Arizona Police Commander Remembers to Turn His Body Camera on For Office Romp
An officer's inappropriate use of work equipment shows the risk of hiring "second-chance officers"
Criminal Justice
Police Raided Their Home and Business, Seized Their Money, and Nearly Ruined Their Lives Over Some Weed
After two years of fighting in court, a California couple is getting back $53,000 that was seized from them through asset forfeiture.
Public Utility's Recording of Home Energy Consumption Every 15 Minutes Is A "Search," Seventh Circuit Rules
An important ruling in the wake of Carpenter v. United States.
Federal Court Rejects EPA Attempt to "Suspend" WOTUS Rule
The Trump Administration faces another legal setback in its effort to reform federal environmental regulation.
Pennsylvania Lawmakers Want to Lift the Statute of Limitations Amid the Catholic Priest Sex Abuse Report
The bill was passed unanimously by the state Senate, but has remained in the House since February 2017.
A Georgia Police Chief Is Convinced His Department Was Right to Tase a Grandmother
The 87-year-old woman was cutting dandelions with a kitchen knife.
"Rock & Roll Judges"
A fun article by Jeff Breinholt, describing how judges (and which judges) have been citing rock lyrics.
Court Tosses Out Conviction Due to Lack of Face Tattoos in Lineup
A suspected robber's ink caused an appeals court to overturn his conviction.
Arizona Lawyer Accused of Misconduct for Releasing Video of Police Beating His Client Bloody
Is police body cam footage part of the "public record"?
Matt Welch Interviews Zach Weissmueller, Libertarian State Rep. Brandon Phinney & More on Sirius XM!
From the alt-right to Twitter deactivation, bands drinking booze to presidents crowing for cronyism, we'll hash it out on Sirius XM Insight channel 121 today from 9-12 ET
Andrew Cuomo's Accidental Crime
New York's governor shouldn't be punished for unknowingly breaking the law, and neither should anyone else.
UCLA Law #11 in Scholarly Impact Rankings
GMU, another school well-represented on the blog, is #19, well above its U.S. News ranking.
Body Camera Shows School Resource Officer Handcuffing an Autistic 10-Year-Old
Officer Eric Coulston repeatedly pinned Thomas to the ground and handcuffed him after he tried to hide in a cubby hole.
Michael Drejka, Who Supposedly Could Not Be Arrested for Killing Markeis McGlockton, Is Charged With Manslaughter
Sheriff Bob Gualtieri misrepresented Florida's self-defense law while passing the buck to State Attorney Bernie McCabe.
Baltimore Cop Quits After Pummeling a Man for Disrespecting His Authority
The Saturday incident immediately prompted an investigation because it was captured on bystander video.
"US Court Authorizes Service By Twitter on Wikileaks"
A very interesting post by Ted Folkman (Letters Blogatory).
Reviews of Genesis 1-11
Reviews in New Blackfriars and the Journal of Northwest Semitic Languages
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Prolonged hostilities, threatening to complain about the police, and officers who don't turn on their recording equipment.
Rod Rosenstein Defends Bad Forensic Science
Experts warn against forms of forensic evidence that haven't been validated, but the deputy attorney general thinks that's an "erroneously narrow view."
Why Would a Mother Throw Her Kids Off a Bridge?: Podcast
A conversation with Nancy Rommelmann about her new true crime book, To the Bridge
Los Angeles Sheriff's Department
L.A. Deputy Faked Evidence—but Was Still Used as a Witness in Criminal Cases for Years
Thanks to California's union-backed secrecy laws, prosecutors and defenders alike don't know about police misconduct.
Woman Calls Cops on State Senator for Being Anti-Trump
A self-identified Trump supporter berated New York state Sen. Jesse Hamilton. Then she called the cops.
Creativity and Copyright in the Data Age
Does the rise of data-driven authorship change our intuitions about intellectual property? Does it matter?
California's Sheriff Coroner Offices Have a Glaring Conflict of Interest
Currently, sheriffs-who have an official, vested interest in officer-involved shootings-make the final cause-of-death determinations.
Officer Admitted He 'Fucked Up' After Fatally Shooting an Unarmed Man
Jonathan Roselle had only been on the police force for about six months before the fatal shooting.
Arkansas Judge Sued Over Ruthless Cycle of Jailing of Those Who Can't Pay Fines for Minor Crimes
In many cases the sentence for missing a payment is harsher than the original conviction.
Death Row Inmate to State: Just Kill Me Already
Convicted murderer Scott Dozier has already had his execution postponed twice. He says the state should "just get it done."
As Prisoners, They Can Help Fight California's Huge Wildfires. As Free People, They're Banned From Being Firefighters
California's licensing laws make it almost impossible for individuals with criminal records to become professional firefighters.
Impeachment Proceedings Against All Four West Virginia Supreme Court Justices
"The articles of impeachment charge Chief Justice Margaret Workman and Justices Robin Davis, Allen Loughry and Beth Walker with maladministration, corruption, incompetency, neglect of duty and certain high crimes." (The fifth Justice has already resigned.)
Copyright and (Un)Human Creativity
What does the rise of data-driven authorship mean for the future of art, culture, and intellectual property rights?
Utah Officer on Paid Leave After Shooting Woman Who Was Holding a Screwdriver
A county prosecutor says the cop was not justified in shooting the screwdriver-wielding woman.
Cincinnati Police Are Allowed to Tase Suspects as Young as 7 Years Old
The tasing of an 11-year-old girl highlights a police department's policies.
The Department of Education's Obama-Era Initiative on Racial Disparities in School Discipline: Wrong for Students and Teachers, Wrong on the Law—Part 3
Title VI is not a disparate impact statute, and executive agencies do not have the authority to transform it into one through rulemaking.
Mindgeek, or the Biggest Digital Streaming Platform You've Never Heard Of
The undisputed emperor of online adult entertainment, Mindgeek is a master at gathering and using data to structure and produce content.
To Our Lawyer Readers: Any Ideas I Can Use in a Writing Competition?
I'm trying to put on a 2L/3L short writing competition -- just a week, for a short brief based on a short problem.
Michigan Cop Forced an 80-Year-Old Great Grandmother To Spend a Night in Jail Over an Expired Medical Marijuana Card
Arthritic granny spent a night in the clink over lapsed paperwork
A New Jersey Family Wanted Local Kids to Read More. Then a Neighbor Called the Cops.
The family set up a mini-library-and got a visit from the police.
Federal Judges Order New Orleans Courts to Stop Shaking Down Citizens with Fees, High Bail
When half of a court's funding comes from criminal defendants, incentives get twisted.
NYC Guarantees Free Phone Calls for Inmates
New York, where three-quarters of inmates in city jails haven't been convicted, is the first city in the nation to do this.
Rare Obscenity-as-to-Minors Conviction for Showing a Non-Porn Movie
A 2016 Ohio appellate case I recently came across.
From Red Envelopes to Red Carpets: How Netflix Conquered Hollywood
William Goldman famously said about Hollywood that "nobody knows anything." But thanks to streaming and the data it produces, Netflix knows a lot.
The Justice Department Didn't Charge Him With a Crime. It's Going to Take $39,000 from Him Anyway.
It's not a crime to travel with lots of cash. But you still might be treated like a criminal.
