Trump Reportedly Retained Hundreds of Documents That Were Marked As Classified
We still know almost nothing about their contents, which is relevant in assessing the decision to search Mar-a-Lago.
Fourth Amendment
Arkansas Cops Suspended After Video of Beating Goes Viral
The video shows three officers kicking, punching, and slamming the man's head into the pavement. State police are now investigating.
FBI Misled Judge in Obtaining Warrant To Seize Hundreds of Safe Deposit Boxes
New court documents show that the FBI planned for months to seize and forfeit property found inside safe deposit boxes in an L.A. raid under the pretext of doing an inventory.
If We See an Expurgated Version of the Mar-a-Lago Search Warrant Affidavit, What Will It Tell Us?
Although U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart is inclined to unseal the document, redactions demanded by the Justice Department could make it hard to understand.
It's Not Clear Why Trump Thinks Disclosing the Mar-a-Lago Search Warrant Affidavit Would Help His Case
Reinforcing the FBI's suspicions was the whole point of that document, which is likely to remain sealed.
Trump's Defense Suggests His Treatment of Classified Material Was Remarkably Cavalier
Whatever threat it may have posed, the trove of government documents seized by the FBI does not reflect well on the former president's judgment.
Donald Trump's Handling of Classified Material Looks Worse Than Hillary Clinton's
The former president thought his 2016 opponent should go to prison for recklessly endangering national security.
Democrats Don't Trust 'the Police,' but They Do Trust the FBI, Provided It Is Targeting Donald Trump
As the response to the Mar-a-Lago raid illustrates, Republicans are inconsistent in the other direction.
Judicial Rubber-Stamping of Search Warrants Can Be Deadly
Lethal drug raids in Louisville and Houston were based on fishy police affidavits that turned out to be fraudulent.
Texas Residents Sue After Police Allegedly Hold Them at Gunpoint and Break Man's Dialysis Port
The lawsuit says police in Rosenberg, Texas, have a history of excessive force and unlawful searches, especially against those with medical vulnerabilities.
Four Cops Implicated in Breonna Taylor's Death Now Face Federal Charges
So far no one has been held criminally liable for the disastrous drug raid, which was based on a flimsy and falsified search warrant affidavit.
Prosecutors Who Want Credit for Investigating Police Corruption Are Happy To Steal Money From Innocent People
The Harris County, Texas, District Attorney's Office oversees civil forfeitures that make a mockery of justice.
Which Is More Scandalous: The Training for Armed Teachers or the Training for Police Officers?
On average, the minimum requirement for cops is about 650 hours, compared to about 1,300 hours for barbers.
What Is the FBI Trying To Hide About Its Raid on Innocent Americans' Safe Deposit Boxes?
Federal prosecutors want to keep key details about the planning and execution of the March 2021 raid at U.S. Private Vaults out of the public's sight.
A Houston Drug Cop's Lies Sent This Man to Prison for 25 Years
The case shows how lax supervisors, incurious prosecutors, deferential judges, credulous jurors, and inattentive defense attorneys abet police misconduct.
Homeland Security Is Buying Its Way Around the Fourth Amendment
Plus: The Respect for Marriage Act, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, and more...
This Appeal Asks the Supreme Court To Reject Warrantless Gun Seizures Justified by 'Special Needs'
The Institute for Justice urges SCOTUS to renounce that open-ended exception to the Fourth Amendment.
Government Databases Invite Privacy Abuse in China and the U.S.
The surveillance state’s appetite for sensitive information is dangerous under any flag.
Even at His Sentencing Hearing, Derek Chauvin Did Not Manage To Express Remorse for Killing George Floyd
Despite the stakes, the former Minneapolis police officer could not bring himself even to feign regret for his actions.
The Clarence Thomas Court Is Good News for Gun Rights, Bad News for Criminal Justice Reform
Like it or not, the Thomas Court is here.
Seizing Russian Assets Violates the 'Fundamental Right' to Property, Says Swiss President
"You have to ensure the citizens are protected against the power of the state. This is what we call liberal democracies."
Stephen Breyer Officially Retires Tomorrow, Opening a Seat for Ketanji Brown Jackson
“My retirement from active service,” Breyer told the president, “will be effective on Thursday, June 30, 2022, at noon.”
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.
In The Listeners, Brian Hochman Details History of Eavesdropping
Wiretapping and eavesdropping used to be the norm. Perhaps privacy was always an illusion after all.
What Are Ya, Some Kind of Comedian?
Qualified immunity denied in case alleging a probable-cause-less arrest based on plaintiff's (comedian Hannibal Buress's) speech "roast[ing a police officer's] ass."
It's a Bad Year for Criminal Justice Reform at the Supreme Court
A recent pair of cases spotlights the sorry state of affairs.
SCOTUS Just Made It Even Harder To Sue an Abusive Federal Agent
The Supreme Court continues to shield federal officers who are accused of violating constitutional rights.
This Man Says He Spent 17 Days in Jail After American Airlines Wrongly Fingered Him As a Shoplifting Suspect
Michael Lowe is suing the company in Texas, saying its negligence led to a life-changing ordeal.
To Promote Public Safety, Michigan Authorizes Cops To Rob Travelers at Airports
The change represents a substantial reversal of civil forfeiture reforms aimed at protecting innocent property owners.
SCOTUS Lets Tony Timpa's Family Pursue Claims Against Cops Who Killed Him While Supposedly Trying To Help Him
The lawsuit over Timpa's deadly prone restraint, initially blocked by qualified immunity, was revived by the 5th Circuit.
Mothers' Lawsuits Claiming Univ. of Pittsburgh Medical Center Interfered with Parental Rights Can Go Forward
The claims arise out of “UPMC’s purported disclosure of their confidential medical information to [child protection authorities] for the purpose of targeting them with highly intrusive, humiliating and coercive child abuse investigations starting before taking their newborn babies home from UPMC’s hospitals shortly after childbirth.”
Georgia Cops Rummaged Through Student-Athletes' Luggage in a Fruitless Search for 'a Little Bit of Marijuana'
When did the K-9 arrive? And what was the probable cause for the search?
ICE Operates a Sweeping 'Dragnet Surveillance System,' New Report Finds
ICE has spent $2.8 billion since 2008 developing surveillance and facial-recognition capabilities, mostly in secrecy and without real oversight.
Mandatory Employee COVID Tests Don't Violate Religious Freedom Rights or Fourth Amendment
The employee argued that "her faith in God 'will protect her from COVID-19 so there is no reason to take a test.'"
Sheriff Agrees To Stop Stealing Cannabis Cash From Armored Cars, Saying His Deputies 'Are Not Highway Robbers'
The settlement came after the Justice Department agreed to return more than $1 million in proceeds from state-licensed marijuana businesses in California.
Minneapolis Bans Police Use of No-Knock Warrants
After the tragic shooting of Amir Locke, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey has made changes to the controversial practice. But are they enough?
Minnesota's Attorney General Says the Cop Who Killed Amir Locke Was Defending Himself. So Was Locke.
That perplexing situation underlines the hazards of police tactics that aim to prevent violence but often have the opposite effect.
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.
'Geofence Warrant' for All Cell Location Data From Area Near Robbery Is Ruled Unconstitutional
Plus: New rules on sex discrimination in education, economists warn of housing market exuberance, and more...
A Federal Judge Says a Victim of Retaliatory Prosecution Can Sue a Cop Who Treated Criticism As a Crime
An Arkansas police officer used trumped-up charges to punish a man who criticized him for violating the Constitution.
The 5th Circuit Approves a Cop's Violent Response to a Dispute Over a 7-Year-Old's Littering
The officer used a "pain compliance maneuver" to force information from the boy's sister, who was recording the encounter.
Tennessee Statute Authorizing Wildlife Resource Agency Searches Facially Unconstitutional
So holds a Tennessee court.
Police Officer Kills Dog for Walking Toward Him With Tail Wagging
Bradley Brock says his dog Moose was walking toward a police officer wagging its tail when the officer gunned his pet down.
Time To Close the Car Snitch Loophole
When you plug your phone into your car to listen to your favorite band or podcast, you give police a way to rummage around in your personal data without a warrant.
"Geofence Warrants Are the Future (and That's a Good Thing)"
From Prof. Jane Bambauer (Arizona).
Man Suffers Heart Attack, Dies, After Being Cuffed For Cussing at Officer and Trying to Shut his Door
Cops in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, were searching for a theft suspect on the property who was not there when they arrested William Walls and caused his death.
A Jury Concludes That Blindly Firing 10 Rounds Into Breonna Taylor's Apartment Was Not 'Wanton Endangerment'
Brett Hankison's acquittal shows how difficult it is to hold cops accountable for abusing their power.
