A Bad Day at SCOTUS for Government Accountability
The Supreme Court looks ready to further insulate rights-violating federal officers from facing civil liability.
Criminal Justice
Trump Orders Justice Department To Investigate His Congressional Critics, Saying They Deserve 'Imprisonment'
That does not "necessarily" mean that "every case is going to be prosecuted," said Attorney General Todd Blanche, without clarifying what the charge could possibly be.
As Chief of Staff, Stephen Miller Will Reinforce Trump's Worst Instincts
His elevation does not bode well for anyone who hoped that Trump would moderate the policies that alienated voters in the midterm elections.
Federal Judge Rules Houston Violated First Amendment Rights of Food Not Bombs Activists
Houston police issued over 100 tickets to Food Not Bombs activists for violating an anti–food sharing ordinance. That violated their First Amendment rights, a judge ruled.
Houston Voters Approve Restrictions on Marijuana Arrests and a Ban on No-Knock Police Raids
The first provision might curtail local pot busts, but the second one is unlikely to have a meaningful impact.
New Mexico Cop Charged With Taking Bribes Also Was Involved in a Bizarre Case of Drug War Infighting
Former sheriff's deputy Paul Jessen was convicted of obstructing justice because he tried to protect a confidential informant from the DEA.
Virginia Votes To Overturn Lifetime Voting Ban for Felony Offenders
Virginia's Question 3 passed by a comfortable margin, ending more than 100 years of felon disenfranchisement in the state.
Flock Cameras Face Growing Resistance at the Ballot Box
Americans are voting for greater transparency and involvement in whether and how they are monitored, regardless of political ideology.
Arizona Slams the Brakes on Automated Traffic Enforcement
Red-light and speed cameras don’t increase roadway safety and are simply “taxation by citation,” says the Goldwater Institute.
Trump Should Not Get Credit for the Recent Drop in Violent Crime
Experts do not think the president’s policies played a major role in that historic decline.
Martha Stewart's Homeless Halloween Costume Was Perfect for Her
Many were outraged that one of the wealthiest women on Earth would cosplay as a hobo. But what could be more fitting?
Trump's Election Interference in California and Alaska Prompts a Series of Judicial Rebukes
Four federal courts say the Trump administration is trying to usurp the states' constitutional authority over elections.
Supreme Court to Consider Successive Habeas Claim in Capital Case, Twenty Years After the Murder
This week, the Court will consider when a death-row inmate may file a second habeas application based on “a new rule of constitutional law, made retroactive to cases on collateral review by the Supreme Court, that was previously unavailable.”
NYC Looks To Scale Up Mamdani's Office of Community Safety. Minneapolis Leaders Just Voted To End Theirs.
Some members of New York City Council want to implement Zohran Mamdani's vision for a Department of Community Safety. The Minneapolis City Council just voted to end that city's community safety apparatus.
Montana Man Faces Felony Charges for Telling Man of South Asian Descent To 'Go Back to His Country'
His alleged shove of the man would be a misdemeanor. His words have him facing a felony.
Video Shows ICE Agents Slashing Portland Couple's Car Tire Then Driving Off
An ACLU complaint says the couple was recording ICE agents when they chased, boxed in, and vandalized the couple's car.
The Failed Indictment of Cassidy Hutchinson Reflects Grand Jury Resistance to Politically Motivated Charges
Rejections of the Trump administration's dubious cases are a striking departure from the historical pattern of deference to federal prosecutors.
A Supreme Court Case Underlines the Absurdity of the Federal Ban on Home Distilling
Criminalizing the hobby is morally indefensible and inconsistent with the treatment of wine and beer.
The Justice Department's 3rd Attempt To Imprison James Comey Stinks of Trump's Desperation for Revenge
Prosecutors allege that the former FBI director illegally disclosed classified information in 2016—an incident that was investigated twice without resulting in charges.
Gorsuch and Sotomayor Unite in Another Civil Liberties Case
Plus: How a conservative Supreme Court justice ushered in “the birth of modern zoning.”
Connecticut's New Restrictions on Flock Cameras Highlight the Dearth of Meaningful Privacy Protections
Until recently, the state imposed no limits at all on automated license plate readers, which track the travels of innocent motorists across the country.
Pamela Colloff on America's Biggest Jailhouse Snitch, Wrongful Convictions, and Criminal Justice
"I am obsessed with this idea that the system is built to compound its own errors," the author of the best-selling book Catch the Devil tells Reason's Billy Binion.
Police Destroyed Their Homes and Businesses. The Supreme Court Won't Say Who Should Pay.
Are innocent people entitled to compensation when their property is ruined by police? That will continue to be an "open question."
Iowa Voters Don't Want Police or Flock Tracking Their Cars. Politicians Are Still Catching Up.
Opposition to license plate surveillance is crossing party lines in Iowa, where police departments have built an extensive camera network with limited public oversight.
How Helping Someone Buy Drugs Can Send You to Prison for 20 Years
State and federal prosecutors responded to fentanyl overdoses by treating accidents as homicides.
Mississippi Cop Who Shot 1-Year-Old Kohen Wiley Resigns After State Calls Shooting 'Justified'
The resignation comes after the release of bodycam footage that raised questions about the police's handling of the incident.
The Founders Warned Against Secret Arrests. ICE Is Testing That Principle.
A lawsuit filed by The Marshall Project argues that ICE must disclose the names of immigrant detainees because you can’t check a government that won’t say who it’s holding.
Crime Is Down in D.C., but Trump's National Guard Deployment Probably Isn't the Cause
Crime has been dropping nationwide, a trend that started before Trump took office.
Texas School Police Referred Tens of Thousands of Children to Prosecutors for Minor Misbehavior
A media investigation found criminal referrals of schoolchildren age 10 to 13 grew as the number of school resource officers in Texas likewise ballooned.
The Feds Took $460,000 From This Arizona Convenience Store Owner and Never Explained Why
Mario Ayala is seeking the return of his property, which federal agents seized more than a year and a half ago for reasons that remain mysterious.
2 Recent Cases Illustrate the Limits of a Doctrine That Often Blocks Civil Rights Claims
Federal appeals courts rejected qualified immunity for cops and a judge who flouted longstanding constitutional principles.
Mississippi A.G. Says Killing of 1-Year-Old Boy Over Stolen Diapers Was 'Justified'
The state offered little explanation for its finding, and the boy’s family is calling for the bodycam footage.
Justice Department Will Investigate Conditions at D.C. Jail After Years of Reports of Filth and Neglect
The Justice Department is investigating years of complaints of wretched living conditions, neglect, and brutality inside the D.C. Jail.
He Campaigned for the East Cleveland Mayor's Opponent. Then Police Came for His Truck.
A federal court recently revived William Fambrough's lawsuit, which alleges city officials—including then-Mayor Brandon King—retaliated against him for his speech.
Georgia Cop Who Shot a Miniature Donkey Says Body Camera Footage Shows an 'Imminent Threat'
HeeHaw's owner argues that “no reasonable officer…would have believed that such force was necessary or justified.”
America Abandoned Public Executions for a Good Reason
The Trump administration's plans to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan ran afoul of a deep-rooted aversion to bloody displays of state power going back to the colonial era.
3 Charlotte Cops Resign After Group Chat Reveals Competition To Arrest the Most Black People
The officers could face consequences beyond termination, as prosecutors review whether their past testimony and arrests can still be trusted.
California Law Generally Requiring Federal Law Enforcement Officers to Display ID Violates Supremacy Clause
The Ninth Circuit so held yesterday, reaffirming what it had said on a preliminary basis (in deciding on an injunction pending appeal) in April.
Judge Refuses to Recuse in Case Involving Alleged Misconduct by Philly DA's Office
Judge Diamond says Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner's filing is "frivolous" and generates "more heat than light."
Jury Nullification Is Not a Crime
Plus: Two notable cases this week at the Supreme Court.
The 3rd Circuit Upholds the Gun Rights of a Man Who Committed a Nonviolent Misdemeanor 2 Decades Ago
The appeals court said it was unconstitutional to permanently disarm Edward Williams based on a 2005 DUI conviction.
How Local Governments Turn Minor Violations Into Financial Ruin
The Supreme Court will soon have a chance to rein in excessive fines.
Other Courts Should Heed a Federal Judge's Warning About Flock-Enabled Mass Surveillance
Car-tracking cameras, like cellphones, generate vast amounts of sensitive data.
A New Supreme Court Case Tests the Limits of Judicial Deference to Federal Agencies
What’s at stake in Beaird v. United States.
FBI Foils Plot To Attack Mall of America With FBI-Provided AK-47
Remember, it's (almost) always the feds.
J.D. Vance Is Playing Dumb About Socialism
Plus: America's growing deficit, youth protests in France, and Kimberly Guilfoyle's corruption scandal
