Criminal Justice
Hair Sample That Put a Man in Prison Turned Out to Be Dog Hair
From bite marks to shaken babies, the Center for Integrity in Forensic Sciences is debunking bad science.
Damning Justice Department Report Finds Leadership Failures Led to Botched Uvalde Police Response
"Responding officers should have immediately recognized the incident as an active shooter situation," the report found.
Aurora, Colorado, Police Detained the Wrong Guy at Gunpoint. They Gave Him a Ticket Anyway.
Police forced 44-year-old Teddy Pittman facedown on the road at gunpoint after mistaking him for a fugitive. When they let him go, they slapped him with a traffic ticket.
Alabama Set To Use Experimental Execution Method
In killing Kenneth Eugene Smith by nitrogen hypoxia, the state would be using him as a "test subject," Smith's lawyers argue.
Federal Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Reform Prosecutor Removed from Office by Ron DeSantis
"The First Amendment prevents DeSantis from identifying a reform prosecutor and then suspending him to garner political benefit," U.S. Circuit Judge Jill Pryor wrote.
D.C. Circuit Seems Skeptical of Trump's Alarmingly Broad Presidential Immunity Claim
As one appeals court judge pointed out, Trump's defense could literally let a president get away with murder.
Study Estimates Roadside Drug Tests Result in 30,000 Wrongful Arrests Every Year
Despite the well-known problems with the kits, they're used in half of the roughly 1.5 million drug arrests in this country every year.
A Suicidal 21-Year-Old Was Jailed In California. Nine Days Later, She Was Dead.
More than 20 people died while in custody of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department last year.
Maine's Bad Prostitution Law Could Be Coming Soon to Your State
Beware the “Equality Model” of sex work law reform in 2024.
Are Hispanics Following the Path of the Irish?
Economic policy commentator Noah Smith compiles evidence that the today's Hispanics are following a similar path to that of Irish-Americans in earlier eras of American history.
A Police Group's Comments on Civil Asset Forfeiture Show Exactly Why It Needs Reform
"You've got to be able to demonstrate some level of legitimacy" the head of the National Sheriffs' Association says of carrying large amounts of cash.
Hong Kong Police Targeting Overseas Activists and Speech
Police have set bounties on 13 activists, some living in the U.S.
Who Killed Elijah McClain? Mixed Verdicts Reflect a Cascade of Ultimately Fatal Mistakes.
Juries convicted two paramedics and one police officer of criminally negligent homicide but acquitted two other cops.
Fresno Police Ignored Claims of Domestic Violence. Now, the City Will Pay $500,000.
Two women reported attacks and threats from abusive ex-partners to the police. A lawsuit claimed they were ignored.
British Teen Gets Potential Life Sentence for Grand Theft Auto VI Hack
Rockstar Games told a U.K. court that it spent $5 million to recover from the hack. Is that worth the rest of a teenager's life?
Here's Why Charity Is Better at Solving Problems Than Government
Big government has been ruinous for millions of people. Charities aren't perfect, but they are much more efficient and effective.
'I Relied on Others,' 'Documents Were Filed in the Wrong Place,' and Other Memorable Excuses
The year's highlights in blame shifting.
Prediction: 2024 Will See Deadly Political Violence in the Streets
And there's still time left in 2023, the way things are going lately in New York.
The D.C. Circuit Mulls Trump's Alarmingly Broad Claim of Presidential Immunity From Prosecution
His lawyers say no jury can ever consider charges based on his "official acts" as president, which include his efforts to reverse Joe Biden's election.
This Florida Republican Is All in on Criminal Justice Reform
Former state lawmaker Jeff Brandes says the Florida Legislature has "ceded its role" to high-profile Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Trump's Promise to 'Indemnify' Cops 'Against Any and All Liability' Is Absurd for 2 Reasons
Police officers already are routinely indemnified, and suing them for abuse is much harder than Trump claims.
Biden Expands Pardons for Low-Level Federal Marijuana Offenders
The pardons freed no prisoners, but the White House says they will ease the burden of a criminal record.
The Flimsy RICO Case Against Atlanta's Cop City Protestors
Law enforcement officials appear to have tarred ad hoc bands of protesters as members of an organized criminal movement.
10-Year-Old Kid Offered Probation for Peeing Behind His Mom's Car
His mom is rejecting the prosecutors' absurdly strict probation rules.
Sentencing Commission Again Proposes Restricting Judges' Use of Acquitted Conduct
Judges can sentence defendants for charges they were acquitted of by a jury, a practice that troubles criminal justice advocates, civil liberties groups, and several Supreme Court justices.
This Innocent Woman Is on the Hook for Thousands After a SWAT Team Destroyed Her Home
An error-prone investigation in search of a fugitive led police to Amy Hadley's house.
Texas' New Immigration Law Will Lead to More Policing With Less Accountability
S.B. 4 will let officers arrest people well beyond the border. It also “provides civil immunity and indemnification” for state officials who get sued for enforcing it.
5th Circuit Reluctantly Rules Against Victim of a Prosecutor Who Was Also a Law Clerk
Ralph Petty's "conflicted dual-hat arrangement" as an advocate and an adjudicator was "utterly bonkers," Judge Don Willett notes.
Video Shows Vermont State Trooper Arrest Man for Flipping Him Off
FIRE and the ACLU of Vermont are now representing the man in a free speech lawsuit.
A Tennessee Youth Detention Center Has Been Illegally Throwing Kids in Solitary Confinement
An investigation from ProPublica shows that one Knoxville-area facility is putting kids in solitary but skirting scrutiny by classifying the seclusion as "voluntary."
Colorado Cops Falsely Arrested Him for a DUI. Now He's Getting a $400,000 Settlement.
In 2020, Harris Elias was arrested for driving drunk even though tests showed he was completely sober. After filing a lawsuit, he's getting a hefty settlement payout.
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.
