Criminal Justice
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?
An Oregon Man Was Wrongly Imprisoned for Almost a Year Because of an Error in a DMV Database
The Oregon DMV knew about the problem, but it "wasn't at a high enough level to understand the urgency" of the need to fix it.
States Try To Reform Prostitution Laws—for Better and Worse
New bills in six states showcase some right and wrong ways to help sex workers, from full decriminalization to ramping up penalties for prostitution customers.
Police Found a Blunt in Their Car. So They Seized Their Kids.
"Then my baby started crying so I reached for my son, and as I'm reaching, a man held me and told me, 'Don't touch him. He's getting taken away from you,'" said the children's mother.
CDC Inflated Data About Teen Girls and Sexual Assault
Plus: Lack of independence could cause childhood mental health issues, Biden follows Trump playbook on TikTok, and more...
Bill Bratton: Fighting Crime Without Shredding Civil Liberties
The former head of the NYPD and the LAPD talks about how bad leadership creates police brutality and why he's still against pot legalization.
Women Who Get Abortions Could Be Charged With Homicide Under South Carolina Bill
Plus: ACLU sues over low-flying helicopter during protests, Canada's Online News Act, and more...
Louisville Police Abuses Show Civil Liberties Are Meaningless Without Accountability
Supervisors and judges tolerated outrageous constitutional violations, including illegal searches and brutal assaults.
The DOJ Says Marijuana Use, Which Biden Thinks Should Not Be a Crime, Nullifies the Second Amendment
Even as the president bemoans the injustice of pot prohibition, his administration insists that cannabis consumers have no right to arms.
The Drug Exception to the Second Amendment
Conservatives have been slow to recognize the threat that drug prohibition poses to gun rights and other civil liberties.
Rampant Plea Bargaining Is a Raw Deal for Defendants
A new report details how plea bargaining can hurt defendants and warps the justice system.
A Police Officer Shot and Killed a 17-Year-Old Boy as He Fled. Now, His Mother Is Suing.
"I hurt every day," said the victim's mother. "I cry all day, every day."
Transforming Stormy Daniels' Hush Payment Into a Felony Would Reinforce Trump's 'Witch Hunt' Complaint
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg reportedly intends to prosecute Trump for falsifying business records.
Lawsuit: Prosecutors Filed Bogus Charges Against Detroit Man in Retaliation for Challenging Seizure of Car
The Institute for Justice says Robert Reeves' First Amendment rights were violated when prosecutors filed and refiled baseless felony charges against him after he sued to get his car back.
Mask On, Mask Off: New York Trying Everything Except Not Telling People What To Do
Mayor Eric Adams frets that COVID-19 masks are making it too easy for shoplifters to evade facial recognition.
California's K9 Reform Bill Is Barking Up the Wrong Tree
Police dogs seriously injured 186 people within the last two years—more than batons or tasers did, according to the ACLU.
Let Massholes Be Massholes, Says Bay State's High Court
Criticism of public officials doesn't have to be polite, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court confirmed.
Rape Rates Go Down as Countries Legalize Prostitution, Rise With Sex Work Prohibition
Plus: States move to stop cops from lying to kids, Biden wants to raise Medicare taxes, and more...
Cops Harass Parents Who Let 6-Year-Old Daughter Take a Walk Outside, Arrest Dad
He did "what any dad would—he went to hug his crying kid," says former town councilman Keith Kaplan.
These New Laws Stop Cops From Lying to Kids
Yes, even children should have access to an attorney.
Tucker Carlson Describes the Capitol Riot as 'Mostly Peaceful Chaos.' Is He Wrong?
Video footage and arrest data indicate that most of the Trump supporters who invaded the building did not commit violent crimes.
Michigan Appeals Court Weighs Charging Parents of School Shooter With Manslaughter
Judges and prosecutors accused James and Jennifer Crumbley of negligent behavior despite the fact that school officials at the time reached many of the same judgments.
Justice Department Probe Finds Illegal, Violent, and Discriminatory Policing in Louisville, Kentucky
The two-year investigation, launched after the police killing of Breonna Taylor, concluded that Louisville police routinely used invalid search warrants and failed to knock and announce their presence.
Beating Crime Without Sacrificing Civil Liberties: Live With ex-NYC Police Commissioner Bill Bratton
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET for a discussion with former New York City police commissioner Bill Bratton about the new documentary "Gotham."
Department of Homeland Security
DHS Just Turned 20. It's Time To Abolish It.
Break it up into fewer, smaller agencies that are more accountable to pre-9/11 departments.
After Approving Medical Marijuana 5 Years Ago, Oklahoma Voters Reject Broader Legalization
A ballot initiative that would have allowed recreational use was defeated by a large margin in a special election.
