Florida Cops Arrest a 15-Year-Old Boy for Joking About Perpetrating a Mass Shooting
"Joke or not, these types of comments are felonies under the law," says the Volusia County Sheriff's Office
Criminal Justice
Is Your Hometown Balancing Its Budget by Fining Everybody It Can? Here's How To Find Out.
Governing puts together a database of cities and towns addicted to money from fines and forfeitures.
China Escalates Hong Kong Conflict By Detaining Consulate Staffer
Simon Cheng Man-kit, a staffer at the British Consulate in Hong Kong, hasn't returned from a trip he took to mainland China nearly two weeks ago.
Texas Is Executing a Man Tonight for a Murder and Rape Experts Say He Didn't Commit
Forensic experts claim there is no way Larry Swearingen raped and killed Melissa Trotter. The state is still putting him to death.
States May Not Cancel Votes of "Faithless" Presidential Electors
So a Tenth Circuit panel held yesterday.
It Wasn't Just a Chokehold That Killed Eric Garner
His death resulted from a violent confrontation that never should have happened.
The Fifth Circuit Divides on Qualified Immunity, and Originalism
Judges Ho and Oldham: "Originalism for plaintiffs, but not for police officers, is not principled judging. Originalism for me, but not for thee, is not originalism at all."
4 Businessmen Used Cash and Casino Chips as Bribes to Secure Mississippi Prison Contracts
They're the latest to plead guilty in the Mississippi Department of Corrections bribing scheme.
My Review of an Important New Book on the Supreme Court's Impact on American Federalism
The book by political scientist Michael Dichio argues that the Court has done more to promote centralization than protect states, and is the most thorough analysis to date, of this longstanding issue..
Bernie Sanders Calls for Legalizing Marijuana and Curtailing Asset Forfeiture in Sprawling Criminal Justice Plan
Sanders' plan takes aim at every part of the justice system, including typical Sanders targets like private prisons and corporate "profiteers."
Prosecution of Unauthorized Abortion Pill Websites Begins
Ursula Wing sold abortion drugs to U.S. customers and is now charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Interesting New York Times Slavery Project Hobbled by Anti-Capitalism
Also: the politics of recession, Bernie's criminal justice plan, and stanning for Barry Manilow, all on the Reason Podcast
Justice Department Shakes Up Bureau of Prisons Leadership Following Jeffrey Epstein's Death
Criminal justice reformers say the federal prison system is in desperate need of more oversight.
NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo Is Fired 5 Years After Placing Eric Garner in a Chokehold
An internal disciplinary hearing found him guilty of recklessly causing physical injury.
Kamala Harris Promises To 'Disarm Violent Hate' by Seizing Guns From Bigots
The Democratic presidential contender suggests that "racist threats or anti-immigrant manifestos" could justify federal gun confiscation orders.
Lawsuit Against Rappers for Attack by Their Employees in Sneaker Store
The defendants are "Stunna 4 Vegas" and "Dababy"-run company Billion Dollar Baby Entertainment, LLC.
Iowa Cops Buy an Armored Vehicle With $300,000 in Asset Forfeiture Funds
It's a nasty mix of police militarization and civil asset forfeiture.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
A fake university, safe and sanitary conditions, and old school equal protection.
Jeffrey Epstein Is Dead Because His Jailers Neglected Him. He's Not the Only One.
The most unusual thing about Jeffrey Epstein dying in a federal jail was how quickly the Justice Department sprang into action to investigate it.
After Spending 23 Years in Prison for a Murder He Didn't Commit, Ricky Kidd Is Going Home
Reason previously shared the story of Ricky Kidd's wrongful conviction in April.
Today Is the 95th Anniversary of Playwright Robert Bolt's Birth
His stage and screen plays are worth taking a look at.
When a 'Controlled Buy' Turns Into a Daytime Parking Lot Shootout
A drug bust gone wrong in a Pittsburgh suburb leaves the suspect dead, an agent injured, and kids and shoppers terrified.
James Alan Fox: There Is No Evidence of an 'Epidemic of Mass Shootings'
The nation's leading scholar of mass shootings explains how media coverage of horrific events such as El Paso and Dayton stoke unwarranted fear and anxiety.
Man Fights City Hall for Ability To Keep 'Emotional Support' Pigs
Larry Johnson's pet pigs have run afoul of Minneapolis' ban on city swine.
If You're Near the Scene of a Crime, Authorities Can Demand That Google Hand Over Your Data
Quiet fishing expeditions are being used to sort through potential suspects.
FBI Rebrands National Sex Sting as 'Operation Independence Day'
The operation is still arresting sex workers and calling it a rescue mission.
Court Sides With Prison Guards Who Forced Female Inmates To Expose Genitals During Training Exercise
The search raised Fourth Amendment concerns.
A Cop Tied to KKK Memorabilia May Have a Fatal Shooting Reviewed
Prosecutors are looking into a framed KKK document found at a house belonging to Charles Anderson, a Michigan police officer of over 20 years.
Cops Still Love Their Armored Vehicles
Remember concerns about militarized policing? It’s still a big threat to civil liberties and to relations between Americans and law enforcement.
Should You Boycott Your $42 SoulCycle Bike Ride To Stick It to Trump?
The end of political privacy and the politicization of everything
Attorney General Barr Does Not Approve of Your Kinder, Gentler Elected District Attorneys
In a speech to police, Barr called for citizens to shut up and do what officers tell them to.
Can Excluding Someone from a Town Be a Proper Remedy in a Libel/Harassment Case?
Yes, said the New Hampshire Supreme Court; is that right?
Deprivation of Voting Rights as a Collateral Consequence of a Felony Conviction
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is right to be concerned about the excessive number of collateral consequences attending a felony conviction, but its implicit suggestion that the deprivation of voting rights is the one most urgently in need of reform is … well … quirky at best.
No Probable Cause Required for Cops To Access User Data From Popular Apps
Only three states require police to obtain a warrant before requesting private user data from companies.
Lawsuit: SWAT Team Shot 12-Year-Old in Kneecap During Raid
The Illinois boy now suffers from severe PTSD and will walk with a limp for the rest of his life, the lawsuit says.
Aaron Sandusky Has Spent 7 Years in Prison for Selling Medical Marijuana
Obama denied him clemency. Will Trump set him free?
