Courts
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.
Judge Can't Add 6 Years to a Prison Sentence Because the Defendant Called Him Names, Says Court
Plus: Coverage of Section 230 is overwhelmingly negative, Arizona cops who watched a man drown have been placed on leave, and more...
California Court Rules That Bees Are Fish
Insects aren't a category protected by the California Endangered Species Act. So state officials classified four bumblebee species as fish to get them listed.
Delta-8 Cannabis Compound Is Legal, Says Federal Appeals Court
Plus: Libertarian Party changes abortion and bigotry planks, the FDA's weird rejection of fluvoxamine for treating COVID-19, and more...
He Was Arrested for Criticizing the Cops. A Federal Court Says He Can Sue.
Jerry Rogers Jr. complained that police hadn't solved a murder yet—and found himself in a jail cell.
Are Elephants People? New York's Highest Court Hears Case for Animal Personhood
Plus: School voucher program survives lawsuit, Biden invokes Defense Production Act for formula, and more...
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.
Cops Who Arrested Man Over Fake Facebook Page Get Qualified Immunity
Anthony Novak's arrest and subsequent lawsuit set up a debate around overcriminalization and free speech.
'They Just Took Me Away'
Adults declared "incapacitated" by the courts can lose everything—their homes, their savings, their freedom—to Florida's sprawling guardianship system.
He Didn't Use the 'Magic Words' To Get Access to a Lawyer. Were His Rights Violated?
A recent court decision has reinvigorated the debate around just how specific the accused has to be in asking to speak with an attorney.
Texas Court Stays Execution of Mom Sentenced for Child's Death
The state claimed she beat a 2-year-old to death. But evidence may show it was the result of a fall down stairs.
Cop Who Arrested High Schooler on 'Terrorizing' Charges for Class Joke Gets Qualified Immunity
A judge's blistering dissent is a reminder that this issue does not have to be a partisan one.
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.
One Cheer for Stephen Breyer
Breyer led the charge against the court packers, denouncing them as shortsighted ideologues who threatened both judicial independence and bedrock liberal values.
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.
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.
Judge Tosses Maryland's Highly Gerrymandered Congressional Map
Advanced statistics and redistricting reformers combined to kill one of the country's worst gerrymanders.
CDC To Stop Using COVID as Excuse To Expel Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors
There are no public health gains from booting kids out of the country.
A 93-Year-Old Woman Couldn't Pay Her $2,300 Tax Bill. The Government Sold Her Home and Kept the Money.
"This is very bad for property rights."
Man Receives 3 Years in Federal Prison for Using COVID Relief Funds on a Pokémon Card
The punishment is a bit rich considering the government's own mishandling of pandemic cash.
The FBI Seized Almost $1 Million From This Family—and Never Charged Them With a Crime
"It's completely changed my belief in fairness," says Amy Sterner Nelson.
Pamela Moses 'Requested a Jury Trial.' So She Got 6 Years in Prison.
Shelby County District Attorney Amy Weirich said Moses would be a free woman—if she hadn't insisted on exercising her constitutional right to trial.
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.
A Border Patrol Agent Assaulted Him and Violated His First Amendment Rights. He May Never Get To Sue.
It is almost impossible to hold a rogue federal officer accountable. The Supreme Court may make it even harder.
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.
Did Redistricting Reform Fail in Ohio?
Ohio's supposed reforms left lawmakers in charge of the mapmaking process, and a gerrymandered map was the predictable result.
You Can't Solve Homelessness by Making It a Crime
In an August ruling, Washington's Supreme Court found that a homeless plaintiff's truck qualified as his homestead.
What Progressives Get Wrong About Judicial Review
Without judicial review, liberals confronting a Republican-controlled legislature will have no opportunity to seek constitutional redress in federal court.
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.
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.
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.
He Was Sentenced To 110 Years in Prison for Causing a Fatal Traffic Accident. The Judge Isn't Happy About It.
Rogel Aguilera-Mederos is set to die in prison, thanks to Colorado's mandatory sentencing laws.
A Judge Has Ordered Him Released From Prison—Twice. The Government Still Won't Set Him Free.
Bobby Sneed's story highlights how far some government agents will go to keep people locked up, flouting the same legal standards they are charged with upholding.
Ohio Prosecuted a Taxidermist for Asking an Inspector to Come Back Later
Regulators insist Fourth Amendment protections don’t apply to administrative searches.
How Did Ahmaud Arbery's 3 Assailants End Up With 12 Murder Convictions?
The felony murder rule is a perversion of justice—even when used against unsympathetic defendants.
The First Amendment Protects Everyone, Even Facebook and Twitter
Florida passed a law to stop big tech “censorship.” But the law itself tramples First Amendment rights.
Don't Punish the QAnon Shaman—or Anyone—for Demanding a Jury Trial
Coercive plea deals trample on defendants' Sixth Amendment rights.
Videos Are Making It Hard To Trust the Cops
It’s difficult to avoid the suspicion that the powers-that-be habitually lie about their conduct.
The Prosecution Had a Very Bad Day in the Kyle Rittenhouse Trial
Plus: Biden administration defends vaccine mandate, Bari Weiss announces the University of Austin, and more...
University of Florida Bans Professors From Testifying Against State Voting Law
"Outside activities that may pose a conflict of interest to the executive branch of the State of Florida create a conflict for the University of Florida," said the university in a statement.
Cops Arrested Her for Exercising Her First Amendment Rights. They Got Qualified Immunity—but the Appeals Court Wasn't Having It.
"This is not just an obvious constitutional infringement—it's hard to imagine a more textbook violation of the First Amendment."
