New York City Council Votes To Build Four New Jails and To Close Notorious Rikers Island
But can the city commit to reducing its jail population—and will Rikers' infamous culture just be transplanted to the new jails?
Criminal Justice
'This Is a Culture War': Sex Work Decriminalization Bill in D.C. Draws 14 Hours of Passionate Public Testimony
From morning till past midnight, supporters and opponents of a bill to decriminalize prostitution offered starkly different visions of safety and rights.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Golf swingers, a gangrenous finger, and the ancient concept of "frolic."
Prison Guard Who Hid While Inmate Raped a Nurse Cannot Be Sued, Federal Court Rules
The 7th Circuit said the guard is protected by qualified immunity.
'Police Violence Is Also Gun Violence' Says Julian Castro, Arguing Against Mandatory Gun Buybacks
The former HUD Secretary is still terrible on guns, but at least he recognizes some of the costs of actually enforcing gun laws.
The Latest Synagogue Shooting Is Not an Excuse To Regulate Livestreams
Violent bigots were targeting Jews long before they could broadcast the carnage.
Fort Worth Police Chief Explains Why Atatiana Jefferson's Welfare Check Turned Deadly
"There is absolutely no excuse for this incident," said Police Chief Edwin Kraus.
An Illinois Lawmaker Wants to Reinstate the Death Penalty to Deter Shootings
Illinois abolished the death penalty in 2011.
Who Is, and Is Not, On the Demand Justice #SCOTUS (Not-So) Shortlist?
Omitting all "partners at corporate law firms" excludes most judges from Hillary Clinton's hypothetical shortlist
The Officer Who Shot Atatiana Jefferson in Her Own Home Has Resigned
Mayor Betsy Price: "The gun is irrelevant. She was in her own home caring for an 8-year-old nephew. [Jefferson] was a victim."
States Are Easing Arbitrary Licensing Barriers to Work for People With Criminal Records
This year, Mississippi and North Carolina both ditched a vague "good moral character" clause that kept occupational licensing out of reach for people with criminal records.
Texas Police Fatally Shot a Woman in Her Own Home After a Neighbor Asked for a Welfare Check
The neighbor later said, "If I had never dialed the police department, she'd still be alive."
Silicon Valley Is Helping Expunge Marijuana Convictions
California is turning to tech solution to clear bureaucratic hurdles.
"Let Us Restore to Social Intercourse …
that harmony and affection without which liberty and even life itself are but dreary things."
The legal-historical amnesia of using tax exemptions to punish political beliefs
A tool for viewpoint discrimination has an anti-LGBT history, too
Russia Sentences Israeli-American Traveler to 7.5 Years in Prison for 9 Grams of Pot
Naama Issachar, a 26-year-old woman who was arrested while catching a connecting flight in Moscow, was charged with drug smuggling.
This Case, Which Resulted in a 20-Year Prison Sentence, Supposedly Showed How Florida's 'Stand Your Ground' Law Lets People Get Away With Murder
Michael Drejka said he had to shoot Markeis McGlockton in self-defense. Jurors disagreed.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
A spate of bad lawyering, a spate of congressional subpoenas, and finding love in prison.
More in the "Copyright Troll" Saga
"This judge joins the chorus of those telling this attorney [Richard P. Liebowitz] to clean up his act."
Democratic Candidates Promise LGBT Voters They'll Punish All the Right People
A Department of Justice lawyer in every pot.
Everything Old Is New Again: Targeting Pro-Revolutionary Advocacy in 1952, Opposition to Gay Marriage in 2019
Beto O'Rourke channels the past.
Manchester Teen Faces Sex Offender Status for Touching 17-Year-Old on the Arm, Waist
"Touching someone's arm to get their attention, I would have thought was normal."
Homosexuality, Illegal Alien Status, Church Attendance, and Child Custody in Mississippi
An interesting Mississippi Supreme Court opinion.
Warren Says She's 'Open to Decriminalizing Sex Work'; Klobuchar Still Says No Way
Plus: Democrats talk LGBTQ equality, California cracks down on mini-shampoo, and more...
Are Criminal Sexual Misconduct Claims Matters of "Public Concern" for Libel Law Purposes …
... even if the statute of limitations has run? A new Texas case, Crews v. Galvan, says yes.
Is Mass Incarceration Inevitable? Part 5. The Role of Prosecutors
Long term change in incarceration rates will be hard without prosecutorial buy-in.
"The Hidden Nazi: The Untold Story of America's Deal with the Devil"
An intriguing new book from Dean Reuter, Colm Lowery, and Keith Chester
Students Build Virtual Reality Massage Parlor for Cops
You know, to "fight human trafficking."
Is Mass Incarceration Inevitable? Part 4. Show Me the Money
The financial savings of prison and jail reduction may be less than expected.
"An Introduction to Constitutional Law" is back in Stock on Amazon
My new book with Randy Barnett had been sold out since its release date!
What Does the Constitution Say About House Impeachment Proceedings
Short Answer: Essentially nothing
21-Year-Old Oversleeps, Misses Jury Duty, and Goes to Jail for 10 Days
The case is yet another example of our excessively penal criminal justice system.
