Albuquerque's Police Chief Ran a Red Light and Broadsided a Car. A Review Board Says It Was Unavoidable.
Harold Medina, who severely injured a driver while fleeing a gunman, ordered a thorough investigation of his own conduct.
Criminal Justice
Kansas Police Facing Lawsuit After Conducting 'Illegal' Raid Against Small-Town Paper
Last year, the offices of the Marion County Record were raided by police. A new lawsuit claims the search was illegal retaliation against the paper.
Drug Dealers Did Not Kill Cecilia Gentili. Prohibition Did.
If drug warriors really wanted to punish "those responsible" for the transgender activist's death, they would start by arresting themselves.
Texas Takes Intellectually Disabled Inmate Off Death Row
Randall Mays, who has an IQ of 63, was resentenced to life without parole.
Parents Investigated for Letting 7-Year-Old Get a Cookie From the Store
"You just can't raise kids like that anymore—it isn't safe," the cops told the Widner family.
Judge Quashes Felony Murder Charges Against Former Houston Cop Whose Lies Led to a Deadly 2019 Drug Raid
Gerald Goines' lawyers argued that the indictment did not adequately specify the underlying felony of tampering with a government document.
FBI Agent Says He Hassles People 'Every Day, All Day Long' Over Facebook Posts
"It's just an effort to keep everybody safe and make sure nobody has any ill will," he claimed.
Review: Violation Podcast Dissects the Broken U.S. Parole System
How do we decide who is worthy of a second chance?
Squatters Invaded His Mom's House—so He Fought Back
Thanks to "squatters' rights" laws, evicting a squatter can be so expensive and cumbersome that some people simply walk away from their homes.
A 5th Albuquerque Cop Resigns Amid Widening DWI Corruption Scandal
"There is a much bigger story here," the officer's lawyer says. "It goes outward and upward."
Dr. Kevorkian Was Convicted of Murder 25 Years Ago Today
Examining the mixed legacy of a fighter for patient autonomy.
This Colorado Bill Would Abolish the Right to Armed Self-Defense in Many 'Sensitive Places'
Legislators are taking a page from constitutionally dubious state laws that make carry permits highly impractical to use.
Byzantine Tax Laws Threaten To Make Us All Tax Cheats
The Department of Justice is suing several tax preparers for filing fraudulent returns, but even honest filers risk running afoul of tax laws.
Lawsuits Allege Michigan Sheriffs Colluded To End In-Person Jail Visits and Price Gouge Families for Calls
Two class-action lawsuits say Michigan counties take cuts of the exorbitant costs of inmate phone calls while children go months without seeing their parents in person.
Maurice Jimmerson Was Locked Up for 10 Years Without a Trial. He's Finally Free.
The Georgia man was released after making a plea deal. He spent a decade in jail before ever being convicted of a crime.
Will the Supreme Court Let Sylvia Gonzalez Sue the Political Enemies Who Engineered Her Arrest?
"Mayors should not be allowed to launder animus through warrants," the former city council member's lawyer told the justices.
Texas SWAT Team Held Innocent Family at Gunpoint After Raiding the Wrong Home
The officers are avoiding accountability after getting qualified immunity.
Peter Moskos: What Does Good Policing Look Like?
Peter Moskos, criminal justice professor and former Baltimore police officer, discusses ways to reform policing and turn failing cities around on the latest Just Asking Questions podcast.
Biden Decries Criminalization of Cannabis Consumers Even As He Insists They Have No Second Amendment Rights
Hours before the president said "no one should be jailed" for marijuana use, his Justice Department was saying no one who uses marijuana should be allowed to own guns.
The One-Man 'Cult' That Put St. Louis Under Surveillance
The story behind the city's ban on unlicensed drone businesses is even weirder than the ban itself.
No, Imprisoning a School Shooter's Parents Isn't Justice
James Crumbley, who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter, may be an unsympathetic defendant. But this prosecution still made little sense.
Alabama Discovers There Is No 'Humane' Way To Execute Someone
Instead of searching for gentle execution methods, states should just stop killing prisoners.
Oklahoma Autopsy Finds That a Bullied Nonbinary Student Committed Suicide
After blaming the state's bathroom law, The New York Times says "it has never been clear" whether gender identity figured in the fight that preceded Nex Benedict's death.
Coleman Hughes vs. Radley Balko: Who's Right About George Floyd?
On the latest episode of Just Asking Questions, Radley Balko debates Coleman Hughes about Hughes' recent column arguing that Derek Chauvin may have been wrongly convicted of George Floyd's murder.
RIP Marc Sandhaus, Whose Obsession With Cannabis Landraces Finally Bore Flower
The far-traveling smuggler turned breeder "never gave up" on his dream of recovering neglected marijuana strains.
Ending Fees and Fines for Juvenile Offenders is Best for Rehabilitation
A former chief judge of Delaware's Family Court argues that imposing fines and fees on juvenile offenders undermines their potential to become productive, law-abiding adults.
Louisiana Law Lets Wildlife Agents Trespass on Private Property
A lawsuit from the Institute for Justice claims the law violates the Louisiana Constitution.
Expanding the Drug War To Include Tobacco Would Be a Big Mistake
The judicially approved Brookline ban reflects a broader trend among progressives who should know better.
Interview Transcripts Support Robert Hur's Description of Biden's 'Poor Memory'
During a congressional hearing, the former special counsel caught flak from Democrats outraged by his legally mitigating but politically damaging portrayal of the president.
The Third Circuit Affirms Sanctions Against the Philadelphia D.A.'s Office for Failing to Confer with Crime Victims
The Circuit concludes that the district court appropriately sanctioned the D.A.'s Office for making misleading statements about whether it had conferred with a crime victim's family.
Biden's Inaccurate and Inadequate Lip Service to Marijuana Reform Ignores Today's Central Cannabis Issue
The president has not expunged marijuana records or decriminalized possession, which in any case would fall far short of the legalization that voters want.
Republicans Use Fuzzy Math To Claim Large FBI, ATF Cuts in Budget Bill
The total appropriations package would cut $200 billion over 10 years, as the national debt expands by $20 trillion.
Empire State Police State
Plus: Microaggression discourse, AI espionage, housing policy wins, and more...
78-Year-Old Grandmother Awarded $3.8 Million After Illegal SWAT Raid
The legal victory has been attributed to a 2020 law banning qualified immunity for police in Colorado.
New Mexico MADD 'Officer of the Year' Resigns Amid DWI Corruption Scandal
Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina, who promised to "get to the bottom of this," is himself the subject of an internal investigation after broadsiding a car last month.
After 17 Years, Feds Stop Trying To Imprison a Licensed Medical Marijuana Provider
Charlie Lynch’s ordeal is a vivid reminder of a senseless prohibition policy that persists thanks to political inertia.
The Best of Reason: Commander in Chains: 7 Scenarios If Trump Is Jailed and Wins the Election
There is nothing in the Constitution that prevents an inmate from winning the presidency.
Oregon Legislators Overwhelmingly Vote To Recriminalize Low-Level Drug Possession
The reversal of a landmark reform was driven by unrealistic expectations and unproven assertions.
A Paramedic Got 5 Years in Prison for Elijah McClain's Death. That's Not Justice.
It can certainly be true that Peter Cichuniec made an egregious professional misjudgment. And it can also be true that punishing him criminally makes little sense.
Rudy Carey Was Pardoned, but the Unjust Law That Kept Him From Working Is Still on the Books
Virginia’s barrier crime law limits employment prospects for ex-offenders, who often find their way back into the penal system when they can’t find work.
Commander in Chains: 7 Scenarios If Trump Is Jailed and Wins the Election
There is nothing in the Constitution that prevents an inmate from winning the presidency.
The Myth of the Migrant Crime Wave
The "data that exist for this year show consistent declines in major crimes in major cities."
