5 Years After the Backpage Shutdown, Sex Workers—and Free Speech—Are Still Suffering
As former Backpage execs await their August trial, the shutdown is still worsening the lives it was supposed to improve.
Criminal Justice
New Mexico Cops Fatally Shoot Homeowner After Showing Up at the Wrong House
Plus: Los Angeles sues journalist who published police photos, IRS releases $80 billion budget plan, and more...
New Lawsuit Alleges That Kansas City Police Department Set Illegal Ticket Quotas for Officers
"KCPD has continuously and repeatedly advised Plaintiff and his fellow officers that if they did not fulfill a 'ticket quota' then they would be kicked out of the unit," the complaint states.
Trump Commuted His Sentence. Now the Justice Department Is Going To Prosecute Him Again.
Philip Esformes' case is a story about what happens when the government violates some of its most basic promises.
Idaho Takes Aim at Interstate Travel for Abortion. Health Care Providers Are Suing.
Plus: Australia's failed news media bargaining code, two ways government created an Adderall shortage, and more...
Mom Who Was Arrested for Letting 14-Year-Old Babysit Has Finally Been Cleared
"I didn't know if this would ever end," says Melissa Henderson. "I'm very relieved. A heaviness has lifted."
Prosecutors Are Still Hazy About What Crime Trump Was Trying To Conceal by Falsifying Business Records
The continuing ambiguity reflects the legal challenges that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg faces in transforming one hush payment into 34 felonies.
He Got 30 Years for Murder After a Cop Killed His Friend
Lakeith Smith's case epitomizes the issues with the "felony murder" doctrine.
With the Trump Arraignment, Americans Are Seeing the Power of the Local Prosecutor
Alvin Bragg's case against Donald Trump has put the once-obscure position of district attorney into the national spotlight.
Trump's Indictment Illustrates How the Wackos Have Hijacked Politics
Also: The sensitivity readers come for sci-fi anarchist Ursula Le Guin, how foreign trade can make American supply chains more resilient, and more...
Dump the Politicized Case Against Trump and Make Way for Serious Investigations
The New York charges look weak, and Americans think they’re politically motivated.
Trump's New York Indictment Turns One Hush Payment Into 34 Felonies
Prosecutors are counting each record misrepresenting the former president's reimbursement of that payment as a separate crime.
He Was Exonerated of Killing His Infant, but the State Still Says He's Guilty
"Even after his 2021 exoneration, Baltimore County prosecutors have opposed Clarence receiving compensation for the injustice of being wrongfully convicted," says an attorney representing the man.
Donald Trump's Historic Indictment: 34 Counts of Business Fraud and a 'Not Guilty' Plea
Trump is charged with 34 criminal counts connected to the payment of $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016 as part of a nondisclosure agreement.
It Looks Like Donald Trump Will Finally Be Indicted Later Today
Plus: Debating whether GPT-4 actually understands language, U.S. immigration law stops a college basketball star from scoring, and more...
A 5-Year-Old Pulled Down a 3-Year-Old's Pants. The Preschool Workers Are on Trial.
"We are here because one preschooler pulled down another preschooler's pants," says defense attorney Jason Flores-Williams.
Apocalypse Tomorrow: Trump's Looming Indictment
Plus: the terrible case for pausing A.I. innovation
Police Traveled 500 Miles To Seize Girl's Pet Goat for Slaughter
A 9-year-old backed out of a deal to sell her pet goat for slaughter. Local officials and sheriff's deputies used the power of the state to force her to go through with it.
The Shaky New York Case Against Trump Reeks of Desperation To Punish a Reviled Political Opponent
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is relying on debatable facts and untested legal theories to transform minor misconduct into a felony.
Trump Indictment Could Be the Jolt His Flailing 2024 Campaign Needs
Plus: Evidence that social media causes teen health problems "isn't convincing," more states ban gender transition treatments for minors, and more...
Ron DeSantis Reportedly Plans To Portray Trump As Soft on Crime
Trump touted his support for sentencing reform as evidence of his "deep compassion," which DeSantis sees as a weakness.
A Police Officer Killed a Man for Firing 'Celebratory' Shots Into the Air. Now, He Faces a Federal Lawsuit.
"Defendant Huber intentionally fired his service weapon at Decedent and killed him with gunfire while Decedent posed no threat of death or serious bodily harm to Defendant Huber," the lawsuit states.
The Ruling Upholding the Gun Rights of People Subject to Restraining Orders Is Not As Crazy As You Might Think
The 5th Circuit noted that such orders can be issued without any credible evidence of a threat to others.
Adnan Syed's Conviction Reinstated to Protect Crime Victims' Rights
The Appellate Court of Maryland rules that the rights of the victim's family must be respected in any process that could vacate Mr. Syed's conviction—an important precedent that crime victims' rights are enforceable.
The Government Is Turning Border Surveillance on Everyday Americans
As the government sets its sights on migrants crossing the border, native-born Americans have also come under its watchful eye.
Are Americans More Antisemitic Than They Were Four Decades Ago?
The ADL's annual audit of "antisemitic incidents," which counted a record number last year, is apt to be influenced by changes in methodology and reporting behavior.
Arizona Returns $39,000 Seized From Man at Phoenix Airport Through Civil Asset Forfeiture
Police detectives accused Jerry Johnson of being a drug trafficker and seized cash he says he intended to use to buy a semitruck at auction. He was never charged with a crime.
Even After Bodycam Footage Release, Questions Remain Around Alleged Shoplifter Killed by Virginia Police
One officer was fired and another was placed on restricted duty this week, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions.
Federal Agencies Are Still Using Our Phones as Tracking Beacons
Our mobile devices constantly snitch on our whereabouts.
Ohio Cops Sue Afroman for Using Video of Them Raiding His House in Music Videos
Seven sheriff's deputies say the rapper subjected them to "embarrassment, ridicule, emotional distress, humiliation, and loss of reputation" after a drug bust on his house came up empty.
Law Enforcement Beat This Innocent Man to a Pulp. Will the Supreme Court Allow Him To Seek Recourse?
James King is once again asking the high court to rule that two officers should not receive immunity for choking him unconscious and temporarily disfiguring his face.
Lawsuit Challenges Ban on Physical Mail at California County Jail
Prisons and jails around the country have been banning physical mail and used book donations under the flimsy justification of stopping contraband.
Kids Are Stealing Hyundais and Kias. Government Officials Blame Hyundai and Kia—and TikTok.
Federal, state, and local officials will always threaten to weaponize the state against private actors they don't like. The "Kia Challenge" provides the latest example.
Sex-Trafficking Suits Against Banks That Serviced Epstein Can Proceed
Plus: American IQs may be shifting, Jack Daniel's lawsuit against dog toy maker hits SCOTUS, and more...
Filmmaker Tiller Russell Humanizes What Happened at Waco
A new Netflix documentary shows how the seeds of political polarization that roil our culture today were planted at Waco.
Idaho Likely To Authorize Execution by Firing Squad
"The firing squad, in my opinion, is beneath the dignity of the state of Idaho," said one state senator. "We have to find a better way."
Joanna Schwartz's "Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable"
An important and compelling new book on qualified immunity and other obstacles to holding law enforcement officers accountable for rights violations.
The Great COVID Rupture
Three years after "15 days to slow the spread," things almost look like they're back to normal. But they're not.
COVID-19 and the Confrontation Clause
Is testimony over Zoom consistent with a criminal defendant's Constitutional rights?
Of Course, the Trump Indictment Is Political
Plus: A listener asks the editors if the nation is indeed unraveling or if she is just one of "The Olds" now.
Police Officers Charged With Murder in 'Smothering' of Virginia Man
"What I saw today was heartbreaking," said the victim's mother. "It was disturbing, it was traumatic. My son was tortured."
Is the Manhattan D.A. Upholding or Flouting the Rule of Law by Prosecuting Trump?
The case hinges on the claim that the former president tried to cover up a campaign finance violation with which he was never charged.
New York Arrest Would Be a Gift for Trump
Plus: Libertarians ask Supreme Court to consider New York ballot access rule change, Wyoming bans abortion pills, and more...
Cruz v. Arizona's Very Odd Jurisdictional Holding
Did the Court misunderstand its "adequate and independent state ground" doctrine?
