Criminal Justice
'Lie Detectors' Do Not Detect Lies
A polygraph test does not prove Christine Blasey Ford is telling the truth-or anything else.
Judge Kavanaugh, Judicial Temperament, and the "Circus"
Kavanaugh was correct: it was a circus. But he was the one who made it a circus - and for that (apart from anything that he may or may not have done in 1982) he should not be confirmed.
Fight Fizzles Before Police Arrive; Cops Start Tasing and Arresting People Anyway
Cops were greeted by a calm scene, but the situation quickly erupted into chaos.
Swetnick Shifts Story About Kavanaugh at Rape Parties as Texts and Brawls Cast Doubt on the Judge's Own Claims: Reason Roundup
Plus: more transparency among California cops and less transparency among Instagram "influencers."
No, We're Not on the Brink of Civil War. But the Reasons Why We're Not Are Far From Entirely Reassuring.
Contrary to the fears of some pundits, the U.S. is not on the brink of civil war. But the explanation for that is far from entirely reassuring.
Kanye West Doesn't Want to Bring Back Slavery. He's Trying to Abolish It for Good.
The 13th Amendment outlaws slavery, but not for prison inmates.
California Reforms Murder Laws to Require Defendants to Actually Play a Role in the Killing
Hundreds may see their sentences overturned or shortened.
The Case for Kavanaugh
How "judicial philosophy" figures into the decision to support or oppose a nominee.
Judge Willett and Justice Sotomayor Attack Qualified Immunity for Cops
A libertarian-leaning federal judge and a liberal Supreme Court justice both make the case against qualified immunity.
This Florida Ballot Measure Is the Only Shot at Relief for Inmates Serving Draconian Sentences
Florida has rolled back some of its worst mandatory minimum laws, but the inmates sentenced under them have no relief.
Californians Will Finally Get Access to Records About Police Misconduct
Gov. Jerry Brown signs bills dramatically increasing transparency about law enforcement behavior.
Brett Kavanaugh's Illegal Beer Consumption Highlights the Perversity of Drinking Ages
The Supreme Court nominee's teenaged tippling was typical, although the law pretends otherwise.
Why Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings Should be Treated as Job Interviews, not Criminal Trials
One of the points at issue in the debate over the sexual assault accusations against Brett Kavanaugh is whether the standards of proof used by the Senate should be those appropriate to a criminal trial or those of a job interview. The latter is the superior approach.
Jeff Flake and the Hated—Yet Vital—Libertarian Center
Temperamental centrism and case-by-case decision-making, on Brett Kavanaugh and other issues, irritates nearly everyone-and is necessary.
Maryland Misdemeanor Law
What Maryland calls "misdemeanors" is very different from what other states do.
Politico Symposium on the Ford-Kavanaugh Sexual Assault Accusation Hearing
The symposium includes contributions by various legal commentators, including Bruce Ackerman, Mari Matsuda, Deborah Rhode, and myself.
MAGA Hat and Colin Kaepernick Shirt Make Kanye West a One-Man Bridge Across Our Political Chasm
Politics is not solely red and blue. Or in this case, red and white.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Interviewing prisoners, Auer deference in criminal cases, and Rand Paul's neighbor.
The American Bar Association's Lack of Transparency
The ABA president called for a delay in voting on Kavanaugh's nomination, but the ABA refuses to provide any details about this decision
The Worst Defenses for Brett Kavanaugh and Christine Ford
If you want to show your support for the accused or the accuser, stay away from these.
Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Kavanaugh for Supreme Court, With a Twist
Sen. Lindsey Graham had the quote of the day: "I think I know what happened."
Beer, Courage, and Vomit: Major Themes of the Ford-Kavanaugh Hearing
An index of recurring topics
Nashville Cop Charged With Criminal Homicide for Shooting Man in the Back as He Fled
This might be the first time a Nashville police officer has been charged for an on-duty shooting.
Philadelphia Cops Arrested for Detaining a Man Without Cause
An investigation concluded that there was no way the officers could have seen a man using drugs as they said they did.
Republicans Attack Democrats, Not Ford, Following Her Testimony Against Brett Kavanaugh
We didn't get another Anita Hill hearing. Let's consider that a small silver lining.
TSA Will Report Weed at LAX to Cops, Who Can't Do Anything About It
It makes no sense. Then again, neither does prohibition.
Dramatic Accusations and Twists Accelerate Ahead of Kavanaugh and Ford Testimony Today: Reason Roundup
Plus: Is postmodernism bad?
The Marine Le Pen Case Shows That Supposedly Enlightened France Treats Political Speech As a Crime and a Symptom of Mental Illness
The right-wing politician faces prosecution and psychiatric examination for posting pictures of ISIS atrocities.
New Kavanaugh Accuser Says Nominee Abetted Gang-Rape, Groped Girls, and Spiked Punch With Drugs at High-School Parties
The allegations were released on Twitter this morning by lawyer Michael Avenatti, who is asking for an FBI investigation.
Cop Kicks Teen Who Had Already Been Pepper-Sprayed
The officer is now under internal investigation. Some want a citizen review panel, but the chief thinks that would be "problematic."
A Sexual Assault and a Pot Club: Guess Which One Alaska Treated More Harshly?
Two high-profile crimes committed in Anchorage highlight a seemingly unequal criminal justice system.
Bloomberg and Trump Share a Love of Stop and Frisk
Both New York billionaires overestimate the program's effectiveness and overlook its constitutional defects.
Will Public Discourse Ever Recover From the Kavanaugh Hearings?: Podcast
Reason's editors discuss the latest Brett Kavanaugh revelations, Rod Rosentein's fate, and how to recover basic norms of political discourse.
New FBI Crime Report: Violent Crime Dipped Slightly Last Year
Jeff Sessions credits the dip to his tough-on-crime policies, but criminal justice groups say that's nonsense.
Dallas Cop Who Killed Botham Jean Fired for 'Adverse Conduct' During Arrest
Questions about the Botham Jean shooting won't be going away anytime soon.
Despite Marijuana Legalization Successes, Police Keep Arresting Users
New FBI statistics for 2017 even show a small increase.
Timothy Diaz Sues Police Who Confused Him with Another Timothy Diaz
There are hardly any similarities between the 26-year-old suspect and the 53-year-old man who got arrested.
20 Years in Prison for Florida Man Who Swiped $600 Worth of Cigarettes
He has prior felony convictions, but 20 years still seems harsh.
