Criminal Justice
A Federal Jury Delivers a Rebuke of FBI Entrapment
The agency’s tactics doomed the prosecution of defendants who allegedly planned to kidnap Michigan's governor.
For 20 Years, This Prosecutor Had a Secret Job Working For the Judges Who'd Decide His Cases
One of Ralph Petty's victims is trying to hold him accountable, but she will have to overcome prosecutorial immunity.
Dr. Carl Hart: 'I Am Better for My Drug Use'
The maverick Columbia neuroscientist explains why America should embrace drug legalization for all.
ATF's New 'Ghost Gun' Rules Are as Clear as Mud
The ATF used a lot of words that invite lawsuits and leave industry insiders baffled.
Two Cops Will Not Face Discipline For Pushing a 75-Year-Old to the Ground. You Can Thank the Police Union.
The ordeal highlights how collective bargaining in the public sphere has stacked almost every factor against alleged victims of police misconduct.
Texas Prosecutors Blatantly Ignored the Law When They Charged a Woman With Murder 'by a Self-Induced Abortion'
As Starr County District Attorney Gocha Allen Ramirez belatedly conceded, that charge is explicitly prohibited by the Texas Penal Code.
Texas Woman Accused of Self-Induced Abortion Was Jailed for 2 Nights Before Murder Charges Were Dismissed
Plus: An index of school book bans, new "ghost gun" regulations, and more...
Minneapolis Bans Police Use of No-Knock Warrants
After the tragic shooting of Amir Locke, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has made changes to the controversial practice. But are they enough?
Faulty Police Field Tests Said This Trucker Was Carrying 700 Gallons of Meth. It Was Diesel.
Juan Guzman spent nearly six weeks in jail based on unreliable field tests that have resulted in hundreds of other wrongful arrests.
The FBI Decided Not To Knock Down a Suspect's Front Door Because 'It Was an Affluent Neighborhood'
"This is such outrageous behavior by the FBI," a D.C. Circuit judge says, calling the agency's special treatment of rich people "deeply troubling."
Conservatives Say They Care About the Constitution. Until They Talk About Criminal Justice.
Ketanji Brown Jackson will be the nation's first Supreme Court justice to have served as a public defender, and the first since Thurgood Marshall to have experience as a defense attorney. That's good.
Officials Seizing Russian Yachts Now May Steal Americans' Property in the Future
Going after oligarchs breathes new life into sketchy asset forfeiture powers.
Minnesota's Attorney General Says the Cop Who Killed Amir Locke Was Defending Himself. So Was Locke.
That perplexing situation underlines the hazards of police tactics that aim to prevent violence but often have the opposite effect.
Cops Seized $8,000 From Her and Never Charged Her With a Crime
After Rochester police took her cash, Cristal Starling found out just how hard it is to challenge civil asset forfeiture in court.
January 6 Defendant Who Says He Thought He Was Allowed in Capitol Beats Charges
Plus: "A brave new world of astonishing individual freedom," Biden threatens Amazon, and more...
Chicago's More Aggressive Speed Cameras Issued 2.8 Million Tickets Last Year
The city's army of 160 speed cameras issued a ticket every 11 seconds during 2021 and generated $89 million in revenue.
Fresno Bans Journalists—and Everyone Else—From Filming Cops Clearing Out Homeless Camps
The ACLU of Northern California is suing to overturn the ordinance.
Oklahoma Votes To Criminalize Abortion
Plus: Panhandling is free speech, Biden may extend student loan repayment moratorium, Florida's wasteful defense of unconstitutional social media law, and more...
The Supreme Court Says You Can Sue Cops Who Frame You on False Charges
The previous standard barring such lawsuits made “little sense," wrote Justice Brett Kavanaugh for the majority.
Ted Cruz Hates Due Process
By smearing public defenders, the Texas senator shows what he thinks of constitutional rights.
Rhode Island Senators Consider Two Paths To Decriminalizing Prostitution
One bill would repeal a range of laws against sex work, while the other would change them from criminal to civil offenses.
Did Ketanji Brown Jackson Flout the Law When She Reduced a Drug Dealer's Sentence?
The Supreme Court nominee's critics say she clearly did, but several federal appeals courts disagree.
Police Seized Almost $10,000 From Him. A Court Ruled He Had No Right to an Attorney.
Terry Abbott couldn't afford representation, because the state took the cash he'd use to pay for it.
Tulsa Police Officers Taunt Elderly Woman With Bipolar Disorder Before Violently Arresting Her
"This is gonna be so fun," one officer says.
Spring Break in Miami Brings a 'State of Emergency'
Curfews and alcohol rollbacks meant to mitigate danger actually hurt local businesses.
'Geofence Warrant' for All Cell Location Data From Area Near Robbery Is Ruled Unconstitutional
Plus: New rules on sex discrimination in education, economists warn of housing market exuberance, and more...
Pandemic Policy Turned Schools Into Surveillance States
Cameras and tracking technology purchased to battle COVID-19 will be a lingering affliction.
A Federal Judge Says a Victim of Retaliatory Prosecution Can Sue a Cop Who Treated Criticism As a Crime
An Arkansas police officer used trumped-up charges to punish a man who criticized him for violating the Constitution.
He Spent 28 Years Behind Bars for a Murder He Didn't Commit and Died Before Seeing Justice
The police officers who allegedly framed William Virgil were denied qualified immunity. But they're still trying to delay a trial.
