Criminal Justice
Hunter Biden's Lawyers Say the Gun Ban He Violated Is Unconstitutional, Widely Flouted, and Rarely Enforced
The president's son is seeking dismissal of three felony charges based on his illegal 2018 firearm purchase.
Civil Rights Groups Urge Federal Appeals Court To Strike Down Mississippi's Jim Crow–Era Felon Voting Ban
A broad coalition of civil rights groups and think tanks, including Reason Foundation, say that Mississippi's "mandatory, permanent, and effectively irrevocable" voting ban for certain offenders violates the Constitution.
Major Pharmacies Give Cops Patient Records Without a Warrant, Lawmakers' Investigation Finds
Three major pharmacy chains admitted to encouraging staff to hand prescription records over to law enforcement without a warrant, and without a legal review.
Ohio Vice Cop Who Got Away With Killing Sex Worker Pleads Guilty in Kidnapping Case
Andrew Mitchell, who was acquitted on state murder charges in April, plead guilty this month to abducting and detaining two sex worker victims.
Hunter Biden's Multiplying Charges Exemplify a Profound Threat to Trial by Jury
Prosecutors have enormous power to coerce guilty pleas, which are the basis for nearly all convictions.
Mississippi Cops Buried a Missing Man. His Family Only Found Out When NBC News Revealed It.
An NBC investigation revealed how Jackson, Mississippi, police keep burying people in pauper's graves after failing to inform their families about their deaths.
Law Enforcement Officers Are Part of "the People," Not Above Them
Law enforcement amicus brief against Colorado magazine ban.
Georgia Judge Issues Potentially Unconstitutional Gag Order in 'Cop City' Trial
The trial of the first of 61 defendants starts today, but the judge has seemingly forbidden any of the defendants or their attorneys from discussing the case.
Abortion 'Sanctuary Cities' Under Scrutiny in New Mexico Supreme Court
Abortion issues come before two other state Supreme Courts—in Arizona and Wyoming—this week as well.
How a Law No One Understands Brought Down Florida Drug 'Kingpins'
Jordan S. Rubin's Bizarro tells the story of the men who tried and failed to challenge the government's arbitrary rules on synthetic drugs.
Prosecutors Agree He Shot a Man in Self-Defense. They're Still Trying To Put Him in Prison.
LaShawn Craig may spend years behind bars—because the gun he used to justifiably shoot someone was unlicensed.
Taxpayer-Subsidized Seminars Train Cops To Violate the Constitution
A report from New Jersey's comptroller criticizes Street Cop Training for encouraging illegal traffic stops.
Will Abortion Issues Return to the Supreme Court?
The Court has been asked to intervene in cases involving abortion pills and criminal prosecution of abortion doctors.
FBI Seized $86 Million From People Not Suspected of Any Crime. A Federal Court Will Decide if That's Legal.
On Thursday, a federal appeals court will hear about the FBI's "blatant scheme to circumvent" the Fourth Amendment.
Alabama Police Officer on Leave After Viral Video Shows Her Tasing Handcuffed, Compliant Man
The Alabama State Bureau of Investigation is now looking into the incident as well.
Want To Challenge Your Speed Camera Ticket? That'll Be $100.
Only 536 people live in this Ohio town that issues 1,800 speeding tickets per month.
Photo: The 'My Boxes' Theory of Trump's Records Case
"I don't want you looking through my boxes," Donald Trump told his lawyers, according to court documents.
Wyoming Cop Assaulted a Disabled 8-Year-Old, Then Deleted the Body Camera Footage, Lawsuit Claims
A new lawsuit alleges that Deputy Benjamin Jacquot, a school resource officer, slammed an 8-year-old's face into a conference room floor, causing bruises and lacerations.
Janet Reno Is No Hero
A new biography by Judith Hicks Stiehm ignores Janet Reno's many failures as attorney general.
Florida Supreme Court Rules Police Can't Use Marsy's Law To Hide Names of Officers Who Shoot People
"Marsy's Law guarantees to no victim—police officer or otherwise—the categorical right to withhold his or her name from disclosure," the Florida Supreme Court ruled.
Seattle Banned Landlords From Rejecting Tenants Based on Criminal Records. Will the Supreme Court Step in?
The political push behind the law was well-meaning. But it will backfire on many prospective renters.
How Reason Changes Minds, Lives, and Laws by Covering Criminal Injustice
Yet another reason to donate to Reason's annual webathon!
Biden Threatens To Block GOP Plan To Send 3,000 People Back to Federal Prison
The White House cited the extraordinarily low recidivism rates among those released and the savings to taxpayers in its veto threat.
Mississippi Sheriff Insists He Was Oblivious to His Drug Warriors' Long Pattern of Brutality
Years before a federal case shined a light on the problem, Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey should have known something was amiss.
Proposed L.A. Ordinance Would Require Airbnb Hosts To Get Police Permission To Operate
The regulation is part of a suite of new restrictions on hotels sought by the local hotel workers union.
A Los Angeles Jail Let a Woman Die of Withdrawal, Then a Coroner Allowed Her Body To Decompose
“I couldn’t believe it was my baby,” Amanda Bews' mother said. "She looked like she was mummified."
The Backpage Defendants Never Stood a Chance
Moral panic plus government power is an inescapably potent combination.
Two 15-Year Sentences Illustrate the Ugly Interaction of Drug and Gun Laws
The Supreme Court mulls how to apply a mandatory minimum for gun possession by people convicted of drug felonies.
Texas Troopers Killed 74 People in Vehicle Chases Since Implementing Controversial Border Program
From March 2021 to July 2023, 74 people were killed and nearly 200 were injured in vehicle chases occurring in counties affected by Operation Lone Star.
Maryland Roommates File Lawsuit After Police Shot Their Dog During Alleged Illegal Home Search
Officers barged into their house without a warrant, shot their dog, and mocked them, a federal civil rights lawsuit says.
Prosecutors Use Lyrics, Diary Entries as Evidence in Georgia RICO Cases
In separate criminal racketeering cases, prosecutors are using rap lyrics and the personal diary of a protester shot and killed by police as evidence.
Reason Can Do More Good With Your Money Than Government Can: Contribute to Our Annual Webathon
Get the warm, fuzzy feeling of dodging the taxman while supporting our journalism. Plus, cool swag!
NYPD Will Spend Nearly $400 Million to Hide its Radio Communications
NYPD radio frequencies have been open to the public since 1932. A new encrypted system will end that.
Trump Gag Order Raises Unsettled Constitutional Questions
A D.C. Circuit judge says the government’s defense of the order gives short shrift to "the First Amendment’s vigorous protection of political speech."
Marvin Guy, Who Shot a Cop During a No-Knock Raid, Is Found Guilty of Murder
He is not the first defendant that has struggled to reconcile the controversial raids with self-defense.
Goodbye to Detroit's Asset Forfeiture Racket
Wayne County was seizing cars and using its less-fortunate residents as piggy banks.
DEA's Domestic Surveillance 'Mission Creep'
It appears that DEA agents have been employed on non-drug-related investigations for far longer than they were originally authorized.
Backpage: The Monumental Free Speech Case the Media Ignored
The mere act of publishing sex ads online is enough to send most potential free speech allies scurrying for the exits.
