Don't Let Crime Fears Undermine Americans' Rights
Amid fear of rising crime, let's take a careful and deliberate approach—lest innocent people lose their rights and property.
Criminal Justice
The New York Times Implausibly Implicates Oklahoma's Bathroom Law in the Death of a Nonbinary Student
Don’t let culture war politics overwhelm a commitment to the facts.
Proposition E Would Make It Easier for Police To Surveil San Francisco
The measure, which will be on the March 5 ballot, would greatly expand the SFPD's power while subjecting it to even less scrutiny.
Frozen Embryos Are Now Children Under Alabama Law
State Supreme Court Chief Justice Tom Parker cited the Bible to explain why.
Lawmakers Want Pause on Federal Funds for Predictive Policing
The dangers inherent in targeting criminals-to-be have yet to be addressed.
Two New York Cases Lend Credibility to Trump's Complaint of Partisan Persecution
Neither Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg nor New York Attorney General Letitia James can explain exactly who was victimized by the dishonesty they cite.
Goodbye, Navalny
Plus: A listener asks if the editors have criteria for what constitutes a good law.
NYC Child Protection Agency Uses 'Coercive Tactics' To Bully Parents Into Allowing Warrantless Searches
According to a new lawsuit, NYC's child protection agency almost never obtained warrants when it searched over 50,000 family homes during abuse and neglect investigations.
The Biden Administration Is Bent on Setting an Alarming Precedent by Prosecuting Julian Assange
The WikiLeaks founder already has spent as much time in a London prison as DOJ lawyers say he is likely to serve if convicted in the U.S.
Tennessee Deputy Dies While Texting and Driving, Killing Suspect in the Back Seat
While the deputy's death is tragic, all evidence indicates that the woman handcuffed in his back seat died as a result of his negligence.
Prosecutor Fani Willis Touts the Value of Cash, but What About the Rest of Us?
Unfortunately, Willis’s Fulton County includes assets seized from non-prosecutors in its budget.
This Prosecutor Secretly Worked for the Judges Overseeing His Cases. Will His Victims Be Able To Sue?
Ralph Petty likely violated the Constitution. In a rare move, a federal court signaled this week that lawsuits against him may not be dead on arrival.
Alvin Bragg Is Trying To Punish Trump for Something That Is Not a Crime
The essence of the case, the Manhattan D.A. says, is that Trump "corrupt[ed] a presidential election" by concealing embarrassing information.
Israel Raids Hospital
Plus: Moscow subway stations, climate activists souping and glueing, Rachel Dolezal's plight, and more...
Iowa Cops Arrested a Sober College Student for Driving Intoxicated. His Lawsuit Is Moving Forward.
A federal judge ruled that Tayvin Galanakis' lawsuit against the officers who arrested them could go forward. He also approved part of the officers' defamation case against him.
A Florida Cop Gets Into a Shootout With an Acorn, Emptying His Gun Into His Own Patrol Car
Deputy Jesse Hernandez, whose bullets miraculously missed the handcuffed suspect in the car, resigned during an investigation that found he "violated policy."
Qualified Immunity Is Not Limited to Police Brutality. It Protects a Wide Variety of Abusive Officials.
An analysis of appeals involving the doctrine finds that less than a quarter "fit the popular conception of police accused of excessive force."
Buffalo Cops Denied Qualified Immunity for Arresting Man Who Called Officer an 'Asshole'
R. Anthony Rupp III was cited and detained after he called a police officer an "asshole" after the cop nearly drove into two pedestrians.
Biden's Cognitive Shrinkflation
Plus: A listener asks if the state of Oregon’s policy on drug decriminalization should be viewed as a success.
Trump's Alleged Defiance and Deceit Distinguish His Handling of Secrets From Biden's
Unlike Biden's conduct, Special Counsel Robert Hur notes, the document-related charges against Trump feature "serious aggravating facts."
Wisconsin Police Held a Man and 3 Kids at Gunpoint During Routine Traffic Stop
Luke Weiland has filed a lawsuit alleging that police used "excessive" force.
Writer's Suspended Death Sentence Is a Reminder of China's Awful Record on Human Rights
Yang Hengjun's punishment will be commuted to life in prison if he passes a probationary period. But the espionage accusations against him are highly spurious.
Georgia Bill Would Hobble Bail Funds Even as It Expands Cash Bail
By definition, people assigned bail have been judged safe to release into the general population. Requiring them to post cash bail is needlessly punitive.
An Alabama Couple's Lives Were Upended by an Unconstitutional Police Raid. A Jury Awarded Them $1 Million.
Greg and Teresa Almond lost their house and livelihood over a misdemeanor drug crime. Sheriff's deputies never got a warrant to search their house.
Cops Arrested Him for a Fictitious Traffic Violation Because He Flipped Them Off
A federal judge allowed a lawsuit against the officers to proceed, finding evidence of several constitutional violations.
Alabama Cops 'Violently' Arrested Two Elderly Women For Taking Care of Feral Cats
The pair were then taken to a local jail, where they were mistreated further.
AI Versus Age-Verification Laws
AI tools churning out images of fake IDs could help people get around online age-check laws.
Based on Loose Reasoning, a Federal Judge Rejects a Challenge to the Gun-Free School Zones Act
The decision likens the federal law to Reconstruction era restrictions on firearms near polling places.
Northwestern Students Face Obscure Criminal Charges for Mock Anti-Israel Newspaper
After placing a pro-Palestinian front page over Northwestern's student newspaper, two students face "theft of advertising services" charges.
Mom's Manslaughter Conviction for Her Son's School Shooting Sets a Dangerous Precedent
In some sense, the case seemed to hinge on what prosecutors wished the law said, not on what it actually says.
The D.C. Circuit Unanimously Rejects Trump's Audacious Presidential Immunity Claim
The appeals court says it "cannot accept that the office of the Presidency places its former occupants above the law for all time thereafter."
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt Says Civil Asset Forfeiture 'Isn't Fair' and Calls for Reforms
"It's crazy to me that somebody can be pulled over and have their cash and truck taken for an alleged crime, get acquitted of that crime, but they still never get their property back," Stitt said.
Jennifer Crumbley Case Hinges On Whether She 'Willfully' Ignored Her Son's Inclination To Commit Mass Murder
Michigan jurors are considering whether Crumbley's carelessness amounted to involuntary manslaughter.
It's Time to Retire Super Bowl 'Sex Trafficking' Stings and Myths
For sex workers and their clients, Super Bowl season can mean a higher chance of getting nabbed by cops.
Texas Cops Held a Terrified Couple at Gunpoint After Raiding the Wrong House
Tyler Harrington has filed a lawsuit after four police officers burst into his home in the middle of the night.
He Was Arrested for Making a Joke on Facebook. A Jury Just Awarded Him $205,000 in Damages.
The verdict vindicates the constitutional rights that Louisiana sheriff's deputies flagrantly violated when they hauled Waylon Bailey off to jail.
