How Junk Science Sends Innocent People to Jail
It's time to reform our criminal justice system.
Criminal Justice
Prison Reform Bill Passes The House; Is Prison Reform Dead?
The House passed a major, bipartisan prison reform bill backed by the White House, but it's being attacked from all sides.
Stossel: Junk Science Locks Up Innocent People
DNA testing reveals that long-used forensic methods are error-riddled.
More Than 7 Million Americans May Have Suspended Licenses for Unpaid Tickets and Court Fines
The practice traps the poor in a spiral of debt, hobbling their ability to pay off their fines.
Steven Pinker Loves the Enlightenment
The Harvard psychologist splits the difference between Dr. Pangloss and Pope Francis.
Federal Prisons Scaling Back Accommodations for Transgender Inmates
New amendments to rules default to placing prisoners on the basis of their "biological sex."
A Public Defender Is Shaking Up the Race for San Diego D.A.
Genevieve Jones-Wright wanted to be a prosecutor but ended up becoming a public defender. Now she's running for D.A.
Let's Not Blame Tech Tools if This Sheriff Illegally Violated People's Privacy
Government, not private companies, is supposed to provide oversight over police behavior.
Man Protests Police Department's Violation of Speech Rights, So Cops Arrest Him
Stamford, Connecticut, police chief objects to salty language on a sign. That's not a crime.
Customs Agents Steal Money a Nurse Saved to Build a Medical Clinic in Nigeria
CBP won't return the cash unless the owner signs an illegal waiver.
Texas Town in Trouble for Spending Money Seized from Citizens on Trips, Non-Police Business
Despite the misuse, nobody involved questions that corrupt mentality that led to asset forfeiture in the first place.
Google to Purge Ads for Bail Bond Services
Company throws weight behind reformers who want to end the practice of jailing people who cannot afford to pay.
Human Trafficking Court in Delaware Shuts Down for Lack of Human-Trafficking Victims
The Delaware Criminal Justice Council found it difficult to "justify the resources that have been expend on so few" participants with such a "low rate of success."
Will Congress Pass This Absolute Unit of a Prison Reform Bill?
The FIRST STEP Act would result in the immediate release of about 4,000 federal inmates, advocates say.
Off-Duty Cop Pulls Gun on Man Buying Mentos; Police Union Condemns Fourth Amendment
Not a good weekend for relationships between officers and citizens
Libertarians Tend to Favor Immigration, But …
Libertarians also tend to favor free expression. And there appears to be a real-world trade off.
DACA and the danger of conflicting injunctions
Will the federal courts issue directly clashing national injunctions about DACA?
Short Circuit: A roundup of recent federal court decisions
Pet food puffery, suspiciously loud laughter, and the school of hard knocks.
If You Shot a Man in Reno, Why are You in California State Prison?
Herein of "Folsom Prison Blues" and criminal jurisdiction.
The Transgender Bathroom Wars Continue in State Court
The Withdrawal of the Obama-Era "Dear Colleague Letter" (which made transgender access to the bathrooms of students' self-perceived gender rather than their anatomical sex mandatory on schools) was the right thing under federal law. But now the arguments are being made under state law.
Discussions of the Freedom of the Press as Protecting Non-Press-as-Industry Writers (America)
"Freedom of the press," as I've argued in earlier posts, was understood as protecting the freedom of all to use the printing press -- not just a freedom of the profession or industry that we might call "the press."
"A Spiraling Controversy Over Anti-Semitic Comments and Conspiracy Theories Has Roiled the Washington City Government"
Rothschilds, "fake Jews," "termite[s]," Louis Farrakhan, and more.
Mike Pence Calls Lawbreaking Ex-Sheriff Joe Arpaio a 'Champion of the Rule of Law'
Because nothings says "rule of law" like a sheriff held in contempt for refusing to follow a judge's orders.
Seattle Sued Over Law Banning Landlords From Conducting Criminal Background Checks
Violators are required to take classes to reduce racial bias.
Trump Is Right: 'Collusion' Is Not a Crime
It remains unclear whether contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives violated the law.
Undocumented Immigrants Are Less Crime Prone Than Native-Borns
More undocumented immigration meant less violent crime.
Jonathan Rauch on Happiness: Why Life Gets Better After 50
Rauch is one of my favorite writers -- plus I just turned 50, so I suppose I want to believe ....
Black Gun Owner Will Give Birth in Prison After Trying to Protect 2-Year-Old Daughter from Assailant
Siwatu-Salama Ra used a legally purchased firearm to protect her family. She was sentenced to 2 years in prison.
Tentative Thoughts on the Use of Genealogy Sites to Solve Crimes
Prompted by the apparent catching of the Golden State Killer.
Tennessee Prosecutors Sunk a Bill to Reform the State's Punitive Drug-Free School Zone Law
A Reason investigation found the zones covered wide swaths of cities and buried first-time offenders under huge sentences.
The Equal Rights Amendment: Back for an Encore Performance? Well…Performance, Yes, But Actual Constitution-Making, Probably Not.
The last thing left-leaning feminists want is a constitutional amendment that would jeopardize such things as preferential treatment for woman-owned businesses.
A Jury Rejected the Charges, but He Still Has to Register As a Sex Offender for Life
New York's highest court says accusations can be considered for registration purposes even when the defendant was acquitted.
Police Body Cameras May Get Facial Recogntion
One of America's largest body camera suppliers has expressed interest in the technology.
"First Mondays" Supreme Court Podcast: Highly Recommended
I just started to listening to this a few months ago (late adopter), I know, and I'm totally hooked.
Burning Widows and Other Things That Even "Multicultural" Americans Shouldn't Tolerate
Is Maine so multicultural now that it can't bring itself to criminalize female genital mutilation within its borders? If the line on cross-cultural tolerance shouldn't be drawn there, where should it be drawn?
Shouting "Gas" in a Crowded Library -- or Whatever Is Equivalent to "Shouting" for Smell
It was a rotten durian, and "the waste will be dealt with by Environment Protection Authority officers."
Suspect Can Be Compelled to Decrypt Devices If Government Proves He Has The Ability To Do So, Court Rules
The right approach, in my view.
Did Donald Trump Jr. Admit to Violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act?
A law-nerd discussion, posted up at Lawfare.
Should U.S. Supreme Court Litigants Decline Consent for Filing of Amicus Briefs?
TL;DR summary: No, it's pointless -- as the data shows -- and it can make you look bad.
Why Can Felons Be Denied the Right to Vote?
Felons retain their free speech rights. Some recent court decisions conclude that some felons regain their Second Amendment rights. But the right to vote is different, according to the constitutional text.
