"Essentially, [the City] Defendants Request That the Court Resolve This Case Entirely in Secret"
No dice, says the District Court.
Month: December 2019
Thank You, Ram Dass!
The pioneering psychedelic researcher, Timothy Leary collaborator, and New Age seeker exemplified America's postwar turn to individualism.
New York Charged Grafton Thomas With Attempted Murder for Assaulting Jews With a Machete. Why Are the Feds Prosecuting Him for the Same Attack?
A crime in Monsey leads to a redundant prosecution that hinges on the defendant's anti-Semitism.
L.A. Is About to Screw Up Legal Street Vending the Same Way It Screwed Up Legal Pot Sales
High permit fees and unprepared bureaucrats get in the way of delicious street tacos and bacon dogs.
Rogue Chinese Genome Editor Sentenced to Three Years in Prison
He Jiankui's moral failings should not be used as an excuse to delay a technology that could prevent inheritable diseases.
Virginia Bill Would End Single-Family-Only Zoning in the Old Dominion
The legislation would allow duplexes on any residential plot in the state.
McDonald's Coffee Cup Incident Was a Hoax Perpetrated by the Police
The officer responsible has been fired.
California Law Unconstitutionally Discriminates Against Certain Workers, Argue Uber and Postmates
Gig workers and companies are suing over a California law, AB 5, that criminalizes their continued employment.
U.S. Military Retaliation Against Iran Looms After Attack on U.S. Embassy in Baghdad
Several dozen protesters tried to storm the American embassy in Baghdad in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes in the country over the weekend.
Policing Parents and Kids: The Year's 8 Most Paranoid Moments
And five examples of parents wisely letting their kids go—and grow.
Resolutions To See You Through a New (Election) Year
Too many of your friends and neighbors are tribal idiots, but they're not the worst tribal idiots in recent memory, by any means.
Uber and Postmates argue that California's new "Gig" law violates the 9th and 14th Amendments, the Contracts Clause, and California's Baby Ninth Amendment
The tech companies have thrown the entire economic liberty kitchen sink at AB 5
New Law Finally Authorizes Cannabis Cafés in Colorado, the First State to Allow Recreational Sales
Marijuana merchants, restaurants, and "mobile premises" can let customers partake if they get state and local approval.
Bloomberg, Steyer Showing Money Can't Buy Elections After Failed $200 Million Ad Blitz
The two Democratic billionaires have spent a combined $200 million on campaign ads already. That doesn't mean much to them, but the opportunity costs are staggering.
Missouri Cops Used Federal Loophole To Seize $2.6 Million From Drivers Who They Never Charged With Crimes
St. Charles County law enforcement used shady practices to seize motorists' assets without convictions.
What Did Reason Get Wrong in 2019?
And what predictions will we shank in 2020 and beyond?
Meet 2 Alabama Cops Proud of Seizing Panhandlers' Signs at Christmas
Peace on earth and good will toward men?
A 'Good Guy With a Gun' Prevented a Texas Church Shooting From Becoming a Massacre
Two victims were killed at a church shooting in White Settlement, Texas. It would have been much worse had some parishioners not been armed.
Pete Buttigieg Says We Should Decriminalize All the Drugs
“Incarceration should not even be a response to drug possession.”
Oren Levy Finally Has His Hemp Back, but the NYPD Nearly Killed His CBD Business
Oren Levy nearly lost six years of hard work to the NYPD and muddled state law.
The 2010s: When the Media Lost Their Gatekeepers
Media theorist Marshall McLuhan's work best explains how the world changed in the 2010s—and what we can expect in the decade ahead.
The Monsey Attack Shows Anti-Semitic Violence Isn't Always Tied to the Far Right
Many ideological extremes are responsible for anti-Jewish attacks.
Retired Law Professor Sues Lawyer-Commenters on Law Blog
A company had a trademark canceled in a Trademark Trial & Appeal Board proceeding, based on what the Board described as the company's "delaying tactics, including the willful disregard of Board orders." The TTABlog posted about it, and some commenters criticized the company's lawyer, Ohio State Prof. Charles L. (Lee) Thomason—so he is suing them for libel.
Meet the Grandmothers Who Rule Kenya's Legal Drug Markets
The East African khat trade is thriving, even as global prohibition creeps in around the edges.
The Crackdown on CBD in Food and Beverages Spreads To Oregon
Targeting CBD companies that make spurious health claims is one thing. Going after culinary experimentation is ridiculous.
An Incomplete Map of Uberland
In its eagerness to make the case against Uber, a new book makes a pretty good case for Uber.
Government Standards Are Making 5-Year-Olds and Kindergarten Teachers Miserable
"I'm retiring earlier than I had planned because I just can't be a part of this any longer."
Key Election Forecaster Switches Justin Amash's House Seat to 'Lean Republican' in 2020
"It's doubtful there's a sufficient market for a pro-life/pro-impeachment independent in the district to allow him a path to a sixth term," concludes the Cook Political Report.
To Reduce Vaping Illness, Legalize Marijuana
Creating a sensible legal market would drive black market vape makers out of business.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
A dirty cell, no no-smoking policy, and a classic case of Orwellian doublethink.
Mean Girl Cheerleaders and Outlandish Sheriffs Ring in the New Year of Television
Dare Me and Deputy both have their flaws and their charms.
Marijuana Edible Buyers in Illinois Will Pay More Than Twice the Taxes Charged in Michigan
Which state do you think will be more successful at moving cannabis consumers to the legal market?
Louisiana Alligator Farmers and Malibu Fashion Retailers Team Up
As California moves to ban the sale of alligator products, alligator farmers and fashionistas are joining forces.
"The University of York Apologises for Saying 'Negro' in Lecture on Civil Rights Hero's Book Called the Philadelphia Negro"
So reports the Daily Mail (U.K.).
Trump's Trade War Has Hurt American Manufacturers More Than It Helped Them
That should be fairly obvious to anyone who has been following the news, but a new report from the Federal Reserve provides the empirical evidence.
Bloomberg's Promise of a New 'War on Poverty' Echoes Past Government Failures
"There has to be a war on poverty," says Michael Bloomberg. Does he know how the last one turned out?
Review: Little Women
Greta Gerwig directs Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh in a dazzling new take on the classic tale.
