Criminal Justice
5 Infuriating Ways People Got the First Amendment Wrong in 2022
As free speech becomes an increasingly important part of the culture war, people won't stop misinterpreting—and outright violating—the First Amendment.
Don't Count on Criminal Prosecution To Hold Trump Accountable for His Egregious Post-Election Behavior
The final report from the January 6 select committee falls short of proving the elements required to convict the former president.
Crime Squad 4: Weather, Tires, Furniture, & Qualified Immunity
Enforcing all the laws, all the time.
The Failure To Enact Marijuana Banking and Crack Sentencing Reforms Is a Window on Congressional Dysfunction
Although both bills have broad bipartisan support, they never got a vote in the Senate and were excluded from the omnibus spending bill.
Aaron Dean's Conviction Suggests What It Takes To Hold Cops Accountable for Wrongly Using Deadly Force
The former Forth Worth officer shot Atatiana Jefferson through a window of her home. He said he thought she was a burglar.
Congress Misses Another Chance To Correct Blatantly Unjust Crack Penalties
The legal distinction between the smoked and snorted forms of cocaine never made sense.
The January 6 Committee's Suggested Charges Against Trump May Be Hard To Prove
The leading possibilities include knowledge and intent elements that have to be established beyond a reasonable doubt.
Congress Yet Again Fails To Pass Crack Cocaine Sentencing Reforms
A compromise to cram crack sentencing reform into the year-end omnibus spending bill fell apart at the last minute.
Why Does Funding Government Take $1.7 Trillion and 4,000 Pages?
Plus: Title 42 order termination is on hold, the FTC vs. Meta, and more...
Merrick Garland's New Charging Policy Aims To Ameliorate the Damage His Boss Did As a Drug Warrior
The attorney general's memo to prosecutors is an improvement, but it is no substitute for legislation.
Rikers Island Sees 19th Death This Year After Judge Gives Leaders More Time To Fix Its Messes
Somehow deaths have climbed even though the prison population has dropped.
Absolute Immunity Puts Prosecutors Above the Law
By giving powerful law enforcement officials absolute immunity from civil liability, the Supreme Court leaves their victims with no recourse.
Attorney General Orders Prosecutors To End Crack Cocaine Sentencing Disparity as Congress Dithers
The move comes as legislation flounders in Congress to end the crack-powder sentencing disparity once and for all.
What Do Republicans Want To 'Prosecute Fauci' for, Exactly?
Elon Musk reignited the GOP’s interest to bring charges against Anthony Fauci.
5 Louisiana Officers Indicted for Beating Motorist Ronald Greene to Death, Then Covering It Up
Credit the leaking of body camera footage to the press for helping force the matter.
Politics Is Getting in the Way of What Makes Cities Great
Healthy cities are a boon not just for those who live in them, but for our entire society.
This U.S. Citizen Was Detained by ICE for Over a Month. Now He's Getting a $150,000 Settlement.
A Government Accountability Office report last year documented hundreds of ICE actions involving potential U.S. citizens.
Cop Fired for Offering a Homeless Man a Shit Sandwich Rehired by Nearby Town
San Antonio's city manager said the case illustrated how hard it is to fire employees, but it also shows how hard it is for them to stay fired.
Richmond Wants To Limit New Convenience Stores Because There Was a Shooting at an Old One
The Richmond City Council unanimously approved a resolution to study applying tougher zoning restrictions to new shops as a way of cutting down on crime.
Even States That Have Already Decriminalized Marijuana Use See Fewer Possession Arrests After Legalization
A study credits "an overall lower police search rate," the result of new priorities and legal constraints.
Oregon's Governor Commutes Sentences of All State Death Row Inmates
Brown: “The state should not be in the business of executing people.”
This Mom Was Jailed for Leaving Her Teen Home Alone. Now, She's Suing.
An appeals court rejected a qualified immunity defense.
Florida Officer Shoots and Kills Man Mid-Sentence for Refusing To Drop an Axe
Now the officer is trying to keep his identity secret under a state law intended to protect crime victims.
Senate Investigation Finds Federal Prisons Fail to Prevent or Investigate Rapes
Long delays and management failures "allowed serious, repeated sexual abuse in at least four facilities to go undetected."
California City Pays $300,000 to Marine Veteran Tackled for Filming a Cop From His Porch
The city of Vallejo, California, has paid millions in recent years to settle excessive force lawsuits against its heavy-handed police force.
These Louisiana Inmates Served Their Sentences, but the State Wouldn't Let Them Go
Plus: A potential fusion energy breakthrough, the possible return of the child tax credit, and more...
This Teen Was Acquitted of Killing His Accomplice. He Was Punished for It Anyway.
Seventeen retired federal judges, appointed by both Republicans and Democrats, filed a brief supporting his appeal.
This Principal Investigated a Sexting Incident. So the Police Charged Him With Possessing Child Porn.
Bradley Bass is facing 12 years in prison, despite the fact that he was doing his job as a school administrator.
We Should All Be Nervous About Killer Police Robots
The San Francisco Police Department assured the public it had "no plans to arm robots with guns." But assurances aren't guarantees.
A 10-Year-Old Boy Shot and Killed His Mother. Wisconsin Is Charging Him As an Adult.
There is little utility to charging 10-year-olds as adults, yet Wisconsin still mandates the practice in certain cases.
Sex Offender Registry Prevents Dying, Bedridden Man From Spending Final Days at Home
"My opinion is no exceptions should be made," says the chief of the police.
11th Circuit Says a Judge Should Not Have Interfered With the FBI's Review of the Mar-a-Lago Documents
The appeals court says Donald Trump's status as a former president does not entitle him to special treatment.
New York Repealed Its Police Secrecy Law Two Years Ago. Departments Are Still Trying To Hide Misconduct Files.
The New York Civil Liberties Union is fighting about a dozen different lawsuits against stonewalling police departments.
Geofencing Warrants Are a Threat to Privacy
A precedent set in the January 6 prosecutions could be dangerous to the public.
Raise a Glass and Donate to Reason To Keep the Prohibitionists From Winning
Your tax-deductible support helps us make the case against today's overbearing nanny state.
Cops Return Cash Seized From Afroman in Bogus Drug Raid…With $400 Missing
Plus: What's going on with Iran's morality police? Two more days to give to Reason's 2022 webathon, and more...
Judging From These Verdicts, Stewart Rhodes' Seditious Conspiracy Did Not Involve Attacking the Capitol
The Oath Keepers leader was acquitted of two riot-related conspiracy counts but convicted of plotting to keep Donald Trump in office "by force."
Challenging Fauci, Documenting Government Outrage: What Reason Does With Your Donations!
Read some of our Top 10 stories from the past year!
You Can Record Video of Police in Action. But Can You Livestream That Video?
Plus: Court rejects Biden plea on student loan plan, Ohio cops don't understand the First Amendment, and more...
San Francisco Votes To Allow Killer Robots
Plus: Same-sex marriage bill passes Senate, Montana "mountain man" takes property rights case to SCOTUS, and more...
'Real' Journalists Recognize That Prosecuting Julian Assange Poses a Grave Threat to Freedom of the Press
The Justice Department’s discretion is the only thing that protects them from a similar fate.
Officers Who Ignored Man Paralyzed in Their Custody Are Charged With Misdemeanors
“You're cracking, you just drank too much,” said one officer as Randy Cox cried that his neck was broken.
Drug Dealers Are Now Being Charged With Human Trafficking
Plus: Chinese authorities contact protesters, smoking rates fall dramatically, and more…
