Criminal Justice
Court Rules Against NYPD Union: Body Cam Footage Can Be Made Public
The NYPD's largest union was dealt a defeat in its attempt to make body cam footage confidential, but it says it might appeal.
Tennessee Bill Would Restore Felons' Voting Rights
More than 8 percent of the state's population is currently disenfranchised.
Reacting to Deadly Raid, Houston Police Chief Promises to Restrict No-Knock Warrants
Art Acevedo also said police entering homes will soon start wearing body cameras.
Houston Narc Who Lied to Justify a Deadly Drug Raid Had Been Accused of Perjury
"I don't have any indication it's a pattern," Police Chief Art Acevedo says.
Jussie Smollett Reminds Us That Some Hate Crimes Are Hoaxes—and the Statistics Are a Mess
As the investigation turns on the Empire star, it's important not to confuse "reality" with "narrative."
C.I. Whose Heroin Buy Led to a Deadly Houston Drug Raid Does Not Seem to Exist
An application for a warrant to search a narcotics officer's cellphone reveals that police have been unable to identify the informant.
Trump Wants To Raid an Asset Forfeiture Black-Box Fund To Build His Border Wall
"Exactly what sources and what individuals this money comes from is obscure, and it's obscure because that's the way the federal government wants it."
Michigan Governor Pardons Drunk Driver, Leaves Thousands of Prisoners Waiting for Their Second Chance
Gov. Rick Snyder's clemency record could have been a lot better.
Wyoming State Senator Invokes Jesus Dying to Defend Death Penalty
There's so much wrong with her argument.
Reports Claim Jussie Smollett Allegedly Staged Hate Crime Attack; Police Say News Is 'Unconfirmed, Inaccurate'
Police, Fox contradict local reporters' claims.
Spending Bill Ignores Promised Funding for Major Criminal Justice Reform Passed Last Year
The FIRST STEP Act was supposed to get $75 million to fund reentry programs and job training. That's missing from the budget bill being voted on Thursday.
South Carolina Lawmakers Introduce Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill After News Investigation Reveals Abuses
South Carolina would become the fourth state to abolish the practice of seizing property without a criminal conviction.
Marijuana Activist Who Live-Streamed Meeting With Congressional Staffer Charged With 'Illegal Wiretap'
Rep. Andy Harris's (R-Md.) office refuses to say whether the congressman supports prosecution of the young activist.
One Year Later, Parkland Remains a Stunning Example of Police Incompetence
The mass shooting became a story about gun control. But it's also a story of incomprehensible government failure.
Last Year Saw 'Furthest-Reaching Attempt to Censor Online Speech' Since the 1990s, Say FOSTA Challengers
As the lawsuit against FOSTA hits appeals court, three essays about the law that everyone should read.
Happy Valentine's Day, From The Police State
Roses are red, violets are blue. The state is violence.
ACLU Releases Model Legislation To Unlock the 'Black Box' of Prosecutor Secrecy
"They're the most powerful player in the criminal justice system. It's really important to know how they use that discretion behind closed doors."
'Sex Offenders Are Not Second-Class Citizens,' Says Judge While Nixing Alabama Rules on First Amendment Grounds
The decision rejects driver's licenses labeled "CRIMINAL SEX OFFENDER" and a broad demand for reports on internet use.
Facebook Is Calling the Cops on Sad Users: Reason Roundup
Plus: Rapper 21 Savage released from ICE custody and more details on how Homeland Security scammed immigrant students
Gitmo Preps for an Upgrade
This monument to the war on terror is still open, and it's costing taxpayers a fortune.
London To Require GPS Trackers for Certain Residents Convicted of 'Knife Possession'
The latest in London Mayor Sadiq Khan's war on knife ownership.
Here Is What Police Found (and Didn't) After Deadly Houston Drug Raid
The search warrant inventory does not include any evidence of drug dealing.
San Francisco's Accidental Surveillance State and the Future of Privacy
Good intentions, private fears, and innovative entrepreneurs vying for government contracts are killing privacy in public places.
The SUV That's About To Change Asset Forfeiture Rules Nationwide
The future of civil asset forfeiture law in the United States now revolves around a single Land Rover.
The Supreme Court's Recent Religious Liberty/Death Penalty Decision is Bad -- But Not Quite as Bad as Many Think
The justices were wrong to reject a religious discrimination claim in a case where a person sentenced to death was not allowed access to a Muslim cleric at the moment of death. But the decision was not the result of anti-Muslim bigotry.
Watch Glendale Cops Taser a Man 10 Times, Handcuff Him, Pull His Pants Down, and Taser His Groin Area
"I have never seen anything like this before... this is beyond the pale."
The Chemists and the Cover-Up
Sloppy forensics, drug skimming, and prosecutorial misconduct forced Massachusetts to throw out 47,000 convictions.
Predator Documents Child Sex Abuse—and the Lackluster Response—in Indian Communities
Rather than investigating claims against a pediatrician, he was shuffled around. Sound familiar?
Houston Cop Involved in Deadly Drug Raid Relieved of Duty Due to 'Ongoing Questions'
The questions reportedly relate to a search warrant affidavit that described drugs and a gun police never found.
N.C. Mom Says SWAT Team 'Terrorized' Her 6-Year-Old Autistic Son
"My son with autism was forced out of the home with military-style rifles aimed at him and made to sit on the cold, wet ground for over an hour."
New York Police Killed Her Son, Then Refused to Answer Her Questions. The Law They're Hiding Behind Could Soon Be Repealed.
An obscure provision designed to protect personnel records makes it nearly impossible to hold the state's cops accountable.
The Execution of Domineque Ray
Some troubling uncertainties in a case of troubling allegations of religious discrimination
Supreme Court Rejects Stay of Execution for Alabama Inmate After Imam Not Allowed in Chamber
The Alabama prison allows a Christian chaplain in the execution chamber to pray with death row inmates, but it refused to let an imam inside.
Kirsten Gillibrand Offers Justin Fairfax's Accuser 'Support' Rather Than 'Belief'
"I support Dr. Tyson... We have to support survivors first so their claims can be fully investigated."
Cops Say Cindy McCain Didn't Catch Toddler Trafficker at Airport
Plus: Lionel Shriver on cultural erasure and Stormy Daniels on strip-club labor laws
Vanessa Tyson Details Sexual Assault Accusation Against Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, Who Denies It
"I cannot agree with a description of events that I know is not true."
Trump Decries Unjust Crack Sentences but Wants to Repeat the Mistake With Fentanyl
Reducing the thresholds for mandatory minimums in fentanyl cases will produce more injustices like the ones the president highlighted last night.
Alabama Cop 'Justified' in Killing Innocent Man, Says State Attorney General
The AG's report suggests Emantic Bradford was in the wrong for simply carrying a firearm.
One Deadly Drug Raid and Two Red Herrings
Neither gun control nor uncritical support of the police can stop the violence required by the war on drugs.
Trump Recognizes 2 Formerly Incarcerated People in State of the Union Speech
"America is a Nation that believes in redemption."
A Hemp Company Sues After Police Mistake Their Product for Weed
Idaho police seized the product and charged the driver with a felony.
