What the Declaration of Independence Said and Meant
It officially adopted the political theory of the United States: securing the individual rights of We the People
Criminal Justice
The Declaration of Independence will never be outmoded, as President Coolidge explained
Equality, inalienable rights, and consent of the governed can be opposed only by reactionaries
Phony Overtime, Fictional Drug Buys, and Mysterious C.I. Payments Offer a Glimpse of Houston Police Corruption
The charges against six narcotics officers reveal a culture of shady practices that led to a deadly drug raid.
Supreme Court of Texas Divides Over July and September Administrations of the Texas Bar
Seven Justices agree to to allow "Online" bar exam in October. Two Justices would "adopt a diploma privilege in lieu of the bar examination."
In 2020, Words Are 'Violence,' Arson Is Not
The redefinition of the term diminishes actual victims of violence and trivializes why people are protesting.
Body Camera Footage Shows Florida Cops Laughing About Using Rubber Bullets on Anti-Police Brutality Protesters
Scenes from anti-brutality protests are renewing the debate around the controversial use of rubber bullets.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Excessive radon, Armageddon, and a hopeless romantic.
Overtime July begins with Emanations and Penumbras from the Shadow Docket
The Court quietly ruled on Abortion, Free Exercise, the Mueller Report, Voting Rights, and the Suspension Clause.
Golden State Killer's Capture Complicates Documentary I'll Be Gone in the Dark
What happens when a decades-long mystery gets solved while you’re explaining it?
Why Haven't We Seen the Body Cam Footage of Duncan Lemp's Killing?
It's been nearly four months since a Maryland SWAT team killed Duncan Lemp, and there's been no transparency.
Empowered by Excessive Regulations, 'Permit Karen' Harasses Her Neighbors and Calls the Cops
How invasive questions about a stone patio permit turned into a Black Lives Matter protest
New Charges and Audit Results Reveal Widespread Laxness and Corruption in the Houston Narcotics Division That Killed an Innocent Couple
Contrary to what Police Chief Art Acevedo seems to think, his department has a systemic problem.
Somerville (Mass.) Allows Multi-Member Domestic Partnerships
Partners (who needn't be romantically involved with each other) can benefit from each other's health insurance—but siblings living together can't.
Lindsey Graham's Terrible Anti-Privacy 'EARN IT' Act Passes Senate Committee
This isn't a bill about fighting child porn. Don't fall for it.
The Ten Phases of Blue June
Phase 1 began with South Bay v. Newsom on May 29. Now, we go into Phase 10: Overtime.
Stare Decisis is an Old Latin Phrase that Means "Let the Decisions of the Warren Court Stand"
Halfway Stare Decisis, like Halfway Textualism, Allows the Court to be Ruled by the Dead Hand of William Brennan.
Chief Justice Roberts Rewrote Morrison v. Olson
Roberts's fidelity to stare decisis does not include following precedents as written. And we all know it.
After 3 Weeks and 4 Shootings, Seattle Dismantles Its 'Autonomous Zone'
Seattle police have arrested dozens of protesters during their sweep of the so-called Capitol Hill Occupied Protest.
Would Derek Chauvin Receive Qualified Immunity for Killing George Floyd?
The answer speaks volumes about the extent to which that doctrine protects police officers from liability for outrageous conduct.
Justice Kagan on Hamilton in Federalist No. 77
Hamilton said that Senate must consent when a new President "displaces," that is substitutes an old officer with a new officer.
Police Departments Asked Live PD To Cut Footage That Made Cops Look Bad
Perhaps this show was not the window into law enforcement transparency it claimed to be.
Wesley Yang: Woke Protests Against 'White Supremacism' May Be the New Normal
The Souls of Yellow Folk author says a new "elite consensus" fixated on racial outrage is forming and may destroy our ability to function.
Touching Your Phone While Driving Is Now Illegal in Idaho, Illinois, and Indiana
Plus: More (bad, weird, and occasionally good) new state laws that start taking effect today.
Want to Reform the Criminal Justice System? End the Drug War.
Drug prohibition increases conflict between citizens and the police.
The Roberts Court Slowly Inters Justice Kennedy's Ephemeral "Jurisprudence of Doubt"
Blue June buries Boumediene, Whole Woman's Health, and Trinity Lutheran Footnote 3.
A Rosy End to Blue June
Is Espinoza enough to make conservatives look past the Chief's never-ending chess match?
Inmate Coronavirus Infections Skyrocket in California
A third of prisoners at San Quentin have gotten COVID-19, most in just the last two weeks.
11 Redacted Seconds of Video of Fatal 2014 Drug Bust Undermine Florida Cops' Official Story
Previously unreleased video shows Jerry Brown didn't have much time to react before Pasco County deputies shot and killed him.
Defendant "Not Likely to Emerge From … His [5-Year] Sentence … with a Thoughtful and Pacific Approach to His Fellow Man"
A new three-strikes sentencing opinion from a California court.
These Women Received a Death Sentence for Being Sick In Prison
A Reason investigation has identified three deaths from alleged medical neglect at FCI Aliceville, a federal women's prison. Current and former inmates say it's routine, but the Bureau of Prisons won't talk about it.
The Chief Justices Battle over the Removal Power
Roberts and Kagan present two very different conceptions of the separation of powers.
Blue June Glooms On
The Chief feints left on abortion, tiptoes to the right on the CFPB, and Thomas is still waiting for Godot
A SWAT Team Blew Up This Family's House While Chasing a Shoplifter. The Supreme Court Won't Hear the Case.
And no, it wasn't the shoplifter's home.
Supreme Court Won't Stop Pending Federal Executions
The federal government hasn’t executed a prisoner since 2003. We may see three killed in July.
