Friday announced that it will expand the definition of "forcible rape" from one that is limited to vaginal penetration to one that includes forcible anal or oral penetration of males or females, The New York Times reports. The FBI uses the definition in the compilation of crime statistics.
Texas Beer: A federal judge in Austin, Texas, recently ruled that portions of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code related to the labeling and advertisement of beer inside the state are unconstitutional, the Texas Lawyer reports. "The practice of law is often dry, and it is the rare case that presents an issue of genuine interest to the public," U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks wrote in a Dec. 19, 2011, order. "Dealing as it does with constitutional challenges to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code, it is anything but 'dry' — and this Court would never be so foolish as to question the sincerity of Texans' interest in beer."
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