Criminal Justice
Jamaican Musician Gets 8-Year Sentence for Weed He Says He Bought Legally
Patrick Beadle was convicted on a drug trafficking charge, even though there's very little evidence he was a dealer.
No, Feds Can't Force Backpage Founders to Give Up Longtime Lawyers, Rules Judge
The ruling is a major win for Backpage founders James Larkin and Michael Lacey, as well as a strike against government overreach.
Canada Will Expedite Record Sealing for People Convicted of Marijuana Crimes That Are No Longer Crimes
The plan does not go as far as it should, but it's still better than the policies of most U.S. states with legal pot.
Federal Judge Says Tennessee Shouldn't Punish Poor Drivers for Being Poor
The state can no longer suspend poor people's driver's licenses over unpaid traffic tickets, Judge Aleta Trauger ruled.
Poll Shows Wide Support For Criminal Justice Reform Bill In Congress
Prosecutor groups and criminal justice reform advocates are putting out dueling polls on a major bill in Congress.
Florida Judge Sentences Corrupt Cops to Prison, Slams Prosecution for "Slap on the Wrist"
Former Biscayne Park Officers Charlie Dayoub and Raul Fernandez are going to prison after pinning burglaries on innocent black men.
Joe Arpaio Sues for $147 Million Over New York Times Op-Ed Slamming His Cruelty
The op-ed's claims are harsh, but they're also true.
Trump Slams 'Very Unfair' Drug Sentences
The president's comments could improve the prospects for federal penal reform.
Do I Owe It to My Criminal Relatives to Keep My Genes a Secret?
When genetic testing results become a tool for law enforcement
Judge Don Willett Stands Out on Criminal Justice Reform
The 5th Circuit judge weighs in on qualified immunity, criminal sentencing, and false imprisonment.
Maryland Cop Accused of Raping Undocumented Immigrant at Traffic Stop
Officer First Class Ryan Macklin has since been arrested and suspended without pay.
For Female Inmates, Talking Back is More Likely to End in a Trip to Solitary
Women prisoners are more likely to receive solitary confinement and other harsh punishments for minor infractions like "reckless eye-balling."
Court: Police Can't Shoot Unlicensed Dogs With Impunity
"Just as the police cannot destroy every unlicensed car or gun on the spot, they cannot kill every unlicensed dog on the spot."
Can a Constitutional Amendment Forestall the Threat of Court-Packing?
Jim Lindgren proposes a constitutional amendment banning court-packing. I'm all for it. But it can only pass if liberal Democrats get some reciprocal concession to support it.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Public defender shortfalls, warrantless rental inspections, and juveniles in solitary confinement.
'Florida's Worst Cop' Is Back on the Job…Again
Three arrests and six firings are not enough to keep Sgt. German Bosque from police work.
Amicus Brief on Burdens of Proof for Compelled Decryption
The burden of proof matters, and it's an issue of first impression in appellate courts.
U.K. Supreme Court: Baker Doesn't Have to Place Pro-Gay Marriage Message on Cake
But the ruling isn't based on free speech or religious liberty
Strip Club Staffers Arrested With Stormy Daniels Sue, Claiming Cops Lied As Republican Retaliation
Police initially said the arrests were part of "a long-term investigation into...human trafficking" and prostitution.
President Trump and Kanye West Talk Prisons, Flyness, and Stop and Frisk
The pair discussed reforms at the White House.
Washington State Supreme Court Strikes Down Death Penalty
According to the court, "The death penalty is invalid because it is imposed in an arbitrary and racially biased manner."
The Supreme Court Will Hear Two Big Criminal Justice Cases Later This Year
The Court could strike a major blow for civil asset forfeiture reforms in the states and finally do away with an awful double jeopardy loophole.
NYPD Cop Caught on Video Punching, Tasing 85-Pound Man With Health Problems
It's pretty obvious that the 4'8" William Colon didn't pose a serious threat to any of the 8 cops on-scene.
Trump Adviser's 3rd-Grade Teacher Dishes: Look How Weird He Was at Age 8
Oddly enough, not in The Onion!
Question About Federal Circuit, Sealed Cases, and Veterans Benefits
Seeking help from our readers ....
U.S. Prisons Held At Lest 61,000 Inmates in Solitary Confinement Last Year
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor: "Keeping prisoners in 'near-total isolation' from the living world [...] comes perilously close to a penal tomb."
Pennsylvania's New $4 Million Prison Mail System Brings Privacy Concerns
Civil liberties lawyers worry that sensitive documents could end up in the wrong hands.
Desperate to Keep His Seat, Ted Cruz Gets Dumber and Dumber on Criminal Justice
The Texas senator's authoritarian attacks on Beto O'Rourke short-circuit rational discussion of police shootings, drug policy, and sentencing reform.
Detroit Cops Charged With Home Invasion Thanks to Body Cam Footage
This is how the system is supposed to work.
Most ICE Detainees Aren't Criminals, Report Reveals
As if we needed any more evidence that the vast majority of undocumented immigrants aren't bringing crime into the country.
This Is How Sex-Trafficking Panic Gets Made
Plus: fight against FOSTA continues and Tennessee trooper reports Democrat for visiting falafel restaurant.
"The Unintended Consequences of 'Ban the Box': Statistical Discrimination and Employment Outcomes When Criminal Histories are Hidden"
Efforts to help ex-offenders by making it difficult for employers to find out about a job applicant's criminal record can backfire.
Is the Supreme Court Going to Suffer a Crisis of Legitimacy?
Predictions to that effect may turn out to be overblown. But we should still take the threat of "court-packing" and other drastic measures to to reduce the Court's power seriously.
Gorsuch and Sotomayor Fault Congress for Giving 'a Blank Check to the Attorney General'
SCOTUS weighs congressional power, criminal law, and the non-delegation doctrine in Gundy v. U.S.
The Officer Who Killed Tamir Rice Found a Police Chief Willing to Hire Him
It's hard to get rid of bad cops, especially when there are leaders willing to excuse deadly incompetence as an innocent mistake.
Politico Symposium on Kavanaugh's Confirmation
I have a contribution in it, along with a variety of prominent legal scholars and commentators.
Quick -- Do You Remember the Text of Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment?
"Ginsburg Forgets 14th Amendment, Audience Has To Give Her Constitution," says a Daily Wire headline -- but the story doesn't mention this was section 2,
Should Law Professors Sign Letters on Public Issues if They Don't Fully Agree with the Letters?
I don't sign such letters unless I fully agree with every assertion made.
A Video Showing Deputies Laughing While a Prisoner Overdoses Leads to Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Rather than seeking medical attention for an inmate, 3 sheriff's deputies made jokes at his expense.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Butter grades, toxic coal ash, and Stairway to Heaven.
Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke Convicted of Second-Degree Murder for Killing Laquan McDonald
Also found guilty of 16 counts of aggravated battery, one for each bullet he fired.
