West Virginia Mulls New Criminal Penalties for Imaginary Threat of Police Fentanyl Exposure
A medical myth that responders can overdose by touching or inhaling synthetic opioids may lead to harsher jail sentences.
Criminal Justice
We All Are COVID Cops Now
Politicians evade responsibility when they make civilians enforce mask and vaccine mandates.
When Humanitarianism Prolongs the Inhumane
"A future of bloodless global discipline is a chilling thing."
There Is Nothing 'Conservative' About Letting Police Violate Our Rights
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's support for qualified immunity is in opposition to the principles he says he stands for.
New Virginia Attorney General Fires Entire Conviction Integrity Unit
Miyares' office says the conviction integrity unit is being expanded. Time will tell if it will have the independence and resources to succeed.
The Sedition Indictment Against 11 Oath Keepers Describes a Plot That Was Pitifully Inept and Ineffectual
This is the first time that participants in the Capitol riot have been charged with sedition.
Maggy Krell Repackages Her Bogus Backpage Prosecution Into a Book
The pimping charges Krell helped bring against Backpage's CEO and founders were twice thrown out of court.
Washington S. Ct. Upholds $18M Fine for Violating Campaign Disclosure Rules
The court rejected an Excessive Fines Clause challenge (by a 5-4 vote) and a First Amendment challenge.
How Progressives Ruined San Francisco: Michael Shellenberger
The author of the new book "San Fransicko", says the homelessness crisis is an addiction and mental health crisis enabled by policies that permit open-air drug scenes on public property and prevent police from enforcing laws
A Tiny Alabama Town Is Growing Its Police Force by Fining Everybody in Sight
Brookside officers have been accused of fabricating violations and are being sued.
Cops With Super Sniffers Fool No One Except the Judge
Iowa officers detect less than one gram of marijuana, 100 yards away, in a closed container in a moving car.
Kansas and California Cops Used Civil Forfeiture to Stage Armored Car Heists, Stealing Money Earned by Licensed Marijuana Businesses
The Institute for Justice argues that the seizures violated state law, federal law, and the U.S. Constitution.
Police Deaths Skyrocketed the Last 2 Years Because of COVID, Not Crime
Police deaths surge in 2021, but most deaths were due to COVID, not violent encounters.
Her Husband Died After Police Hogtied Him for 90 Minutes. Could She Ever Hold Them Accountable?
Kelli Goode's civil suit is a case study in how difficult it can be to get state actors to take responsibility when they allegedly infringe on someone's rights.
Everyone Deserves To Benefit from Medical Innovation. Yes, Even People Who Did Bad Things.
The New York Times and The Washington Post shamed the recipient of a pig heart transplant for committing a crime 35 years ago.
Police Misbehavior Is a Crucial Threat to Liberty
Cops in Los Angeles killed a young girl in a department store dressing room by accident while firing at a suspect armed with nothing more than a bike lock.
2021 Saw Most Cops Killed Feloniously on the Job since 9/11
FBI Director Wray on "The Cops Who Didn't Come Home"
Michael Shellenberger: How Progressives Ruined American Cities
The San Fransicko author on fighting homelessness and mental illnesses without shredding civil liberties.
Facebook Is a Snitch
Social media accounts are windows into your activities, and the cops are watching.
'Functionally Illiterate' Death Row Inmate Couldn't Understand a Form Letting Him Choose His Execution Method
Alabama allows death row inmates to pick an execution method other than lethal injection. But this intellectually disabled prisoner didn't receive proper accommodation, a judge says.
Judge: Baton Rouge Violated the First Amendment by Trying To Imprison a Professor for Sharing Body Camera Footage
It was the city that put the footage in the public record in the first place.
Tony Timpa Died After Cops Kneeled on His Back and Joked About It. A Court Says His Family Can Sue.
The officers originally received qualified immunity, meaning Timpa's estate had no right to state their case before a jury.
Viral Social Media Story of Attempted Child Luring Turns Out To Be Nothing
"You could hear they were trying not to laugh."
Ashli Babbitt's Violent Past Doesn't Justify Her Death
After the cops killed her, the A.P. gave her the "no angel" treatment.
'Should Police Arrest Sex Workers for Standing Around?' No, of Course Not.
Plus: Censorship in New York, how zoning laws are creating a housing crisis, and more...
The Death Penalty Continued Its Downward Trend in 2021
The Trump administration's revival appeared to be an outlier. Executions are becoming more and more rare.
Colorado Gov. Polis Commutes 110-Year Sentence for Trucker in Deadly Crash, Pardons Hundreds of Marijuana Convictions
Rogel Aguilera-Mederos faced harsh punishment under the state’s mandatory minimum sentences for insisting on the right to a trial.
We Don't Know Why Murder Rates Spiked in 2020
It's bad public policy to leap to the conclusion that we do.
Only 3 NYPD Officers Have Been Disciplined for Misconduct During the George Floyd Protests
The NYPD declined to punish nine other officers, despite recommendations from the city's Civilian Complaint Review Board.
In 2021, Qualified Immunity Reform Died a Slow, Painful Death
Despite bipartisan momentum at the federal level, Congress still couldn't get anything over the finish line.
Goodbye and Good Riddance to Bill de Blasio, a Terrible Mayor on Every Issue He Tripped Over
The best thing you could say about Bill de Blasio was that he was good for a laugh.
The Year's Highlights in Blame Shifting
Politicians and cops found creative ways to dodge responsibility in 2021.
Video of 'Fight Night' at Rikers Jail Leads Judge to Find Cruel and Unusual Punishment
A New York state judge found video of guards ceding control of Rikers to gang leaders more than enough evidence to order the release of a pretrial inmate.
Look Past Partisan Rhetoric To Understand California's Recent Crime Problems
California's leaders can take the recent rise in property crime seriously without repeating the same "tough on crime" mistakes of the past.
Rogel Aguilera-Mederos Rejected a Plea Deal. So He Got 110 Years in Prison.
Colorado First Judicial District Attorney Alexis King said she pursued the punishment after Aguilera-Mederos insisted on his right to trial.
Biden Administration Reverses Course, Will Let Prisoners Sent Home Due to Pandemic Stay There
Christmas comes a few days early for 2,800 inmates who had told they’d eventually have to return to their cells to serve out their terms.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Doubles Down on Calls for New Law to Seize Property From Suspected Gang Members
Civil liberties advocates say the law is just a reheated version of flawed state anti-gang law.
A Crime Victims' Rights Act Challenge to the Boeing 737 MAX Crashes Deferred Prosecution Agreement
My filings yesterday on behalf of the fifteen families who lost loved ones in the Boeing 737 MAX crashes explains why the Justice Department could not keep victims' families in the dark when it negotiated its immunity deal with Boeing.
Cops Held Two Innocent Boys at Gunpoint, Forced Them to Lie on the Ground, Handcuffed Them, and Searched Them. That's Fine, the 8th Circuit Said.
The Institute for Justice wants the Supreme Court to review the case—and to clarify the proper scope of "investigatory stops."
Police Oversight Board Demands Answers After Dallas Cops Seized Traveler's Cash
And some state politicians are talking about asset forfeiture reform.
