The White House expects the courts to reaffirm President Donald Trump’s executive power and reinstate a ban on refugees and travellers from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States, it said on Sunday.

Update 9am: President Donald Trump has lost an appeal against a court ruling blocking his travel ban on certain travellers and all refugees.

The founder of Bikram yoga has been ordered to pay nearly $6.5m (€5.9m) to his former legal adviser, who said he sexually harassed and sacked her for investigating a rape claim.

ENGLAND: The Dalai Lama has suggested that his successor could be female, but only if she is “very attractive”.

An Arizona woman who spent more than two decades on death row in her four-year-old son’s killing saw her murder charge dismissed, bringing an end to a controversial case that relied almost entirely on the work of a detective with a long history of misconduct.

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An appeal court has sided with California and upheld the first law in America banning psychological treatment that seeks to turn gay youths straight.

Dozens of gay couples waited excitedly outside of San Francisco’s City Hall as clerks resumed issuing same-sex marriage licences, one day after a federal appeals court cleared the way for the state of California to immediately lift a 4 1/2 year freeze.

A former Ukrainian Prime Minister convicted in the US of corruption in his homeland has been released from federal prison and turned over to immigration authorities.

The Harvard University classmates of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg are ending the legal battle made famous by the Hollywood movie 'The Social Network'.

A FEDERAL judge yesterday upheld a gay judge’s ruling striking down California’s ban on same-sex marriage, noting that his fellow justice could not be presumed to have a personal stake in the case just because he was in a long-term same-sex relationship.

A US federal appeals court has ruled that former Harvard University friends of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg cannot undo their settlement over creation of the social networking site.

A US federal appeals court has ruled that former Harvard University friends of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg cannot undo their settlement over creation of the social networking site.

Gay couples who were set to get married in California this week have had to put their wedding plans on hold once again after a federal appeals court said it first wanted to consider the constitutionality of the state's same-sex marriage ban.

Opponents of gay marriage are appealing a federal judge’s decision to overturn a ban in California.

Gay couples celebrated today after a judge overturned California’s same-sex-marriage ban.

ARIZONA is preparing to ask an appeals court to lift a judge’s ruling that put most of the state’s immigration law on hold in a key first-round victory for the federal government in a fight that may go to the US Supreme Court.

A lawsuit against the Vatican that was dismissed as a publicity stunt moved forward when the US Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from the Holy See.

Lawyers for the estate of Anna Nicole Smith are appealing a ruling that gave her none of her late billionaire husband’s fortune, it emerged today.

Anna Nicole Smith’s estate will receive none of the more than $300m she claimed her late billionaire husband had promised her, a US federal appeals court said today.

Justice Department lawyers showed "poor judgment" but did not commit professional misconduct when they let CIA interrogators use waterboarding and other harsh tactics at the height of the US war on terror, an internal review said.

A US appeals court has backed the dismissal of a lawsuit demanding that Dame Elizabeth Taylor turn over a Vincent van Gogh painting once confiscated by Nazis.

An appeals court today upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit demanding that Elizabeth Taylor turn over a Vincent van Gogh painting once confiscated by Nazis.

Lingering crude from the largest US oil spill has resisted weathering in some places almost 18 years after the tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground and fouled hundreds of miles of Alaska shoreline, a new federal study concludes.

Justin Timberlake's new movie Alpha Dog faces a lengthy release delay if an accused murderer gets his way in an appeals court.

New York’s highest court today ruled that gay marriage is not allowed under state law, rejecting arguments by same-sex couples who said the law violates their constitutional rights.

The US Supreme Court has refused to decide whether the granddaughter of AA Milne, the British creator of Winnie the Pooh, can regain control of the copyright for stories featuring the children’s book character.

The US Supreme Court upheld Oregon’s one-of-a-kind physician-assisted suicide law today, rejecting a Bush administration attempt to punish doctors who help terminally ill patients die.

Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger refused to block the execution of Stanley Tookie Williams, rejecting the notion that the founder of the murderous Crips gang had atoned for his crimes and found redemption on death row.

An American appeals court has denied an attempt by the granddaughter of Winnie the Pooh creator A.A. Milne to revoke the merchandising rights from a third party.

Former Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith is going to the US’ highest court in her fight over the fortune of her 90-year-old late husband.

The Beastie Boys have walked away from an American appeals court victorious, after a dispute over sampling.

A FEDERAL judge has ordered Exxon Mobil to pay about $6.75 billion to thousands of Alaskans affected by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.

A federal judge has ordered Exxon Mobil to pay about $6.75bn (€5.4bn) to thousands of Alaskans affected by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.

ACTOR-TURNED-POLITICIAN Arnold Schwarzenegger has answered tough questions about sex and drugs in his colourful body-building past during a high-profile TV interview.

A US appeals court threw California’s October 7 election into turmoil by postponing the vote, citing the US Supreme Court’s decision in the 2000 presidential election in ruling that punch-card ballots could lead to some votes not being counted.

A San Francisco court has allowed Napster to resume its song-swapping operations on the Internet.

Napster was dealt another serious legal setback when a federal judge ordered the Internet song-swapping company to remain offline until it can fully comply with an injunction to remove all copyright music.

The US Supreme Court has handed medical marijuana users a major defeat.

A US judge has ordered Napster Inc to block any copyright-protected songs from its service.

Napster has offered $1bn to settle a copyright infringement lawsuit that threatens to shut it down.

Internet song-swapping service Napster has promised to appeal after a US court told it to crackdown on the exchange of music on the website.

A US federal court is set to rule today on the fate of Napster, the Internet song-sharing service which is being sued by the recording industry for copyright infringement.

Fans of the song sharing service Napster have logged on by the tens of thousands for a last-minute grab at music they fear a US court may knock offline.