An NYPD Superior Reacted to Eric Garner's Death by Texting 'Not a Big Deal.' And That's Completely Unsurprising.
For five years, the NYPD, its apologists, and even Mayor Bill de Blasio have absolved cops of their role in Eric Garner's death.
Criminal Justice
Chelsea Manning Faces $1,000-a-Day Fines, Was Imprisoned Again Yesterday After Refusing to Testify for Grand Jury
Plus: An old drug warrior learns new tricks, Taiwan legalizes same-sex marriage, and more...
Yemen, Iran, and the War Powers Act
The US role in the ongoing war in Yemen violates the War Powers Act. Reasserting Congressional power here is vital to the more general purpose of ensuring legislative control over the initiation of war.
I Testified Before Congress About Hate Crimes and the Alt-Right. Here's What Happened.
A hearing on white nationalism produced some agreement that the FBI's hate crime statistics don't reveal strong evidence of a surge.
In Deadly Drug Raid Case, a Texas County Refuses to Release Information It Has Already Released
Contradictory responses to a request for autopsy reports illustrate how law enforcement agencies take advantage of a broad exception to the state's public records law.
Jail Guards Joked That ReGina Thurman Had 'Jail-litus' and Threatened Her As She Died
Fellow inmates did more to help ReGina Thurman than her guards and nurses.
The Justice Department Rules That the FDA Cannot Regulate Lethal Injection Drugs
The opinion stems from an injunction currently preventing Texas from importing sodium thiopental.
San Francisco Bans Police Use of Facial Recognition
Preventing a slow march toward automated authoritarianism?
Abortion Ban in Alabama Designed 'To Directly Challenge Roe v. Wade'
Plus: Twitter team pushes back against Devin Nunes lawsuit, candidates stumble on Medicare for All, and more...
Forensic Experts Find 'No Evidence' That Houston Narcs Who Killed Dennis Tuttle and Rhogena Nicholas Encountered Gunfire As They Entered the House
The physical evidence at the scene seems inconsistent with the story told by the officers who conducted the no-knock drug raid.
Hyatt, the Constitution, and the Common Law
A new decision on sovereign immunity, and what it means for originalists.
Supreme Court Majority Speaks Against "Ahistorical Literalism"
From today's opinion by Justice Thomas, for the five more conservative members of the Court, in Franchise Tax Board v. Hyatt.
Trial (Sort of) Begins Over Police Officer's Conduct in Eric Garner's Death
Five years later, Daniel Pantaleo faces administrative justice.
Kamala Harris Lies About Truancy Laws, Defends Criminalizing Parents Whose Kids Miss School
Plus: Police raid reporters' home in San Francisco, a crackdown on free market economists in China, and more....
Constitution Requires Judge to Recuse When Her Campaign Ad Expressly Condemned Law Firm
So holds a Louisiana Court of Appeal decision from last week.
"William Barr vs. Eric Holder: A Tale of Two Attorneys General"
An article by Stanford Prof. Michael McConnell.
Detroit Cop Shoots Family Dog in Front of 9-Year-Old
"She's not a vicious dog at all. … She's a sweetheart."
Government Loses Denaturalization Case in U.S. v. Malik
The case showcases a laundry list of problematic behaviors on the part of the government
76 Shots, 2 Cops, and a Deadly Chase Through a Residential Neighborhood
The officers won't be charged, but the DA thinks their actions were "alarming and irresponsible."
A Question Barr Flubbed Badly
How could Barr have allowed Deputy AG Rosenstein to participate in evaluating an obstruction-of-justice case against the President when Rosenstein was a key participant in the possibly obstructive events, and would be a witness if a charge were brought?
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Invading agricultural land, re-plowing the CFPB's structure, and solitary confinement.
California Was Ready to Punish This Synagogue Shooter for Murder. The Feds Want to Make Sure He Is Also Punished for Hating Jews.
The federal hate crime charges against John T. Earnest are redundant and constitutionally problematic.
Oregon Supreme Court: Cops Can't Collaborate with Garbage Haulers to Paw Through Your Trash Without a Warrant
Police now have to get a judge's permission before they rummage through your bins.
Michigan Police Won't Be Able to Seize People's Cars for Suspected Drug Crimes Anymore
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed three bills to limit civil asset forfeiture.
Chelsea Manning Freed From Federal Detention but May Be Forced to Return Next Week
Plus: life imitates The Onion at Guantanamo Bay, "chaos" in Alabama legislature over abortion vote
Kentucky Judges Pre-Signed Blank Legal Documents So That Child Services Could Take Custody of Kids on Nights and Weekends
"Children are being illegally taken from their home without judges' proper authority."
NYC Police Union Tweets Video of Subway Blow Job To Criticize New Congestion Pricing Policy
This is not the first time a tweet from the Sergeants Benevolent Association has courted controversy.
The 'Largest Gang Takedown in New York City History' Mostly Swept Up Non-Gang Members
More than half of the 120 defendants in a notorious 2016 police raid were never even alleged to be gang members.
Florida Is Creating a New Sex Offender Registry Just for Prostitution Customers
The bill also targets strip clubs
Joe Biden, Rusty Weather Vane
He'll creak in the direction of the prevailing political winds eventually, for good and mostly ill. It's his greatest weakness, and main selling point.
In 2018, 55 U.S. Law Enforcement Officers Were Killed by Attackers
In contrast, police killed nearly 1,000 people last year.
Oklahoma Just Passed A Major Licensing Reform for Individuals With Criminal Records
Gov. Kevin Stitt is expected to sign a bill removing so-called "good character" provisions from all Oklahoma's occupational licensing laws.
Federal Court Rules Inmate Must Have Access to Opioid Addiction Treatment
A jail in rural Maine sought to withhold an inmate's opioid addiction medication, increasing the chance that she would relapse and overdose upon release.
Milwaukee Pays $2 Million to Family of Man Who Died in Back of Cop Car
Derek Williams told police that he couldn't breath while sitting in the back of a police car.
Kim Kardashian and the FIRST STEP Act Freed Another Person From Prison
Jeffrey Stringer was sentenced to life in prison for a drug offense.
Cellphone Video Provides Further Evidence That the Cop Who Arrested Sandra Bland Was Angry Rather Than Afraid
Trooper Brian Encinia could see that Bland, whom he stopped for failing to signal a lane change, was holding a cellphone, not a weapon.
Udderly indefensible facial recognition scandal may drive new privacy mooovement
Episode 262 of the Cyberlaw Podcast
North Dakota Makes it Harder for Police to Take Property Without a Conviction
Police had wide authority to seize assets without having to prove a crime even happened, but now the state is tightening the rules.
Houston Police Shot Man Killed in Fraudulent Drug Raid at Least Eight Times
Dennis Tuttle and his wife, Rhogena Nicholas, who was shot twice, were pronounced dead shortly after police invaded their home based on a "controlled buy" that never happened.
Spotted at a Neighborhood Restaurant
I e-mailed the restaurant management when I saw it several months ago; they apologized, and I haven't seen the problem recur.
