The Tony Timpa Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Police Shows Why Jury Trials Are So Important
Trials are incredibly valuable fact-finding tools—particularly when the defendants are public employees.
Accountability
Seven Years Since He Died Under a Cop's Knee, His Mom Is Getting Her Day in Court
Tony Timpa's story shows how far the government goes to prevent victims of abuse from seeking recourse.
A Cop Jailed Her for 2 Years on Fake Charges. Will She Ever Get Justice?
St. Paul police officer Heather Weyker has thus far managed to get immunity for upending Hamdi Mohamud's life.
Jared Polis: Democrats Are 'More Pro-Freedom Than Republicans'
The Colorado governor finds common ground with many libertarians. But does he really stand for more freedom?
Do the Proud Boys Deserve To Be in Prison Forever?
Plus: A listener question concerning porn verification laws.
Joe Biden's Email Aliases Are a Potentially Serious Transparency Problem
Multiple administrations have allowed senior officials to use alias email accounts. The practice undermines the Freedom of Information Act and encourages secrecy.
A Louisiana Man Was Jailed for Criticizing Police. A Federal Court Wasn't Having It.
The decision supports the notion that victims are entitled to recourse when the state retaliates against people for their words. But that recourse is still not guaranteed.
The U.S. Credit Rating Just Dropped. It's Time for Radical Budget Reform.
The lack of oversight and the general absence of a long-term vision is creating inefficiency, waste, and red ink as far as the eye can see.
Police Seized Innocent People's Property and Kept It for Years. What Will the Supreme Court Do?
Civil forfeiture is a highly unaccountable practice. The justices have the opportunity to make it a bit less so.
Why Is It So Hard for Victims of Police Abuse To Get Justice?
Joanna Schwartz on how law enforcement "became untouchable"
Auditors Asked the IRS To Figure Out Why So Many Taxpayers Make Mistakes. The IRS Said 'No.'
Maybe taxpayers would make fewer mistakes if the federal tax code weren't so hopelessly complex.
Law Enforcement Beat This Innocent Man to a Pulp. Will the Supreme Court Allow Him To Seek Recourse?
James King is once again asking the high court to rule that two officers should not receive immunity for choking him unconscious and temporarily disfiguring his face.
Louisville Police Abuses Show Civil Liberties Are Meaningless Without Accountability
Supervisors and judges tolerated outrageous constitutional violations, including illegal searches and brutal assaults.
The Cops Who Killed Tyre Nichols Could Be Convicted of Murder and Still Get Qualified Immunity
In his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Joe Biden said that he wants to hold police "accountable." But he neglected to mention the elephant in the room.
Tyre Nichols' Killing Brings Police Reform Back into Public Debate
There are ways to reduce abusive behavior while still protecting public safety.
Pentagon Can't Account for $220 Billion of Gear Given to Contractors
The actual total is probably higher according to the Government Accountability Office's new report.
Why Take Responsibility When You Can Blame Somebody Else?
The year’s highlights in buck passing feature petulant politicians, brazen bureaucrats, careless cops, loony lawyers, and junky journalists.
This Mom Was Jailed for Leaving Her Teen Home Alone. Now, She's Suing.
An appeals court rejected a qualified immunity defense.
2 Years After Police Broke a 73-Year-Old Woman's Arm, A New Report Reveals Even More Misconduct
In 2020, police severely injured Karen Garner when they arrested her for petty theft. While two officers faced time behind bars for the incident, a newly released report makes even more misconduct public.
This Court Case Could Make It a Crime To Be a Journalist in Texas
Priscilla Villarreal found herself in a jail cell for publishing two routine stories. A federal court still can't decide what to do about that.
Florida's Constitutional Revision Commission Is Unelected, Unaccountable, and Unnecessary
This November, voters will have the chance to abolish it. They should.
What Happens When a County Employee Acts Like a Police Officer?
A highway engineer got qualified immunity for detaining drivers—despite not being a cop.
The "Good Government Trilemma": Why We Can't Have Democracy, Accountability, and Big Government all at Once
Canadian legal scholar Leonid Sirota outlines some reasons why.
This Innocent Woman's House Was Destroyed by a SWAT Team. A Jury Says She's Owed $60,000.
Such victims are often told they have no right to sue.
Supreme Court Makes It Effectively Impossible To Sue Federal Cops, Smashing a 51-Year-Old Precedent
A federal badge will now serve as an impenetrable shield against civil liability.
Do We Really Need 100 Different Federal Programs To Fund Broadband?
A new GAO report finds that the government lacks a "national strategy with clear roles, goals, objectives, and performance measures."
Jerome Powell, Who Wildly Misjudged Inflation, Is Overwhelmingly Reconfirmed as Fed Chair
There is seldom any meaningful accountability for government incompetence.
He Was Sentenced to Death After Law Enforcement Fabricated Evidence. A Federal Court Says He Can Sue.
A conservative judge expressed skepticism at the panel's conclusion before issuing a strong rebuke of prosecutorial immunity.
The V.A. Bought 10,000 iPhones for Veterans. 8,544 of Them Were Never Used.
The department lost nearly $2.4 million on data plans for iPhones and iPads that sat in storage.
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.
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.
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.
Arizona House Committee Approves Bill To Criminalize Filming Cops on the Job
"You'll have a bunch of people who plead to avoid trial or go broke trying to vindicate their rights."
After Being Illegally Imprisoned for Almost a Year, Bobby Sneed Is Finally Free
Louisiana refused to release Sneed for months, despite a judge ruling several times that the state was breaking the law.
Amir Locke's Death Should Incense Anyone Who Cares About Gun Rights
The 22-year-old man was shot by a Minneapolis police officer during the execution of a no-knock warrant on which he was not named.
Americans Want Police Reform, Not Abolition. So Did This Slain NYPD Officer.
Despite a binary media narrative, the vast majority of the U.S. is in favor of quality, accountable policing.
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.
The Year's Highlights in Blame Shifting
Politicians and cops found creative ways to dodge responsibility in 2021.
A SWAT Team Blew Up This Innocent Woman's House and Cost Her Over $50,000. The City Tried To Stop Her From Suing.
A federal court wasn't having it.
Denied Treatment for His Cancer, This Kentucky Man Died in Prison After Vomiting Blood
In a lawsuit, Marc Crawford's widow says the state refused to give him his prescriptions and his chemotherapy.
The Supreme Court Deals a Major Blow to Qualified Immunity Reform
In two opinions issued Monday, the Court gave qualified immunity to several police officers accused of violating the Constitution.
Judge: Police Can't Blame a Bystander for a Cop Killing Another Cop
It was unconstitutional to charge Jenna Holm with manslaughter. But the state wanted to protect its own.
A Louisiana Prosecutor Escapes Responsibility After Allegedly Covering Up Rape Allegations Against a Prison Official
No accountability for government corruption.
Top Cop Who Presided Over Deadly Corruption in Houston Loses His New Job in Miami 6 Months After He Was Hired
Art Acevedo provoked many complaints, but they paled in comparison to his prior record of negligence and obliviousness.
A Cop Killed an Innocent Man After a 'Swatting' Prank Call. The City Can't Be Sued.
"It gives cities a protection that ordinary citizens never have."
Victims of Rights-Violating California Cops May Finally Get Justice in Court
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed S.B. 2 into law, despite some objections from police unions.
Cops Get Qualified Immunity After Jailing Florida Man for 'I Eat Ass' Bumper Sticker
Dillon Shane Webb will thus not be able to sue for the alleged violation of his free speech rights.
The DHS Agent Who Tried To Kill Kevin Byrd Can't Be Sued—Because He Works for the Federal Government
It's almost impossible to hold federal officers to account.
