Criminal Justice
Viral Story About Bogus Viral Story Was Also Bogus
Corey Harris attracted widespread news coverage—including from Reason—when a video showed him behind the wheel during a court hearing about a suspended license. Except he never had a license at all.
A Jumble of Legal Theories Failed To Give Trump 'Fair Notice' of the New York Charges Against Him
The lack of a clear rationale for charging Trump with 34 felonies raises a due process issue that is likely to figure in his appeals.
Red States Are Reversing Criminal Justice Reform
Republican lawmakers are undoing bipartisan measures against unjust prison sentences and punitive policies.
Woman Struck by Train While Locked in Police Car To Get $8.5 Million Settlement
Yareni Rios was severely injured after a train struck a police car she had been placed in after being arrested in 2022.
Arizona Voters Will Weigh Ballot Initiative To Make Illegal Border Crossing a State Crime
Law enforcement could arrest those they suspect of crossing into the state illegally—and they’d be “immune from liability for damages.”
Donald Trump and Hunter Biden Face the Illogical Consequences of an Arbitrary Gun Law
Their cases illustrate the injustice of taking away people’s Second Amendment rights based on nonviolent crimes
Hunter Biden's Trial Highlights a Widely Flouted, Haphazardly Enforced, and Constitutionally Dubious Gun Law
The president's son, who is charged with crimes that violated no one's rights, theoretically faces up to 25 years in prison.
Federal Supervised Release Is a Wasteful Mess. A Bipartisan Bill in Congress Is Trying To Fix That.
The Safer Supervision Act would create an off-ramp for those with good behavior to petition to have their supervised release sentences terminated early.
Should Donald Trump Have Been Convicted?
Plus: A single-issue voter asks the editors for some voting advice in the 2024 presidential election.
New York and New Jersey Want To Let Felons Serve on Juries. Here's Why.
Bans have resulted in what some have called the "whitewashing" of American juries.
Does Donald Trump's Conviction in New York Make Us Banana Republicans?
Welcome to a system in which laws and regulations are weaponized by the powerful against opponents.
Photo: Cops Crack Down on Campus Protests
The University of Texas is just one campus that has seen police arrest pro-Palestine demonstrators.
Trump's Conviction Requires Him To Surrender His Guns. Civil Libertarians Should Be Troubled.
The former president's loss of his Second Amendment rights highlights an arbitrary restriction that applies to many people with no history of violence.
SWAT Goes to College
Even in an era of police militarization, there’s something shocking about seeing cops in riot gear on college campuses.
Colorado Will Replace Cops With Drones for Some 911 Calls
While drones are less likely to shoot or maim innocent civilians, they could also pose privacy issues.
The Prosecution's Story About Trump Featured Several Logically Impossible Claims
Whatever Trump did after the 2016 presidential election, it seems safe to say that it did not retroactively promote his victory.
First Felon
Plus: The L.P. candidate for president, flooding in Brazil, TikTok influencers going after rich husbands, and more...
Trump's Conviction Suggests Jurors Bought the Prosecution's Dubious 'Election Fraud' Narrative
There was a glaring mismatch between the charges against the former president and what prosecutors described as the essence of his crime.
These Strange Bedfellows Want SCOTUS To Remind the 5th Circuit That Journalism Is Not a Crime
An ideologically diverse mix of individuals and organizations supports a Texas journalist who was arrested for asking questions.
A Missouri Police Officer Shot a Blind and Deaf Dog. Now He's Being Sued.
The town of Sturgeon initially defended the officer, saying he was afraid of being bitten by the 13-pound blind and deaf Shih Tzu.
This Journalist Was Arrested, Strip-Searched, and Jailed for Filming Police. Will He Get Justice?
Justin Pulliam's arrest and lawsuit once again demand we ask if "real" journalists are entitled to a different set of rights.
Trump Jury Instructions Invite Conviction Based on a Hodgepodge of Dubious Theories
The judge said the jurors need not agree about the "unlawful means" that Trump allegedly used to promote his 2016 election.
Trump Decries Disproportionate Drug Penalties While Threatening Dealers With Death
The former and possibly future president hopes voters will overlook his incoherence.
Prosecutors Say Trump Tried to 'Hoodwink the American Voter,' Which Is Not a Crime
Closing arguments in the former president's trial highlight the mismatch between the charges and the "election fraud" he supposedly committed.
'An Embarrassing Mistake': Neil Gorsuch Rails Into Florida's Use of 6-Person Juries
The Sixth Amendment was originally seen as vital to preserving liberty. Yet it has been consistently watered down.
California Man Gets $900,000 Settlement for 'Psychological Torture' During 17-Hour Police Interrogation
Detectives in Fontana, California, told Thomas Perez Jr. that his father was dead and that he killed him. Neither was true.
The NYPD Took 7 Years To Fire This Cop. Then the Union Hired Him.
In practice, police unions' primary responsibility seems to be shielding officers from accountability and defending their conduct no matter what.
Trump, Who Wants To Execute Drug Dealers, Promises To Free Ross Ulbricht
Ulbricht is serving two life sentences plus 40 years in connection with the Silk Road, an online marketplace he founded and operated where users could buy and sell illegal substances.
Is Minneapolis a 'Secret Bellwether' for Understanding Policing and Race in America?
The Minneapolis Reckoning shows why calls to defund the police gained momentum after George Floyd's death and why voters with no love for the cops still rejected an abolitionist ballot measure.
Prosecutors Are Still Hedging on Exactly What 'Crime' Trump Tried To 'Aid' or 'Conceal'
This week the judge presiding over Trump's trial ruled that jurors do not have to agree on any particular legal theory.
Trump's Anti-Crime Agenda Contradicts His Criticism of Biden's Legislative Record
Since he favors aggressive drug law enforcement, severe penalties, and impunity for abusive police officers, he may have trouble persuading black voters that he is on their side.
The Criminal Charges Against Scottie Scheffler Look Highly Questionable
Detective Bryan Gillis alleges the star golfer assaulted him. Footage released today does not help his story.
3 People Died of Thirst in a Texas County Jail in Under 2 Years
All three inmates were mentally ill and became dehydrated despite ready access to water.
Why Is the Economy So Weird Right Now?
Plus: Samuel Alito's bad flags, simping for marijuana, and more...
A Cop's Corruption Allegedly Cost an Innocent Man 2 Years of His Life. Should She Get Qualified Immunity?
Judge Carlton Reeves ripped apart the legal doctrine in his latest decision on the matter.
Justice Department Sues Oklahoma Over Law That Would Imprison Undocumented Immigrants
State law enforcement groups have warned that H.B. 4156 “conflicts with many existing directives” and could “destroy” their relationships with immigrant communities.
Alvin Bragg's Case Against Trump Presents a Tangle of Interacting Laws and Intent Puzzles
To convert a hush payment into 34 felonies, prosecutors are relying on a chain of assumptions with several weak links.
House Passes a Bill To Create Independent Oversight of the Troubled Federal Prison System
Staff shortages and chronic corruption have plagued the Bureau of Prisons for years, exposing inmates to abuse and whistleblowers to retaliation.
