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Not a year goes by without thousands of celebrity legal troubles and travails, and 2013 was no exception. While stars like Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, and Phil Robertson may have dominated celebrity news headlines, they didn’t quite make the cut when it came to our most-viewed Celebrity Justice posts of 2013. Running down our red carpet, here are the Top 10 celebrity legal situations we covered this past year: Kim Kardashian preggers, but not divorced: Long before little North West was brought into this world, Kim Kardashian was still technically married to Kris Humphries in January....

Soon after his election as president, Donald Trump attempted to crack down on speech coming out of federal agencies, especially speech on social media that might be critical of the new administration or supportive of the previous one. That attempt backfired somewhat, with federal employees going “rogue” and creating alternate social media accounts used to blast Trump policy changes. In response, the Trump administration furthered its attempt to silence disparaging speech, issuing a federal summons to Twitter in an effort to unmask the users behind at least one rogue account....

You may have heard the term “suspended sentence” a few times. And you might be curious about what that actually entails. What does that mean? Here’s a short explainer: Suspending a sentence essentially means the jail or prison term is stopped. The defendant will not be incarcerated right away. Suspended sentences can either be conditional or unconditional. Unconditional suspended sentences means there are no conditions or prohibitions attached to the suspension....

While visiting their son and grandchildren in Jackson, Mississippi this past week, Robert Walker Sr. and his wife Betty Walker became concerned that the barking dog behind the backyard fence would make his way over one day, placing their family in danger. So, on Friday, when the 8-month-old pit bull got through the fence, Betty reacted, herding the grandchildren inside and grabbing a gun. Unfortunately, the only one who ended up dead was Robert Sr....

Police have apprehended two suspects believed to be involved in the USC Halloween party shooting. At the on-campus party, two males were reportedly arguing outside when one of them pulled out a handgun and shot the other, reports Fox News. The victim was critically wounded. Three bystanders were also shot and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. A spokesperson says none of those involved in the shooting were affiliated with the university. One of the suspects in the shooting will be charged with attempted murder....

The key to any criminal justice system’s legitimacy is a respect for its laws. Citizens tend to abide by laws, statutes, and regulations they believe are just and fair, less so when it comes to ones they disagree with. And while it’s easy to say everyone should follow all the laws all the time, that doesn’t stop the discussion, or efforts to change contested statutes. Here are five controversial criminal laws and what you need to know about them, from our archives:...

Sexual violence against women has been making headlines of late, especially in the context of the military and in higher education. According to a White House task force, “nearly 20 percent of female college students have been assaulted, but only 12 percent of cases are reported,” according the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. With heightened attention on the issue, President Obama is “seeking more openness about the issue of sexual violence on and around the nation’s campuses,” reports The Associated Press....

Funnyman and frequent flyer Alec Baldwin was kicked off a plane for playing the “Words With Friends” game on his cell phone. Now American Airlines is fighting back on Facebook. The “30 Rock” star was seated in first-class on a flight from Los Angeles to New York on Tuesday, the Associated Press reports. The flight crew kicked Baldwin off the plane while it was still parked at the gate. Alec Baldwin is not facing charges, but a battle has ensued on Twitter and Facebook....

Ohio is voting on a bizarre ballot initiative today that could change legal pot cultivation. That is, if Ohioans approve legalization of marijuana at all. If legalization does pass, then state voters will face the question of whether they want their weed from farms financed by small-time celebrities. The proposal is “a synergy of B-list celebrity and entrepreneurial democracy in a culturally conservative state,” according to The Washington Post. Small Stars for Pot Farming The ballot initiative is interesting for two reasons....

Wanda Barzee, a co-defendant in the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping case, pleaded guilty to several criminal charges in federal court today in exchange for a reduced prison sentence recommendation and her cooperation with prosecutors in the kidnapping, sexual assault, and violence case when Smart was 14-years-old. Instead of life in prison, Barzee will receive a 15-year (180-month) federal prison sentence, and plead guilty to Utah state kidnapping charges. Here is what Barzee admitted to in U....

Countrywide Financial Corporation, the nation’s biggest mortgage lender, has been sued by the attorneys general of California and Illinois, who charge that the company engaged in false advertising and deceptive lending practices that led to thousands of foreclosures. On Wednesday, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced the filing of a lawsuit against Countrywide, alleging that the company engaged in “a single-minded quest to dominate the nation’s mortgage market” by selling expensive and risky loans products to home buyers who could not afford them, causing a “skyrocketing number of home foreclosures” in the state....

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is set to announce new mortgage rules and consumer protections that will take effect next year. Some of the protections in the new rules will include prohibiting banks and lenders from making home loans that offer deceptive teaser rates or require no documentation from borrowers, reports The New York Times. In addition, banks and lenders will be required to take steps to ensure that borrowers have the capability to repay the loans in the first place....

About 67,000 chest freezers are being recalled due to a possible risk of fire. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission along with Haier and Black & Decker announced the voluntary recall after discovering that the circuitry can overheat and potentially cause a fire. So far 18 freezers have been reported as overheating, and there have been four fires reported. According to the recall, a capacitor in the freezer’s circuitry can overheat, posing a fire hazard....

Intellectual property law for now remains the domain of humans exclusively. A monkey cannot own the copyright to his selfie, a federal judge ruled yesterday. An Indonesian macaque does not own the world-famous image he snapped of himself in 2011, District Judge William Orrick decided. In a tentative opinion issued Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco, he wrote that there is “no indication” that the Copyright Act extends to animals, according to National Public Radio....

A Delaware dad was accused of waterboarding his daughter by holding the 11-year-old girl’s head under a running faucet. The dad, Dr. Melvin Morse, is a pediatrician and expert on near-death experiences with several books and television appearances to his credit. Morse and his wife have been arrested and charged with several felony counts based on the daughter’s claims. At the time of the arrest, the 58-year-old Morse was already out on bail for misdemeanor charges related to a separate charge of assaulting his daughter, reports The Associated Press....

The owner of a dog that bit a Denver TV news anchor in the face is facing criminal charges in connection with the bite, which happened on live TV. But it appears the dog’s owner may have a legal defense. Michael Robinson, 39, of Lakewood, Colo., is charged with allowing a dog to bite, the Associated Press reported. Robinson is also charged with failing to keep his 85-pound Argentine mastiff on a leash, in connection with a separate incident that made his dog somewhat of a local celebrity....

Actress Joyce DeWitt of “Three’s Company” fame will go it alone facing probation in a DUI case. The 61-year-old sitcom actress Joyce DeWitt pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor drunk driving incident from last year, the Los Angeles Times reports. In general a no contest plea is similar to a plea of guilty. A plea of no contest can be advantageous for defendants where the effects of a plea of guilty may be too harsh....

Virtual world, real scam. That’s what a class action suit filed last month against game company Zynga and social networking giant Facebook says about gaming ads on Facebook. Lead plaintiff, Rebecca Swift, claims that she was fooled into accepting two special offers from advertisers to gain extra game credits for YoVille, one of the virtual world games developed by Zynga. Swift accepted the offers to aid her virtual world experience and was then hit with $200 worth of unauthorized paymentson her Visa....

IKEA is recalling millions of children’s lamps worldwide because of a risk that pint-sized consumers could strangle themselves on the lamp’s cord. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, this recall is an expansion of a December recall over the same issue. In all, about 3.5 million lamps are now being recalled in the United States. Hanging Cord Poses Safety Risk In December, IKEA announced the recall of the SMILA-series wall-mounted lamps which came in a variety of shapes and colors....

The abortion battle is heating up, especially given the composite of the current United States Supreme Court. Most states are looking to retain as many rights as possible at the state level, and the Iowa courts are no exception. Iowa Fetal Heartbeat Law Sets Cut-Off Too Early The Iowa Fetal Heartbeat law banned abortions from taking place after an ultrasound detected a heartbeat, so long as the pregnancy didn’t involve a medical emergency or medical necessity....