6 Cases That Paved the Road to Mass Incarceration
In Justice Abandoned, a law professor argues that the Court got these key decisions wrong.
Criminal Justice
Not Guilty but Punished Anyway
Sentencing defendants based on acquitted conduct violates basic notions of justice.
The Victims' Families Seek a Plea Deadline in the Boeing Criminal Case
I argue that the Crime Victims' Rights Act entitles the victims' families to know whether Boeing is really planning to go to trial ... or whether it will stick with its guilty plea.
The Man Who Fought Chicago for His Cadillac—and Never Got It Back
Spencer Byrd's case helped spark reforms and a federal lawsuit, but he died before seeing justice.
Trump Says Alleged Gang Members Don't Need Hearings Because the Government Is Infallible
The Supreme Court unanimously rejected that claim, upholding the right to due process in deportation cases.
ICE Arrests Palestinian Immigrant at His Citizenship Test
Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi thought he was going to become an American. Instead, ICE whisked him away into detention.
Georgia Police Tried To Arrest a Paralyzed Man for Kicking Down a Woman's Door and Assaulting Her
The woman has since recanted her allegations.
ICE Retracts Threat To Stop Illegal 'Ideas' at the Border
The pro-censorship post was quite the Freudian slip from the Trump administration.
American Prisons Don't Work. California Is Trying Something That Might.
What America can learn from prisons in Norway and Sweden.
The Utah Supreme Court Rules That Sexual Assault Victims Cannot Be Forced to Testify at "Rape Shield" Hearings
The Court follows my argument that the purpose of a rape shield hearing is to ... well ... shield rape victims.
Florida Cops Arrest Transgender Woman for Using Women's Bathroom
“I am here to break the law,” Marcy Rheintgen said after being given a trespass warning.
Ksenia Karelina, Imprisoned in Russia for Donating $51 to a Pro-Ukraine Charity, Is Freed
The American citizen had been sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony for treason.
Bill Would Require Federal Prisons To Notify Families of Serious Illness and Death
Families described not being told their loved one was in the hospital or even when they had died.
On Remand, the 5th Circuit Again Blocks a Lawsuit by a Texas Reporter Arrested for Newsgathering
Even if Laredo cops punished Priscilla Villarreal for constitutionally protected speech, the appeals court says, they would be protected by qualified immunity.
Florida Lawmakers Don't Want You To Know When a Cop Shoots Someone
The Sunshine State is considering a bill that would expand protections for law enforcement officers who use deadly force or cause great bodily harm.
Cambridge Brothel Case: What's the Point?
Abandoning the "sex slave" narrative exposes the hollowness at the center of cases like this.
Mel Gibson Got His Gun Rights Back, but Millions of Americans With No History of Violence Are Still Waiting
The movie star’s special treatment highlights the injustice of an illogical federal law.
Border Cops Try To Make an End Run Around Attorney-Client Privilege
Detroit lawyer Amir Makled has confidential client data on his phone. That didn’t stop U.S. Customs and Border Protection from trying to search it.
Supreme Court Rejects Trump's Claim That He Can Summarily Deport Anyone He Describes As an 'Alien Enemy'
Although the Court lifted an order that temporarily blocked removal of suspected gang members, it unambiguously affirmed their right to judicial review.
The FBI Wrongly Raided a Georgia Family's Home. Now Their Case Is Going to the Supreme Court.
A federal court ruled Trina Martin could not sue the government after agents burst into her home and held an innocent man at gunpoint.
What To Do If Border Police Ask To Search Your Phone
Know how much the law does—and doesn’t—protect your privacy rights.
The Government Threatened To Seize His Home Over Tall Grass
Bureaucrats in Dunedin, Florida, originally hit Jim Ficken with a fine close to $30,000. When he couldn't pay that, things turned dire.
Deported for Innocent Tattoos?
People are allegedly being classified as gang members for tattoos of crowns, clocks, and soccer logos.
Important Questions for Boeing's CEO at Tomorrow's Senate Commerce Committee Hearing
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg should explain whether Boeing continues to plan to plead guilty to conspiring to defraud the FAA, or whether it will attempt to shirk its responsibility for the deadliest corporate crime in U.S. history.
Convicting Boeing for Its Deadly Crime Becomes Simple Under the "Judicial Admission" Doctrine
In its deferred prosecution agreement, Boeing stipulated to an agreed statement of facts demonstrating that it is guilty.
Pam Bondi Aims To Revive a Moribund Legal Process for Restoring Gun Rights
A new Justice Department rule could help "prohibited persons" who pose no threat to public safety.
Ghiblifying the Fent Trafficker Deportation
Plus: New York state cut off from federal funding, Phil Magness on tariffs for JAQ, and more...
Black Student Expelled for Sexual Assault of White Classmate Seeks Pseudonymity Partly Because "Interracial Sexual Relationships …
between White women and Black men are the subject of heightened prejudice and violent responses that create a tangible risk of retaliation and animus against him."
Pete Hegseth's Carelessness and Dishonesty Mirror Hillary Clinton's
The defense secretary, who shared information about imminent U.S. air strikes in a manifestly insecure group chat, thought Clinton should be prosecuted for her careless handling of sensitive information.
Kristi Noem Uses El Salvador's Nightmarish Megaprison To Create Content
The Homeland Security secretary's use of El Salvador's largest prison for propaganda is unethical and an endorsement of an autocratic justice system.
Arizona Legislators Are Immune From Traffic Tickets During Session. A New Proposal Wants To Change That.
Legislators have used the state Constitution to avoid accountability for egregious traffic violations.
Boeing Has Confessed to Committing Its Deadly Crime … and Should Now Plead Guilty
Boeing has no defense to the charged crime of defrauding the FAA. Rather than go through a pointless trial with a preordained result, it should plead guilty straightaway.
These States Are Moving in the Wrong Direction on Prostitution Laws
Twelve states are considering harsher punishments for soliciting sex.
The European Commission Is Assaulting American Tech Companies
Meta, Apple, Microsoft, and others have all faced legal action from the European Union in recent years.
Will ICE Use the Alien Enemies Act To Enter Homes Without Warrants?
Already this year, the agency has allegedly conducted a warrantless raid in Newark and several warrantless arrests in the Midwest.
The FBI Seized This Woman's Life Savings—Without Telling Her Why
Linda Martin's lawsuit alleges that the agency violated her right to due process when it took her $40,200 and sent her a notice failing to articulate the reason.
A New Study Adds to the Evidence That Drug Busts Result in More Overdose Deaths
The researchers found that drug seizures in San Francisco were associated with a substantial increase in fatal opioid overdoses.
