Frank Brownell Museum of the Southwest
A small and superb firearms museum in northern New Mexico
Criminal Justice
Federal Court Rules State Judges Cannot Profit From Fines and Fees Imposed on Defendants in the Cases Before Them
If the court that hears the cases stands to profit from the fines paid by defendants, that's a violation of the Due Process Clause of the Constitution. The rulings have potential implications for other, similar conflicts of interest in the criminal justice system.
Sexting as Child Pornography
The highest court in Maryland finds that the State's statute prohibiting "child pornography" applies to minors who sext videos of their own sexual activity to friends.
Alabama's 'Three Strikes' Law Sent Alvin Kennard to Prison for 36 Years. He Stole $50.
The man will finally be released from prison.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Counterfeit energy drinks, nunchucks that weren’t, and the dark web
Documentary About Harvey Weinstein More Unsettling Than Any Horror Movie
Hulu's Untouchable is a relentless accounting of the mogul's sexual misdeeds.
New Orleans Magistrates Get a Cut of Fines and Bail Money, and That's a Problem
Two federal court rulings cite a significant conflict of interest.
A DEA Agent Got a Drug Dealer to Buy a Truck So the Agent Could Seize it Through Asset Forfeiture
Former DEA special agent Chad Scott has been convicted of perjury, obstruction of justice, and falsifying government records.
A Border Patrol Agent Pleads Guilty To Hitting a Migrant in the Face While in Custody
Jason Andrew McGilvray will resign from the federal agency.
Houston Police Union Finally Stops Backing Cop Who Instigated a Deadly Drug Raid With a Phony Affidavit
The Houston Police Officers' Union is no longer covering the legal fees of Gerald Goines, who faces two murder charges.
Rapper Meek Mill's 12-Year Probation Nightmare Finally Comes to an End
Mill's legal problems are now over, but he remains involved in efforts to push for important probation reforms.
Atlanta Cop Gets Fired, Sent to Jail for Kicking, Choking Suspect
An outcome that's all too rare. Former police officer Matthew Johns attacked a suspect in September 2016, leaving the teen unconscious and with a severe concussion.
California's Top Court Finally Allows Law Enforcement Agencies to Share List of Problem Cops With Prosecutors
Powerful unions and state-mandated secrecy made it a fight to know about misconduct.
China's Mass Internment of Uighurs Is a 'Modern Cultural Genocide'
Activist Nury Turkel discusses the vast network of camps that may hold over a million Uighurs in western China.
A Man Spent 82 Days in Jail on Meth Charges. The Meth Was Actually Honey.
Government incompetence made an innocent man spend months in jail and lose both of his jobs.
'I Still Think They're Heroes,' Houston's Police Chief Says of the Cops Who Killed a Couple During a Fraudulent Drug Raid
While the narcotics officers charged with murder and evidence tampering were bad eggs, Art Acevedo says, their colleagues acted "in good faith."
Did Trump's 2016 Rallies Trigger a 226% Increase in Local Hate Crimes? Not Exactly.
The study at the source of the viral headline was limited to counting anti-Semitic incidents, many of which were not criminal in nature.
Secret Memos Show the Government Has Been Lying About Backpage All Along
Sealed memos fought over in federal court last week show authorities have known for years that claims about Backpage were bogus.
Ex-Sheriff and Failed Senate Candidate Joe Arpaio Announces He Will Run for Maricopa County Sheriff Again
Arpaio lost his re-election bid in 2016 and was later convicted of criminal contempt by a federal judge.
My Upcoming Speaking Engagements [Updated]
My upcoming public speaking engagements over the next several months - almost all of which are free and open to the public.
Houston Narcotics Cop Who Instigated a Deadly Drug Raid Is Charged With Murder
Gerald Goines justified the raid, which killed a middle-aged couple, based on a heroin purchase that apparently never happened.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Crazy pills, a toy gun, and an anomalous elector.
Another Court Invalidates 2015 WOTUS Rule
As we await the Trump Administration to finalize a new definition of "waters of the United States," federal courts continue to reject the Obama Administration's effort
Judge Don Willett Butts Heads With Fellow Trump Appointees Over Qualified Immunity for Cops
“Modern immunity practice—essentially 'heads government wins, tails plaintiffs lose'—leaves many victims violated but not vindicated."
When Governments Act on Fear and Panic, Injustice Is Often the Result
It's necessary to confront the threat of white nationalism on the political right, but it must be done without handing new powers to law enforcement and government.
North Carolina Court Deepens Split on Private Searches of Digital Evidence
An important Fourth Amendment issue that may be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Court Rules Cop Who Shot Unarmed 15-Year-Old Is Protected by Qualified Immunity
The ruling once again shows the legal disgrace that is qualified immunity.
Lawsuit: Florida Inmate Thrown In Solitary for Biting Guard While Having Seizure
Dean Higgins claims he was put in a cell that regularly flooded with raw sewage for seven months after he bit a guard while having an involuntary seizure.
Florida Cops Arrest a 15-Year-Old Boy for Joking About Perpetrating a Mass Shooting
"Joke or not, these types of comments are felonies under the law," says the Volusia County Sheriff's Office
Is Your Hometown Balancing Its Budget by Fining Everybody It Can? Here's How To Find Out.
Governing puts together a database of cities and towns addicted to money from fines and forfeitures.
China Escalates Hong Kong Conflict By Detaining Consulate Staffer
Simon Cheng Man-kit, a staffer at the British Consulate in Hong Kong, hasn't returned from a trip he took to mainland China nearly two weeks ago.
Texas Is Executing a Man Tonight for a Murder and Rape Experts Say He Didn't Commit
Forensic experts claim there is no way Larry Swearingen raped and killed Melissa Trotter. The state is still putting him to death.
States May Not Cancel Votes of "Faithless" Presidential Electors
So a Tenth Circuit panel held yesterday.
It Wasn't Just a Chokehold That Killed Eric Garner
His death resulted from a violent confrontation that never should have happened.
The Fifth Circuit Divides on Qualified Immunity, and Originalism
Judges Ho and Oldham: "Originalism for plaintiffs, but not for police officers, is not principled judging. Originalism for me, but not for thee, is not originalism at all."
4 Businessmen Used Cash and Casino Chips as Bribes to Secure Mississippi Prison Contracts
They're the latest to plead guilty in the Mississippi Department of Corrections bribing scheme.
My Review of an Important New Book on the Supreme Court's Impact on American Federalism
The book by political scientist Michael Dichio argues that the Court has done more to promote centralization than protect states, and is the most thorough analysis to date, of this longstanding issue..
Bernie Sanders Calls for Legalizing Marijuana and Curtailing Asset Forfeiture in Sprawling Criminal Justice Plan
Sanders' plan takes aim at every part of the justice system, including typical Sanders targets like private prisons and corporate "profiteers."
Prosecution of Unauthorized Abortion Pill Websites Begins
Ursula Wing sold abortion drugs to U.S. customers and is now charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Interesting New York Times Slavery Project Hobbled by Anti-Capitalism
Also: the politics of recession, Bernie's criminal justice plan, and stanning for Barry Manilow, all on the Reason Podcast
Justice Department Shakes Up Bureau of Prisons Leadership Following Jeffrey Epstein's Death
Criminal justice reformers say the federal prison system is in desperate need of more oversight.
