Tough-on-Crime Cash Bail Initiatives Win in Ohio and Alabama
The debate over bail has become a polarizing flash point. But as usual, the answer is more nuanced than either Republicans or Democrats would have their bases believe.
Criminal Justice
Jackson, in First Supreme Court Opinion, Defends Death Row Inmate
In her short, yet searing dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson argues that the court should have granted the petition of an Ohio man sentenced to death after prosecutors hid a key witness' severe intellectual disability from jurors.
Some Supreme Court Justices Want the Court To Tackle More Government Abuse Cases
Unfortunately, in five separate cases today, they're outnumbered.
2 Years After Police Broke a 73-Year-Old Woman's Arm, A New Report Reveals Even More Misconduct
In 2020, police severely injured Karen Garner when they arrested her for petty theft. While two officers faced time behind bars for the incident, a newly released report makes even more misconduct public.
These Sisters Tried To Start a Business. Police Seized Their Cash and Accused Them of Being Drug Traffickers
California police seized more than $17,000 from Vera and Apollonia Ward and accused them of laundering drug money, all without charging them with a crime. The two sisters were trying to start a dog-breeding business.
Houston Prosecutors Are Keeping Cash Seized From Defendants Whose Cases Were Compromised by Police Corruption
Even in cases that hinged on the trustworthiness of demonstrably untrustworthy cops, people are still waiting to get their money back.
After Supreme Court Ruling, States Grapple With How To Define an Excessive Fine
The Supreme Court's 2018 ruling in Timbs v. Indiana revived the Excessive Fines Clause. Now state courts have to come up with tests to determine what's excessive.
Study: Text Message Reminders Can Help Stop People from Missing Parole or Probation Meetings
It’s a little thing, but thousands of people end up in jail over these types of avoidable technical violations.
This Court Case Could Make It a Crime To Be a Journalist in Texas
Priscilla Villarreal found herself in a jail cell for publishing two routine stories. A federal court still can't decide what to do about that.
Reddit Is Not Guilty of Sex Trafficking, Says Court
In a post-FOSTA world, Section 230 still protects websites from lawsuits over criminal sexual conduct by their users.
What Message Are Prosecutors Sending by Charging Paul Pelosi's Attacker With 8 State and Federal Felonies?
In addition to six state charges, David DePape faces two federal charges, each punishable by decades in prison.
Dungeons & Dragons Is Apparently Banned in Federal Prisons
State prisons around the country ban the roleplaying game, too, because of bizarre concerns about gang behavior and security threats.
In Kentucky, Legal Abortion Is on the Ballot
Voters will soon cast ballots on a constitutional amendment that seeks to explicitly remove any protections for abortion in the state's constitution.
Woman Reports Rape to Pennsylvania Cops, Winds Up In Prison for Prostitution
Plus: International attitudes about Russia and China, court rules against book publishers merging, and more...
Should Rap Lyrics Qualify as Evidence in Criminal Trials?
The music industry objects to the use of rap lyrics by prosecutors.
Why Is Texas Requiring a Guy Who Stole a Car To Register as a Sex Offender?
When states misuse sex-offender registries and apply them to any crime that involves a child, individual rights are abused.
The Babylon Bee Joins The Onion in Decrying an Ohio Law That Makes Parody a Felony
The two fake news organizations want the Supreme Court to review the case of a man who was arrested for making fun of the police.
Woman Can Sue Alabama Cops for Towing Car as Part of Town's Profiteering Scheme
A federal judge denied qualified immunity for officers accused of making up charges to get money from fines.
ATF, Enforcer of Gun Laws, Lost 'Thousands of Firearms, Firearm Parts' to Thieves
The agency should be abolished and its employees sent to seek jobs in the private sector.
Brickbats: November 2022
News of politicians, police, and bureaucrats behaving badly from around the world.
This 78-Year-Old Woman Was Arrested for Feeding the Poor
Norma Thornton of Bullhead City, Arizona, is suing for the right to help people in need.
Michigan Court Allows Town To Use Drones To Snoop Without Warrants. One Couple Is Suing.
The Institute for Justice argues evidence from warrantless searches can’t be used for zoning enforcement.
Decriminalizing Jaywalking in California Will Help Reduce Police Harassment
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill in September that will chip away at a policy that has long been criticized as enabling racially-motivated policing.
FBI Reports Dubious 'Trend' of Rideshare Driver Kidnappings
Plus: Pandemic learning loss, German weed legalization, and more...
Undeterred by Pushback, Cops and Journalists Are Still Warning Parents About THC-Laced Halloween Candy
The unsubstantiated threat that strangers with cannabis candy allegedly pose to trick-or-treaters is an urban legend that never dies.
Larry Krasner: Are Progressive Prosecutors Responsible for the Urban Crime Spike?
Q&A with Philadelphia's district attorney, who is facing an impeachment threat because of rising crime.
Larry Krasner: Are Progressive Prosecutors Responsible for the Urban Crime Spike?
Q&A with Philadelphia's district attorney, who is facing an impeachment threat because of rising crime.
Underage Girls Arrested in Florida 'Human Trafficking' Sting
Once again, policies billed as helping people coerced into prostitution wind up harming those that cops say they're trying to help.
Outside the White House, Protesters Urge Biden To Release Nonviolent Marijuana Offenders
While Biden's mass pardons for those with low-level marijuana possession convictions were greeted with cautious optimism, protesters expressed frustration over Biden's lack of action to actually release those imprisoned for nonviolent drug crimes.
Biden's Marijuana Pardons Did Not Free a Single Federal Prisoner or Deliver the Expungement He Promised
A protest at the White House calls attention to the thousands of federal cannabis offenders who remain incarcerated.
D.C. Rehired Cops and Paid Them $14 Million in Back Pay.
Out of 37 officers who were terminated and later reinstated, 17 had committed acts deemed a "threat to safety."
Rikers Island Sees 17th Prisoner Death This Year
Is a federal takeover of the troubled jail pending?
Is Crime Getting Better or Worse? We Don't Really Know.
The FBI changed the way it compiles data, and reporting law-enforcement agencies have yet to catch up.
You Do Not Need To Store Your Kids' DNA in Case of Emergencies
Fearmongering about mass school shootings leads to some dumb, privacy-threatening ideas.
Prison Slavery Up for a Vote in 5 States
Plus: Federal court dismisses state challenge to student loan debt forgiveness, not all independent contractors want to be employees, and more...
What Happens When a County Employee Acts Like a Police Officer?
A highway engineer got qualified immunity for detaining drivers—despite not being a cop.
A Federal Judge Says Trump Knowingly Endorsed False Fraud Claims in an Election Lawsuit
Despite that evidence, it is hard to tell whether Trump actually thought he beat Biden.
Florida Corrections Officers Paralyzed A Man, Then Left Him in Solitary Confinement
Craig Ridley died after corrections officers paralyzed him in a beating then left him without medical care for days.
