Criminal Justice
Ron DeSantis Signs Florida Law Setting Lowest Threshold for Death Penalty Sentences in the Country
Florida will now only require an 8–4 majority for a jury to recommend a death sentence. Alabama is the only other state that allows split juries to recommend death sentences.
New York City Should Have Always Smelled Like Pot
The smell of weed in the streets is a sign of progress and tolerance, not decline.
Death of 'Cop City' Protester Ruled a Homicide
Plus: The EARN IT Act is back (again), SCOTUS postpones abortion pill decision until Friday, and more...
Federal Pot Possession Cases Plummet
The trend is driven by a huge drop in prosecutions in Arizona, the U.S. Sentencing Commission reports.
Georgia Jail Officials Resign After Inmate Found Dead and Covered With Insects
"They put that man in that cell, left him there to die," said an attorney for the man's family. "And that's exactly what happened."
Intervening to Stop "True Threats" from Delusional Stalkers and Devious Stalkers
Today's oral argument in Counterman v. Colorado--the "true threats" case--highlights the importance of protecting stalking victims from objectively threatening communications.
Supreme Court Decides to Hear Important Asset Forfeiture Procedural Property Rights Case
The Court will determine whether the Due Process Clause prevents the government from using asset forfeiture to seize property and hold it for many months without a timely hearing.
Reporter Detained in Russia Faces Arduous Path to Freedom
Evan Gershkovich was arrested in Russia last month on espionage charges. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in a penal colony.
The Supreme Court Will Decide Whether You Have a Right to a Prompt Hearing After Cops Seize Your Property
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear two consolidated cases by Alabama women whose cars were both seized for more than a year before courts found they were innocent owners.
Will Ohio Kill The Death Penalty?
Recent efforts from the governor, the attorney general, and state legislators suggest the state is moving away from capital punishment.
Judge Rules New York State Police Must Disclose Misconduct Records
It's been nearly three years since New York repealed its police secrecy law, and departments are still fighting to hide misconduct records.
She Told Jail Employees That She Was 'Throwing Up Blood.' They Ignored Her. The Next Day, She Was Dead.
"They had a duty to protect her," says Ta'Neasha Chappell's sister. "She was not attended to because she was a Black woman and they didn't feel like she was worth getting any attention."
New York City Brings Back Dystopian Robot Police Dogs
'Digidog is out of the pound," New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared, not ominously.
Lawsuit Claims Portland Police Shot Unarmed Homeless Man, Then Ate Pizza While His Body Lay on the Ground
Robert Delgado's family is now seeking damages.
Police Release Body Camera Footage of Louisville Bank Shooting That Killed 5
Plus: Fact-checking the Twitter Files fact check, The Super Mario Bros. Movie's alleged lack of wokeness, and more...
Was Anyone Victimized by Trump's 34 Alleged Felonies?
The case against the former president is both morally dubious and legally shaky.
Democrats Choose to Advertise Failures of Single-Party Democratic Rule by Holding the 2024 DNC in Chicago
After a century of Democratic mismanagement, Chicago is hemorrhaging population, catastrophically underfunding massive pension promises, and taxing the bejeebus out of its crime-scarred residents.
Debate: Mentally Ill Homeless People Must Be Locked Up for Public Safety
Have we forgotten the era of mass institutionalization?
Most Americans Say New York Charges Against Trump Are 'Serious'
Headlines about the 34 alleged felonies seem to have obscured newly revealed information about the weakness of the charges.
Oklahoma Almost Killed Him 3 Times. Now, the State Is Trying To Vacate His Conviction.
"It is critical that Oklahomans have absolute faith that the death penalty is administered fairly and with certainty," said the state's attorney general in a Thursday press release.
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.
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.
