Criminal Justice
Court Rules Police Officer Who Shot 10-Year-Old Is Protected by Qualified Immunity
"No reasonable officer would engage in such recklessness," complains dissenting judge.
Congressman Asked Bureau of Prisons Three Times About Nonviolent Offender Who Later Died in Maximum Security Lockup
A congressman forwarded messages to the Bureau of Prisons from Rick Turner's family begging for his relocation. Two were ignored.
No Federal Charges in Eric Garner's Death at Hands of New York Police
Wednesday marks five years since an officer’s deadly chokehold was captured on video.
Philadelphia D.A. Larry Krasner Argues PA Death Penalty Is Unconstitutional
"Because the death penalty has repeatedly been handed out in an unreliable and arbitrary manner, it cannot survive the state Constitution’s ban on cruel punishments."
The White Nationalist Who Drove His Car Through Charlottesville Protesters Gets Another Life Sentence
James Alex Fields Jr., who killed Heather Heyer in the fatal Charlottesville car attack, is sentenced to life plus 419 years.
Trump Administration Finally Wins a Sanctuary City Grant Condition Case
The ruling comes after a long string of losses blocking other administration efforts to deny federal law enforcement funds to sanctuary jurisdictions. The different result in this case is largely a product of the unusual nature of the program involved.
Are Young American Jews as Left-leaning as the Media Suggests?
Surprisingly, according to a recent survey Jews ages 18-30 are signifcantly more supportive of Donald Trump than are older Jews
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Juvenile mug shots, privacy for reality show stars, and aggressing a police car.
Backpage Prosecutors Want to Seize Assets First, Answer Questions Later
Aggressive asset forfeiture collides with First Amendment rights.
Acosta Resigns as Labor Secretary
He says his role in Jeffrey Epstein's plea deal has become a distraction.
Lawsuit Seeks Class Action Status for Students Whose Due Process Rights Were Violated During Title IX Investigations
The lawsuit alleges that MSU has denied due process rights to student defendants in order to placate critics of its sexual assault policies.
This Cop Is Getting $2,500 a Month Because Killing an Unarmed Man in a Hotel Hallway Gave Him PTSD
Phillip Brailsford was acquitted of murder for a shooting captured on video that subsequently drew national outrage. Now he's getting paid for it.
Florida Sheriff Deputy Arrested After Planting Drugs on Innocent People
Reason uncovered body camera footage of the officer lying about a roadside field test for drugs.
The Property-in-Property Problem in Fourth Amendment Law
A tale of two new cases on your constitutional rights when you leave your backpack with your drugs in someone else's car.
Corpus Linguistics in Court?
Two Sixth Circuit judges debate the issue, in an opinion filed today.
Malcolm Gladwell Took the LSAT. But What Did We Learn?
Thoughts on Gladwell's recent podcast on legal education.
Judge Blocks DOJ's Attempt to Switch Lawyers in the Census Citizenship Question Case
The DOJ's attempt to introduce an entirely new team of lawyers to work on the citizenship question case is rejected - correctly - by the SDNY.
Trump—Who Once Said Jeffrey Epstein 'Likes Beautiful Women as Much as I Do'—Moves to Distance Himself From the Disgraced Palm Beach Billionaire
Plus: Gabbard slams Harris' "political ploy," a fair use win for Vanity Fair and Andy Warhol, Hawaii decriminalizes marijuana, and more…
Government-Run Fora on Private Platforms, in the @RealDonaldTrump User Blocking Controversy
Whether the First Amendment applies generally turns on who is imposing a restriction (the government vs. a private party), not on whether the speech is on public or private property.
California Lawmakers Pass Bill Limiting Police Use of Deadly Force
Officers will now have to argue that killing was necessary and not just say they had a fear they were in danger.
An Iowa Man Wins His Free Speech Suit After Being Charged for a Facebook Rant Against a Cop
Jon Goldsmith was charged with third-degree harassment after calling Deputy Cory Dorsey a "stupid sum bitch" online.
Is social media a disease, and how do we treat it?
Episode 271 of the Cyberlaw Podcast with Glenn Reynolds
On the Eve of Oral Argument in Texas v. U.S.
A quick round up and response to Josh Blackman and Randy Barnett
Is Facial Recognition the New Fingerprinting—or Something Much Worse?
State DMVs are building a vast national digital identification database for federal law enforcement.
U.S. Citizens Are at Risk of Detention and Deportation
Increased immigration enforcement at times sweeps in Americans
My Concluding Thoughts on Severability in Texas v. U.S.
Severability doctrine & the ACA findings seem to support Judge O'Connor's ruling
Jeffrey Epstein in Court Today on Sex Trafficking Charges
Plus: How the French could kill U.S. speech, do economic centrists exist?, and more...
The Law of the Ice Cream Tub Licker
Licking an ice cream tub in a supermarket and putting it back -- is that second-degree felony "tampering with consumer product" in Texas?
Venezuelan Government Uses Arbitrary Arrests, Torture, and 'Death Squads' to Keep Order, U.N. Finds
A new report from the U.N.'s High Commissioner for Human Rights finds a "shockingly high" number of politically motivated extrajudicial killings.
Court Says Purdue Violated Student's Due Process Rights
"Purdue's process fell short of what even a high school must provide to a student facing a days-long suspension."
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Cell phone radiation, bikini baristas, and an onslaught of horribles.
She Told Him to Kill Himself. He Did. Should She Be Held Responsible?
HBO documentary explores teen’s culpability in boyfriend’s suicide.
Are Con Law Professors Wrong Again About the Individual Mandate?
The state AG's current challenge to Obamacare is stronger than they say
What the Declaration of Independence Said and Meant
It officially adopted the political theory of the United States: securing the individual rights of We the People
Here's What's Standing in the Way of Your Independence Day Fireworks
From fireworks task forces to local snitches.
Alabama Prosecutor Will Drop Charges Against Marshae Jones for Miscarrying After She Was Shot
Sanity prevails (for now) in Alabama case that sparked national outrage.
Indiana Is Still Arguing That It's Constitutional To Seize Your Car for Driving 5 MPH Over the Speed Limit
"Historically the answer to that question is yes, and we're sticking with that position here."
Police Agree To Pay Woman $750,000 After Raiding Her House and Killing Her Dog Over an Unpaid Gas Bill
The case highlights the dangers of using SWAT teams for anything and everything.
A Louisiana Cop Is Out of Prison Early After Fatally Shooting a 6-Year-Old
Two police officers fired 18 bullets into a car even after the driver put his hands in the air.
